Samsung 226BW 22": 3000:1 Contrast, 2ms response time

after several months with this screen, Im still loving it, Im still glad I didnt get the LG and Im still going to get a second one.
 
Droc said:
after several months with this screen, Im still loving it, Im still glad I didnt get the LG and Im still going to get a second one.
Click to expand...

Why are you glad you didn't get the LG? Something wrong with it or you're just happy with the Sammy?
 
i compared the two for weeks. Christ, I had nightmares over what one to choose.
Personally, I found the brightness and colors on the 226bw better then on the LG...and less blacklight bleed. I was graced with the S panel.
Not to mention, the 226BW is so dam sexy...I feel like Im cheating on my wife everytime I use my computer.
 
spawn159 said:
I bought a 226BW A panel from Newegg about a month ago. I was disappointed with the dithering and pixel swim. Black blocks when watching movies (all formats). The bleeding was not too bad, but you really only see it when the screen is all black.

I called Samsung directly and they sent me another one. This was a C panel and I quickly got scared. Honestly, the quality is the same, except the dithering and pixel swim I had before went away. I still had to tweak the settings a bit, but that is OK. NO dithering issues. There is a night and day difference between the A and C panels that I have, with regards to the dithering. I think that each of the S, A and C panels all have their hit and miss problems. I will be keeping the C panel for now. No dead pixels either.

If I have any issues, I can always have Samsung send me another one. Let me know if anyone has any questions.
Click to expand...
I had the same experience that you did, except that I got newegg to do the swap for me. I really don't know how the C ultimately compares with the S (whether it's worse, better, or about the same), but it had none of the big issues that the A did.

When I started reading on this forum and some others that DVD pixel swim is just inherent in 22-inch LCDs with TN panels, I couldn't believe it. I'm glad I didn't listen. How could such lousy displays be sold to consumers? Maybe 22" TN panels aren't as good as other technologies, but right now I'm enjoying my DVDs very much thank you.
 
Anybody else notice this? Or is it just me?

Let's say I'm working on the monitor with a computer connected via DVI. If I then shut down and later turn on a computer connected via VGA, the monitor won't automatically turn on. I need to hit the source button on the bottom right of the monitor before it responds. Just wondering. This didn't happen with my previous LCD.
 
Fading Phoenix said:
I misunderstood what you were saying ego. Still, I didn't think that the resolutions were supposed to be scaled down. I understand on lcd's that lower resolutions scale up to fit the screen, but I still thought the card would only run the monitor at a higher resolution if it had the pixels to support that resolution.
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Well, I admit it's quite unusual but I think that the need for support of HD resolutions up to 1920x1080 (the 16:9 equivalent of 1920x1200) explains this little peculiarity quite well.

Fading Phoenix said:
I do have an nvidia card. All I did to run it in 1920x1200 was turn off the option that hides modes or resolutions that the monitor doesn't support. Then it was just like setting any other resolution. I have it running at 75hertz now, which in itself is a plus to running it like this instead of in 1680x1050.
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Interesting. You wouldn't be able to run 1680x1050 at 75Hz with the other settings set the same, would you?

Fading Phoenix said:
As for the sharper, I've checked it several times. Images just have a smoother look to it, the picture has an overall finer texture to it when compared to the picture running at 1680x1050.
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Well "smoother" is the exact of opposite of "sharper", innit? I think this further supports the idea of downsampling which usually produces smoother/softer image compared to the native resolution which is sharper.

Fading Phoenix said:
THe odd thing is. When I'm running it at 1920x1200 at 60hertz, the monitor tells me its running at that resolution. If I boost it up to 70 hertz however, it tells me it's running in the resolution of 1600x1200, which I know it is not. Then, if I boost it up to the 75hertz that I'm running it in now it doesn't even tell me in the monitor's menu what resolution it is at.
Click to expand...
I guess this might be a quirk of the monitor's firmware. But I'm just speculating here.

Fading Phoenix said:
Eh....I"m probably going to end up damaging it somehow..but oh well I guess. What else is life for if not for breaking things?
Click to expand...
;)
 
dch693 said:
Anybody else notice this? Or is it just me?

Let's say I'm working on the monitor with a computer connected via DVI. If I then shut down and later turn on a computer connected via VGA, the monitor won't automatically turn on. I need to hit the source button on the bottom right of the monitor before it responds. Just wondering. This didn't happen with my previous LCD.
Click to expand...

In the "setup" part of the OSD there is an option called "Auto Source", I believe you have it set to "manual", try the other option ("auto"), I think it should do the trick.
 
