Samsung 205BW Owner's/Review thread

[kh6idf]

Mine will tilt back quite a bit so I think your 205BW has something wrong. Also, the metal part of the hinge is not very visible, it's mostly inside the plastic.

 

[qtwre]

I just checked mine and it seems to have a bit more range than yours. It manages to tilt back a little past parallel so yours doesn't seem to have quite the range it should. My hinges look the same as yours though so nothing weird there.

edit: I just tried again with two hands and it actually does tilt back quite a bit. I still think my hinges look the same as yours though.

 

[yadnom]

Thanks for the replies guys. If any of you could get any shots of your monitor tilted back that would be awesome. I'm working with a guy at Samsung and I sent him some pics. He said he was gonna have their product specialist?? or somebody check it out and he'll get back to me but he also said he believes that how they work. Any pics I could get with the monitor tilted back would be helpful for comparison I guess.

Thanks again.

 

[kh6idf]

Here's a shot of my 205BW tilted all the way back.

 

[yadnom]

Thanks for the pick kh6idf! I think I know what the problem is. My hinge is bent down which prevents me from tilting back because it is at max tilt just to get the screen back up. If the hinge was straight (red line), it would allow me to tilt back as well. Hopefully Samsung will see this is the problem and fix it for me.

 

[celwin]

Does anyone notice the upper left hand corner of the screen is darker than any other section? Try this to test it. Bring up your volum control. Move the window to the very upper left hand corner. Then move it to the center of the screen. Do you guys notice it's darker when in the upper left hand corner?

 

[HardCaution]

I notice it's a bit grainy but thats probably the vertical viewing angle.

 

[celwin]

I notice it's a bit grainy but thats probably the vertical viewing angle.

That is a more precise description. That's exactly how it appears. Grainy. Any way to correct?

 

[yadnom]

After 2 months with this monitor, the stand is busted. It is permanantly tilted downwards. Seems like the hinge wasn't able to support the weight of the screen and just gradually bent down. Called Samsung and I should be getting an exchange soon. I would expect better quality from Samsung than this. Read some Newegg (where it was purchased) reviews and looks like a few others have experienced this as well.

 

[techweenie]

I just got my 205BW today from Sam's Club. So far this thing is incredible, except for one thing. I can see a color variation from the left side of the screen to the right. I didn't notice it until I opened Internet Explorer and looked at the title bar. The left side looks blueish, and the right side looks normal tan. Does anyone else notice this? I can't tell in games or movies so it's not that big a deal, but if it's defective then there's a whole pallet of these at Sam's...

 

[simi_id]

Hi,

Can everybody who has this monitor post his settings and what are using for ?

Mine: (I'm using DVI) and mostly for Games and Web.

Brightness: 55
Contrast: 75
MagicColor: Off
Color Tone: Normal
Color Control: 50 50 50
Gamma: Mode3
Sharpness: 40 (default I didn't touched that)

 

[techweenie]

I'm using DVI for games, movies, and web.


Brightness: 50
Contrast: 60 (75 didn't display shades of white properly)
MagicColor: Off
Color Tone: Normal
Color Control: 50 50 50
Gamma: Mode 1
Sharpness: 30 (text looked a little too sharp at 40)

My question about the color variation still stands...

 

[thefewtheproud]

Here's a shot of my 205BW tilted all the way back.

my dad has the same boston speaker set up. they came with a gateway pc back in 98' they sound very good for how old/small they are!

 

[techweenie]

Screw it. I'm taking mine back to the store. The color problem is too annoying for me, and definitely not worth $300. My ViewSonic A91f+ 19" CRT can actually go brighter, and text is still nice and crisp on it. If I can save up enough for the 215TW I might go for it, but at this point I'm not too inclined.

 

[legcramp]

Screw it. I'm taking mine back to the store. The color problem is too annoying for me, and definitely not worth $300. My ViewSonic A91f+ 19" CRT can actually go brighter, and text is still nice and crisp on it. If I can save up enough for the 215TW I might go for it, but at this point I'm not too inclined.

