Lcd Tv Monitor

LCD manufacturers want your next TV to be flat and thin. The vanguard of this push from PCs into home electronics has arrived in the form of double-duty displays. The new Samsung SyncMaster 241MP is a 24-inch-diagonal wide-format display with computer connections and a built-in television tuner, so it's equally adept in the boardroom or the media room. With a street price of $4,100, however, right now this is a product for those who can afford to be on the cutting edge.

The wide-format display has a 1,920- by 1,200-pixel resolution, which is more than enough for sharp computer images. A Web window filling just half the screen is a comfortable and useful size.

We tested the unit with images created by DisplayMate software (www.displaymate.com). The auto-sync feature worked perfectly, adjusting the analog image size, position, and timing to eliminate any pixel jitter. We found no apparent pixel defects; gray response was excellent at both ends of the spectrum; and color tracking was very good, even with the default settings. The panel uses Samsung's Patterned Vertical Alignment (PVA) technology, and we observed exceptional viewing angles in all directions, except for some contrast loss when we viewed the screen from the corners (which is the worst position for almost all LCD panels).

On moving images generated by a PC, we saw noticeable smearing, but much less than on most LCD monitors. When viewing TV images using the built-in tuner, the smearing is still apparent though less noticeable. But there's no getting around the fact that moving images are just not as sharp as they are on a CRT.

The on-screen menus have many levels but are relatively easy to use. The external speakers are far better than the tinny speakers normally found in a desktop monitor, though a subwoofer would be a welcome addition. Samsung provides a three-year warranty on the monitor, including the backlight.

The deal-killer for the 241MP is the high price, which is close to the cost of a much larger plasma display and considerably more than that of many LCD projectors. Prices are going to have to drop dramatically to move this one out of the prestige, luxury niche and into a broader market.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.

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