Droc said:
the 226BW is so dam sexy....
Click to expand...

It's ridiculously sexy.

I had a Sceptre x22wg and would've kept it if the annoying stuck blue pixel wasn't in the center of my screen. Took it back and got a Viewsonic vx2235wm which actually had less backlight bleed than the Sammy. Lack of HDCP and another stuck pixel, back it went.

Finally got sick of ordering and returning monitors from Costco and was content on the 226BW I saw at Circuit City whether it was an S, A or C. Luckily I got the S and all the hassle was suddenly worth it. I was shocked how superior it is to the previously owned 22's. The blacks on this monitor are 197328529x better than both, especially the Sceptre. A few shades lighter than the bezel itself now that I look.

Plus the glossy black finish matches the rest of my PC shite, my upconverting Sammy DVD player underneath it and my Samsung D809 cell phone. All unintentional but funny when I realized I've been brainwashed by Samsung.
 
ego42 said:
In the "setup" part of the OSD there is an option called "Auto Source", I believe you have it set to "manual", try the other option ("auto"), I think it should do the trick.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion. I thought that might do it, but it actually is already set to auto.
 
Hi,

Last week I thought I was lucky to be able to buy an S panel, until I connected it via DVI to my pc and started my browser. Because google is my homepage, the screen was nearly white, except along the left and right sides of the monitor. I experience darker (more like brown) areas.....is this normal or is this because of a malfunctioning TN-panel ?
Thanks in advance !

Greetings,
Bora
 
dunno, I just ordered from newegg and got mine about 2 days ago and it was an A panel.

Happy none-the-less, but still dont know what all to do to "tweak" it like everyone else should. I turned down some brightness and contrast and all that good stuff. It is much darker than my emachines 15" that is running right next to it, and I kinda like it.
 
dch693 said:
Anybody else notice this? Or is it just me?

Let's say I'm working on the monitor with a computer connected via DVI. If I then shut down and later turn on a computer connected via VGA, the monitor won't automatically turn on. I need to hit the source button on the bottom right of the monitor before it responds. Just wondering. This didn't happen with my previous LCD.
Click to expand...

There is a setting for Auto Source that can be set for auto or manual. However, I think auto was the default setting, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference here.
 
Fading Phoenix said:
I misunderstood what you were saying ego. Still, I didn't think that the resolutions were supposed to be scaled down. I understand on lcd's that lower resolutions scale up to fit the screen, but I still thought the card would only run the monitor at a higher resolution if it had the pixels to support that resolution. Maybe it simply is scaling down though, but besides a few small qualms with certain texts on the internet and the hindrance of teh message box telling me the monitor is not running in the optimum mode every time I turn the monitor on.
I do have an nvidia card. All I did to run it in 1920x1200 was turn off the option that hides modes or resolutions that the monitor doesn't support. Then it was just like setting any other resolution. I have it running at 75hertz now, which in itself is a plus to running it like this instead of in 1680x1050. As for the sharper, I've checked it several times. Images just have a smoother look to it, the picture has an overall finer texture to it when compared to the picture running at 1680x1050.
THe odd thing is. When I'm running it at 1920x1200 at 60hertz, the monitor tells me its running at that resolution. If I boost it up to 70 hertz however, it tells me it's running in the resolution of 1600x1200, which I know it is not. Then, if I boost it up to the 75hertz that I'm running it in now it doesn't even tell me in the monitor's menu what resolution it is at.
Eh....I"m probably going to end up damaging it somehow..but oh well I guess. What else is life for if not for breaking things?
Click to expand...

It's showing you what's being fed to it, not what it is actually displaying. When I connect the PS3 to this monitor, it shows 1920x1080 which is what is being sent, but of course it has to downsample that image to 1680x1050.

The issue with it running 1600x1200 may be related to the maximum bandwidth for single-link DVI. When you raise the refresh rate of 1920x1200 to 70hz or more, you're exceeding the maximum bandwidth of 2.3 megapixels (1920x1200) at 60hz. The DVI cable that comes with the monitor is single-link, so if you're using that you could try swapping it out with a dual-link cable to see if the monitor can process the higher bandwidth. I don't know if it's actually receiving the higher bandwidth (only possible if you're using a dual-link cable now), or if your video card is forcing the resolution down because the monitor can't accept it. See Wikipedia's page on DVI for more information.
 