Can you take a picture of both the viewsonic crt and the samsung side by side so I can compare sizes?

 

[simi_id]

I'm using DVI for games, movies, and web.


Brightness: 50
Contrast: 60 (75 didn't display shades of white properly)
MagicColor: Off
Color Tone: Normal
Color Control: 50 50 50
Gamma: Mode 1
Sharpness: 30 (text looked a little too sharp at 40)

My question about the color variation still stands...

Hi,

I'll try your settings when I'll get home. It seems that on Warm settings when you move your eyes fast on the screen croners, there is an interlaced effect.

 

[techweenie]

Well it seems I'm a dumbass. I repackaged my LCD to take back to the store and hooked up my CRT only to find that the color still fades across the screen in Internet Explorer. I took a screen shot and pasted it into Paint Shop Pro and the color picker revealed that's it's supposed to be like that. I never noticed it before I got the LCD because I wasn't looking for problems. Now I'm definitely keeping it and furthermore I would highly recommend it to anyone. As requested I took a pic of it next to my CRT. I'm not keeping them setup like the pic because I found out the LCD causes distortion on the CRT somehow.

 

[techweenie]

Hi,

I'll try your settings when I'll get home. It seems that on Warm settings when you move your eyes fast on the screen croners, there is an interlaced effect.

After doing some comparisons between the MagicBright settings I found out having the Contrast at 60 causes white to be off a little. 65-70 is a lot better. Also, sharpness is actually 32. 30 is not an option.

 

[kumquat]

Well it seems I'm a dumbass. I repackaged my LCD to take back to the store and hooked up my CRT only to find that the color still fades across the screen in Internet Explorer. I took a screen shot and pasted it into Paint Shop Pro and the color picker revealed that's it's supposed to be like that.

LOL That's awesome. Glad it worked out

 

[simi_id]

After doing some comparisons between the MagicBright settings I found out having the Contrast at 60 causes white to be off a little. 65-70 is a lot better. Also, sharpness is actually 32. 30 is not an option.

I'm currently keeping:

Brightness: 65
Contrast: 65
MagicColor: Off
Color Tone: Normal
Color Control: 50 50 50
Gamma: Mode 1
Sharpness: 40


Previously I had Benq FP202W and I don't remember if it was also same way. For example open Volume Control, and move it to upper left corner and then drag it to left but smoothly. Can you see an effect of pixelization, don't know how to call this effect. And it's present only in left corner. Also if you have opened DC++ or something with similar GUI, opened in full screen and you look in the middle of the screen and then you move your look fast to the upper right corner you'll see some thin squares. It's also happen to you ?

Or maybe I'm tired and I've some problems to focus.

Thanks

 

[techweenie]

Sometimes it seems like I can see the pixel grid when things are moving on the screen. I just accept it as a side effect of having an LCD. I'm not sure if that's what you're talking about, but it's the only thing I've noticed. I don't consider it a problem in the least.

 

[simi_id]

Sometimes it seems like I can see the pixel grid when things are moving on the screen. I just accept it as a side effect of having an LCD. I'm not sure if that's what you're talking about, but it's the only thing I've noticed. I don't consider it a problem in the least.

That's exactly what I was talking about here:

Previously I had Benq FP202W and I don't remember if it was also same way. For example open Volume Control, and move it to upper left corner and then drag it to left but smoothly. Can you see an effect of pixelization, don't know how to call this effect. And it's present only in left corner. Also if you have opened DC++ or something with similar GUI, opened in full screen and you look in the middle of the screen and then you move your look fast to the upper right corner you'll see some thin squares. It's also happen to you ?
Or maybe I'm tired and I've some problems to focus.

I thougt it can be a refresh problem and maybe from DVI cable. I don't think that Benq FP202W has this problem. I'm using the dvi cable from Benq, Samsung came without DVI cable.

Can you see this efect all over the screen or only in certain areas ? I think that I can see it only in the top left corner. And not only when moving things on screen. When I'm looking straight it's ok, but when I'm moving my eyes from center of from right to top left I can see it for half of second.

Anyone else noticed this ? And if not what kind of DVI cable it's using ? How many pins ? Someone on analogic VGA connection noticed this also ?

 

[techweenie]

I see it all over the screen, but like I said it doesn't bother me. I don't notice it when I'm watching movies or playing games. I'm using the DVI cable that came with the monitor.

 

[simi_id]

I see it all over the screen, but like I said it doesn't bother me. I don't notice it when I'm watching movies or playing games. I'm using the DVI cable that came with the monitor.

Yes, I've noticed only when in desktop or browsing the web.
I've noticed only in the top part not at the bottom. I saw that playing with color modes, brightness and contrast it's more or less visible.

 

[Planettera]

Hi Folks.

I'm a new member here. I have been following up with this thread for few days now.

After using it for 8 years, my Viewsonic PF795 PRO CRT is starting to go bad. I am looking for an LCD that will serve my purpose for editing photos in Photoshop, yet it has good gaming capabilites as well.

After reading some of the reviews here at the forum, I went to both Best Buy & Circuit City, and compared all thr floor display models, and liked both LG L204WT and Samsung 205BW. From what I found out, most say that LG is better then the Samsung, but when comparing them side by side:

SAMSUNG: liked the warmer color tones better, more setup options, adjustable stand that flips is a plus but its not all that sturdy.

LG: like the contract better and it seem like its much easier on the eyes to read articles. few setup options, strudy stand that can't be tilted or adjusted to a perfect position.

I purhcased both of them today, and they are both sitting in my room. However, can't seem to make up my mind on which one to keep. You guys know your stuff, so can you tell me which one would be the right one for me. It going to be mostly for photoshop, video editing, and surfing the net.

 

[techweenie]

If you do a lot of work in photoshop then you'd be a lot better off with a different type of panel. (think samsung 215tw) TN panels such as the ones you bought do not reproduce colors as well as M/PVA panels. From my experience, the 205BW does an excellent job, however. As far as choosing one brand over the other, I am a little bit biased in my opinion because I make up my mind that one brand is far superior to all others for any given type of electronics. I bought Samsung because the negative aspects were all things I could live with, as oppposed to the LG. The MagicBright feature really comes in handy for different tasks. The web browsing mode is perfect for it's purpose. I don't notice the stand to be unstable like you mentioned. It seems very solid and well designed. There have been reports of it breaking, but I think those were defective from the start. Hopefully that helps some.

 

[Planettera]

If you do a lot of work in photoshop then you'd be a lot better off with a different type of panel. (think samsung 215tw) TN panels such as the ones you bought do not reproduce colors as well as M/PVA panels. From my experience, the 205BW does an excellent job, however. As far as choosing one brand over the other, I am a little bit biased in my opinion because I make up my mind that one brand is far superior to all others for any given type of electronics. I bought Samsung because the negative aspects were all things I could live with, as oppposed to the LG. The MagicBright feature really comes in handy for different tasks. The web browsing mode is perfect for it's purpose. I don't notice the stand to be unstable like you mentioned. It seems very solid and well designed. There have been reports of it breaking, but I think those were defective from the start. Hopefully that helps some.

Thanks friend, every bit of opinion helps. I am also leaning towards the Samsung myself. Just out of curiosity, what are the negative aspects of this monitor for you?

 

[legcramp]

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1126082



anyone getting this problem? Just got the monitor today too. sigh.

 

[simi_id]

What kind of DVI cable is supplied with this model 205BW ?

DVI-D Single Link or DVI-D Dual Link ?

 

[kumquat]

What kind of DVI cable is supplied with this model 205BW ?

DVI-D Single Link or DVI-D Dual Link ?

Single. That's all it needs.

 

[simi_id]

Single. That's all it needs.

I've bought also a Dual Link cable to see if that grid effect from top left corner it's related to the cable.

 

[techweenie]

Thanks friend, every bit of opinion helps. I am also leaning towards the Samsung myself. Just out of curiosity, what are the negative aspects of this monitor for you?