I just went out and bought my 226BW on impulse at my local Office Depot. After confirming that the display model had a S, I immediately grabbed the last one. :D
 
Speedway said:
Hi,

Last week I thought I was lucky to be able to buy an S panel, until I connected it via DVI to my pc and started my browser. Because google is my homepage, the screen was nearly white, except along the left and right sides of the monitor. I experience darker (more like brown) areas.....is this normal or is this because of a malfunctioning TN-panel ?
Thanks in advance !

Greetings,
Bora
Click to expand...
If you're seeing this while looking at the center of the screen, then it's most likely a viewing angle thing. It's the same on my A panel.
 
svgtom said:
If you're seeing this while looking at the center of the screen, then it's most likely a viewing angle thing. It's the same on my A panel.
Click to expand...
Hmm....I don't know about that. If you're sitting directly in front of the monitor, unless it's tiled back or forward at and extreme angle, the left or right side of the screen should be as white as the rest of the screen. TN panel viewing angles are especially bad if you're look at the monitor from above or below, and you can even notice a difference in coloring from the top to the bottom of the screen if you're directly in front of it. However, the left and right side should look pretty much like the center of the screen, and should never look "brown".
 
eLus1ve said:
So the A panels are worth it nonetheless?
Click to expand...
It depends on who you ask. I had an A panel and it had uneven backlighting, bad bleed, and pixelated DVD playback. My C panel has some bleed, but that's the only issue. I'm sure your mileage will vary. Good luck.
 
just got mine, c panel. no dead pixels, some backlight bleeding but it's fine with me.

in general, looks great. really excited to start gaming on this thing.
 
I just ordered two for work and both were "S" panels. I took one home to play with and fell in love. I'm keeping this one and I ordered one off Newegg to replace it. It'll be in tomorrow or Thursday. Like mikeczyz above, I have zero dead pixels, a little backlight bleed but otherwise it looks damn nice. I've been playing BF2142, Oblivion, Titan Quest: Immortal Throne, UT2004 and FEAR on this thing since I got it and everything looks sweet... :D
 
CDW. It was $320 with a $20 MIR. Their shipping is higher then most places though. The reason I ordered from there is we have an account with them for work and they'll let us RMA for any reason at all. The replacement I ordered from newegg because the monitor is going into a conference room where it'll be running 800x600. Small defects won't matter (or any other problems)... ;)
 
wtburnette said:
CDW. It was $320 with a $20 MIR. Their shipping is higher then most places though. The reason I ordered from there is we have an account with them for work and they'll let us RMA for any reason at all. The replacement I ordered from newegg because the monitor is going into a conference room where it'll be running 800x600. Small defects won't matter (or any other problems)... ;)
Click to expand...

Do you know which warehouse they shipped from? I'm in LA. It says $12.95 shipping on the site for me.
thanks, sorry to be a pain...
 
is this monitor capable of running 1680x1050 at 75hz?

i have a EVGA 7900GT KO and the only refresh rates it lets me change for that resolution is 59hz and 60hz.

was wondering if something might be wrong because i thought that it could run at that res and rate..
 
I decided to try one of these for the heck of it. I was "blessed" with the A panel. It has the worst colors I've ever seen on any LCD monitor. Then again, I haven't tried many monitors with TN panels, but I know it shouldn't be this bad. The whites were blown out, and there was way too much blue. I had to decrease the contrast to 50 to fix the whites, but that made the blue even worse. The white point was way beyond 9300K. I had to set custom colors and decrease blue all the way down to 0, but even that wasn't enough! I had to increase red to around 55 since blue couldn't be decreased anymore, and I had to decrease green to around 35 to balance it out. Only then were the colors anywhere near 6500K. Now the colors look much better, but the contrast suffers badly as a result. I can't get it as bright as I'd like with those settings, and the whole screen looks washed out to me, which is made worse by the poor viewing angles.

I also noticed what looks like faint analog noise moving around. I don't know if that's just TN dithering or if it's the pixel swim problem I've seen mentioned, but I see that everywhere, not just in videos. I don't see any additional problems with DVD movies other than normal video noise. Keep in mind, the amount of noise you see in dark areas depends on how easy it is to see dark colors. It's easy to see dark colors on this monitor, so it's easy to see noise in dark areas. Noise in dark areas tends to look splotchy due to video compression, but that's in the video itself, not the monitor. Perhaps that's what people are complaining about on the A panel, but I've seen worse on PVA panels. I guess it can be better though.

There's also backlight bleeding along the top and bottom edges, but it's really only noticeable at the top since the viewing angles are so bad that black washes out worse than the bleeding at the bottom. Speaking of which, I expected viewing angles to be bad on TN panels, but I didn't expect black to wash out so badly. Black isn't even close to black unless I'm sitting 10 feet away.