The only downsides to this monitor are the viewing angles and the TINY amount of backlight bleeding. The way my brightness and contrast is set the bleeding is virtually non-existent. Viewing angles are not a problem because I'm always looking at it head-on. Some people complain about the lack of inputs as well, but I only use it on my computer so it's not a downside in my case. Color, pixel response, appearance, and everything else are just perfect.

 

[simi_id]

I've tryied with DVI-D Dual Link / Single Link / VGA ... same pixel grid effect. After a while it stops responding, blue led remains opend but there was nothing on display. I get it back to the shop and get the money back.

The bad news is that there are no more in stock 205BW.

Now I'm looking at LG L204WT. What do you think guys.

By the way, I've find out that both LG L204WT and Samsung 205BW share same panel ... I know it's odd ... CHUNGHWA CPT 201WA.

 

[killowatt]

picked up this monitor yesterday - dont really have the video card to power it in games until my new system arrives but in windows it is great. i have a slight hatch pattern effect as well, like you can see the pixels or something compared to a poor quality crt. its very minor though and not as bad as it sounds. Still tweaking the brightness and gamma as others have noted it comes extremely bright.

Banding in dark/grey colors is minor but more noticeable than my previous samsung 710t, which on a still image was perfect even though several years old. 710t had a smaller pixel size it seems as well but was much slower creating ghosting in FPS games.

One thing i found is that when i took my 12' DVI cable i bought at radio shack i cannot run the monitor in 1680x1050.. the monitor goes black and flashes a message that goes away before it can even be read. Included DVI cable works fine but i thought it was worth mentioning because the radio shack cable works fine on my tv and previous monitor.

 

[simi_id]

I bought today LG L204WT and it's ok.
I saw that some lg users complain that their upper left corner it's a little bit darkned, same corner which I saw on samsung that grid effect.
Anyway I didn't notice that on my LG.

That grid effect it's known as screen door effect if you read other posts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_door_effect

 

[MacDad]

I picked this monitor up at Staples on Black Friday for $170.00 and I love the thing. I got a dead pixel though, . It's freaking bright blue and just left of center, in the same spot where I have a dead pixel on my work monitor. Samsung has a pretty insane dead pixel policy for 20" monitors (10 or more pixels or no exchange). I'll have to see if Staples has any left in stock (doubtful).

I've been on a 17" CRT for 3-4 years now and this thing is a monster compared to that. I can't believe how much more screen real estate I get while also gaining desk space. I'm running on a pretty weak computer (old AGP Socket A board, so upgrading is a serious investment I don't have the cash for at the moment), but I was suprised that I was able to run some my HL2-based stuff at the monitor's native resolution at the same framerates I was getting at 1024x768. Yay.

I'm definitely going to fiddle with the brightness and stuff. I only had this thing hooked up for 2 hours today, but the settings definitely need some tweaking, as everyone else seems to have noticed.

Me very happy. As long as I can get a replacement.

 

[Planettera]

I have been using my Viewsonic PF795 Pro monitor for 8 years now, and it started to give up on me, so its time for me to try out a LCD Display. After reading the entire 39 pages, I have bought and tested both LG L204WT & SAMSUNG 205BW. Before I go on with my opinion on both moitors, I want you all to know that they are both great LCD's and that I am not choosing one over the other becuase of the brand or its reputation. Here is how they perfomed on my PC:

1) GHOSTING: Didn't notice any on the LG. On the Samsung, it barely noticable time to item, but still really good.

2) BANDING: On the LG it so little that as if there is almost none. On The Samsung, I have quiet a bit no matter how much I played with the settings.

3) BLEEDING: Both has slight bleeding on fart Top & Bottom of the monitor, thought Samsung had it more running towards the center on from both top & bottom. On both LCD's this is only visible when the LCD's is black.

4) BACKLIGHTING: More even on the Samsung then the LG. Samsung has a brighter screen on the top left side, and no matter how I shift myself, its still visible. LG seems to have a faint bluish tint on all corners, although this is when I look directly straight at the LCD. They disapperar when I shift myself and look straight on at the corners.

5) SCREEN DOOR: Didn't experience any with both LCD's.

6) CONTRAST: Without a doubt, LG is far superior in this feature then Samsung. Samsung however seems better then most other LCD's I saw on the store displays.

7) VIEWING ANGLE: SAMSUNG has a better viewing angle then the LG. One of the main reason for me to say this is, the color tones don't change as much as the LG when you look.

8) BLACKS & WHITES: The are both really good, but LG has more rich tones then Samsung. On the Caliberation test, blacks were noticable at RGB=3 on the LG. On The SAMSUNG it was noticable on the RGB=4 (best I could read after trying different adjustments).

9) COLORS: Samsung has warmer colors that look a little richer then it does on LG. Not by much though. Better choice for someone who does work on Photoshop.

10) PLAYING MOVIES: It wasn't as bad as some have metioned. There is definitely grain visible on the LG, but still I was able to watch movies and enjoy it (still prefer to watch the on the TV). Surprisingly, I got some pixelization on the SAMSUNG, which I couldn't figure out why. I viewed 720P movies on both LCD's, becuase of black and whites being better, I liked the results better on the LG.

11) PICTURES: Another tough call, both had sharp & crisp pictures. I was impressed with both. Can't go wrong with either one. If it came to choosing one of these, I would go with the SAMSUNG for more warmer & slightly better color tones then the LG.

12) GAMING: Sorry folks. I am not a big gamer on the PC. I myself have to go with your personal opinionn of the both LCD's on this.

13)TEXT: Both really sharp, did equally well in my experience.

PROS:

SAMSUNG: It has a better overall design. I like the height, the buttons being on the front side. Color being black (U.S. version) doesn't distract you when doing work like it does on the LG. Rich color tones.

LG: Bright & sharp display, rich black & whites, good contrast that stands out from other TN LCD's that I have seen in store displays. Although I didn't play any games on this monitor, comparing the performances of both LCD's, in my opinion, it seems to be a better choice for gamer then SAMSUNG.

CONS:

SAMSUNG: I was a bit disappinted about the color banding which I have experienced. Playing movies isn't something I would look forward to on this monitor. It may be me, but the LCD seems the be standing in a slight angle leaning toward right (I only noticed this upon real close examination). Although some of you said that it has a sturdy stand, I didn't see it to be any different the the LG when it comes the shaking.

LG: Height of the LCD. Buttons being at the back of the LCD (although it this didn't bother me much at all). The bluish ting I notice on a white screen. Poorer viewing angle then SAMSUNG.

NOTE: I used a gold plated DVI-D 24AWG Cable. I have not decided which one I should keep and which one to return. Although I am aiming towards keeping the LG, but its not certain.

The specifiacation of my PC are:

Pentium 4 3.2GHz HT
Asus P4C800E Deluxe
Nvidia FX5950 Ultra AGP8
Creative Labs Soundblaster Audigy 2-ZS Platinum
2GB DDR2 3200bus Ram
240GB (120x2) 8MB 7200 SATAII HD

I performed some of the comparison test using the following links:

http://lcdresource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=5&id=22&Itemid=39

http://www.it.com.cn/f/diy/068/24/316039_37.htm

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/monitor_black.htm

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/ghosting2.html

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/musicandvideo/hdvideo/contentshowcase.aspx

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1865

 

[techweenie]

I'm not sure what the deal is, but on my 205bw I can see blacks at RGB=3,3,3. I have not seen one other person with the same results. My old 19" CRT was also at 3,3,3.

For reference, my settings are as follows:

Brightness: 55
Contrast: 70
MagicColor: Off
Color Tone: Normal
Color Control: 50 50 50
Gamma: Mode1
Sharpness: 20

I leave it like that for everything.

 

[rhawbsays]

I'm about to buy the Samsung 204bw. Does anyone have both the 205bw and the 204bw? Is there a big difference between the two picture quality-wise? I myself, would prefer the 204bw just because it's thinner, but if the 205bw has better output quality than i'd go the other way. Newegg shows a $10 difference. Any thoughts?

thx
RR

 

[greygoose]

all these pages and i still cant find anything stating whehter or not it will map 1:1