As for trailing and motion blur, I thought TN panels were supposed to have the best response times. 2 ms my ass. This monitor smears more than S-IPS panels without overdrive. There's a little less motion blur, but I've seen S-PVA panels with overdrive do better. The good news is this monitor has no significant lag. I'm very sensitive to lag, but I don't feel any on this monitor like I do on many other LCD monitors.

Then I tried the PS3. This monitor has no scaling options, so the aspect ratios are all wrong, and as if the monitor itself wasn't washed out enough, the infamous PS3 washout is also there with no way to compensate for it. So basically, everything is stretched, and the colors look like crap. The only good news is I didn't see any tearing in any of the video modes.

Here are all the video modes:

1080p - This monitor supports downscaling 1080p, but a "Not Optimum Mode" message appears. You have to press the MENU button on the monitor to get rid of the message, which appears every time the monitor is switched to 1080p. That can get annoying. The image is scaled to fill the screen, so the aspect ratio is 16:10 instead of 16:9. There is no overscan at 1080p.

1080i - This monitor does not support 1080i.

720p - This monitor supports upscaling 720p, but the image is cropped to simulate overscan (5% horizontal, 3% vertical), then scaled to fill the screen. The aspect ratio is not 16:9, but it's not 16:10 either. It seems to be somewhere in-between, probably due to the cropping.

480p - This monitor supports upscaling 480p, but the image is cropped to simulate overscan (5% horizontal, 3% vertical), then scaled to fill most of the screen. There are very thin black bars at the top and bottom. The black bars are 8 pixels at the top and 9 pixels at the bottom. Yes, I counted. I don't know what purpose they serve since the aspect ratio is still wrong. The aspect ratio seems to be somewhere between 16:9 and 16:10. You can forget about 4:3.

480i - This monitor does not support 480i. I tested this with a cable box since the PS3 doesn't do 480i over HDMI/DVI.

Honestly, this is the worst LCD monitor I've ever tried. I don't know if it's because it's a TN panel or if it's because of the A panel, but I've seen 4-year-old LCD monitors look better than this. The colors are awful out of the box and can't be corrected without seriously affecting the contrast, which along with the poor viewing angles makes the screen look washed out. Black looks awful from a normal viewing distance, and there's backlight bleeding at the top and bottom. The response times are no better than other types of panels. It works with the PS3, but it's not enjoyable because the colors are washed out and everything is stretched. The only thing good about this monitor is there's no significant lag.

At least there are no dead/stuck pixels. :D
 
xbbdc said:
is this monitor capable of running 1680x1050 at 75hz?

i have a EVGA 7900GT KO and the only refresh rates it lets me change for that resolution is 59hz and 60hz.

was wondering if something might be wrong because i thought that it could run at that res and rate..
Click to expand...

Yes, this monitor is capable of doing 1680x1050 at 75 Hz. It even does it properly without skipping frames, unlike many other monitors I've tried.

It's not a standard resolution, so you'll have to add it manually.
 
ToastyX said:
Yes, this monitor is capable of doing 1680x1050 at 75 Hz. It even does it properly without skipping frames, unlike many other monitors I've tried.

It's not a standard resolution, so you'll have to add it manually.
Click to expand...

with what program? i tried using "ReForce" and rocket arena 3 (q3 mod) didnt want to load (its openGL) ...
 
I received my 2nd 226BW last week and it was still a S.

I believe all European models are S as well... double 226BW sweetness laides and gent :D

Havent found a program to load spyder profiles in Vista though :(
 
xbbdc said:
with what program? i tried using "ReForce" and rocket arena 3 (q3 mod) didnt want to load (its openGL) ...
Click to expand...
I don't know since I tested it on a Mac, but you should be able to add it through your video driver configuration by adding a custom resolution.
 
ToastyX said:
I don't know since I tested it on a Mac, but you should be able to add it through your video driver configuration by adding a custom resolution.
Click to expand...

has anyone with a pc been able to run it at 1680x1050 75hz ? trying to see if it makes a big difference with opengl games.
 
i got it to run at 75 hz with powerstrip 3.74 :D

it does make a difference but not a big one like i was expecting.
 
Hi,

Just bought a 226bw from pixmania here in the UK. I can confirm that it IS an S panel (though it was sent from France), manufacture date April 2007.

No dead pixels, got it for £246 delivered to London pick-up store (didn't charge me delivery as was delivered late). :)

Some stores are saying they have been guaranteed the S panel, e.g. www.lets-haveit.com and www.play.com

Hope this helps!
 
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