Just got a Samsung 214T...amazing

[dredd2929]

I'd like to say that I am very impressed with this monitor. This display is bright and crisp, the color is rich, and I don't see any ghosting in Doom 3 (the only game I've had time to try since getting the monitor this afternoon). That said, most of the dark scenes in Doom 3 (er...the whole game?) don't look quite dark enough when I compare to my former display, a Viewsonic P815. However, for practical reasons I was required to get a flat-panel monitor, and I think I made the right choice...I am VERY pleased with this monitor. For the size/price/performance, it's very difficult to beat.

 

[Ripper294]

I got the same thing 20.1 same as yours just smaller and your right their great.

 

[CALIKUSH]

how do lower resolutions look on it? Like 1280 x 1024, I'm curious as to whether or not I should get this monitor for xbox 360 vga.
Also, what color did you get, silver or black?

 

[n7]

I have a black 204T, which to answer CALIKUSH's question does scale down quite well actually.

I play FEAR & Q4 @ 1280x960, & it actually looks nearly as sharp as games @ 1600x1200, which is very impressive to me, since with my old 17" LCD, running games at a lower resolutions looked like crap.

One issue i have with my 204T is a slight tearing problem though
I guess it's possible it's a driver configuration, but i have fiddled with them alot, & nothing seems to fix it.

This thread explains the problem: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=1682958

 

[dredd2929]

I got a black 214T.

Lower resolutions look pretty good. I just switched to 1280x1024 and it looks just fine.

I did notice some slight tearing similar to what n7 described. I have only seen it in 3DMark 2005 though; didn't notice any in Doom 3.

 

[xtknight]

The LCD's tearing is due to the crystals' varying speed of transition. No amount of VSync will fix it--LCDs do not work like CRTs.

 

[dredd2929]

Originally posted by: xtknight
...LCDs do not work like CRTs.

Are you sure?

 

[Pocatello]

Originally posted by: dredd2929

Originally posted by: xtknight
...LCDs do not work like CRTs.

Are you sure?

Breaking news there.

 

[lopri]

I thought VSync or Tripple-buffering fixes tearin? (I know it did for me)

 

[Cookie Monster]

I was planning to grab a 204T samung LCD. The only difference between a 214T and the 204T is the response time isnt it?

 

[dredd2929]

Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
The only difference between a 214T and the 204T is the response time isnt it?

The 214T is 21.3 inches, and the 204T is 20.1 inches. Yes, they do have different advertised response times, but I'm not sure how much of a difference that translates to in real-world use. Samsung says the 204T is 16ms, and the 214T is 8ms gray to gray. So I think it's safe to consider them both about the same as far as response time goes.

 

[twntrbv6]

So the 214t has the same tearing as the 204t at 1600x1200 or is the 214t improved?; and both have no tearing at 1280x1024 - is this the general consensus?

If tearing is the same, the 204t seems like a bit better value at a few hundred less, however if tearing is noticeably improved... might go for the few hundred more.

I have a 910t which ghosts really bad so i think either of these will be much better for hl2...

 

[CrackedIt]

dred2929 Samsung says the 204T is 16ms, and the 214T is 8ms gray to gray. So I think it's safe to consider them both about the same as far as response time goes.

There's a lot of debate about this on the net. In response to the quote:

• Response times are typically measured black-to-white or gray-to-gray. Gray-to-gray involves a transition of a pixel through both black and white from gray back to gray. It is generally regarded as the best measure of response times. Therefore a 16ms gray-to-gray has faster response time than a 16ms black-to-white.

But it seams less clear cut, as its the total package that delivers a good display. The backlight and liquid crystal materials need to work together to produce this. Apparently the way a CRT pulses helps the brain process movement. This doesn't happen with an LCD where the picture is constant. While this can be great for office work its not so good for games/movies.

BUT The proof of the pudding is in the eating. How is it dred2929 - played any more games yet? Still happy?

214 vs 204. Better response times. Probably less/no ghosting. Also the contast ratio is 900:1 and not 700:1.

 

[xtknight]

The 214T is indeed faster than the 204T according to specs and taking measurements into account.

 

[Desram]

I'm really interested in buying one of these but is there any place I can get one where I can return it? There are so many reasons I might not end up happy with it. (Dead pixels under the policy limit for example).

 

[andyw1965]

Originally posted by: xtknight
The 214T is indeed faster than the 204T according to specs and taking measurements into account.

I've been looking around for reviews of the 214t, but can't find any that pay attention to the response time - or RTC artifacts. While I'm confident that it will be faster than the 204t (which to my eyes had a lot of ghosting and blurring), it would be good to see how it compares with the Belinea 20" widscreen, which I gather has a flat 16ms response time (8ms G2G) across all transitions and few if any artifacts.

Does anyone know of any reviews, or any independent (not Samsung) measurements for the 214t?

Thanks.

 

[xtknight]

Various measurements (it's pretty obvious even though it's in French):

http://www.lesnumeriques.com/duels.php?...o1=69&p1=753&ma2=36&mo2=65&p2=702&ph=1

Select one of the many measurements from "Etape 3".

Here's a review too: http://www.behardware.com/articles/598-1/20-inches-lcd-p-mva-vs-s-ips.html

 

[andyw1965]

Thanks for so patiently repeating the info you've aleady given me [edit: in another thread] - seriously, I'm not trying to be sarcastic . My trouble is that I'm completely unable to extrapolate from those photo images to how it'll look in use, and actually find it hard to say which monitor looks better or worse in the snapshots - especially given the different brightnesses of the images.

It's just a failure of my visual imagination *shrug*. Give me a chart and I understand what it's saying. Show me the monitor working and I can see what's happening. But those long exposure snapshots just don't mean anything to me. Weird, no?

Thanks anyway. I presume that there simply are no technical reviews of the 214t.

 

[justlnluck]

Is the 214T an 8-bit or 6-bit panel? This is very important to me but I can't find the information.

 

[davet11]

I don't think any monitor within the past 2 years has a problem with ghosting, motion blur perhaps, but not ghosting.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: justlnluck
Is the 214T an 8-bit or 6-bit panel? This is very important to me but I can't find the information.

8-bit Super PVA. Maximum PC reviewed it and said it had excellent stunning colors but was subpar for gaming use and expensive. It's obvious when they say there's ghosting in high-contrast areas this monitor doesn't use overdrive.

http://www.maximumpc.com/2006/02/samsung_214t.html

 

[justlnluck]

The main use of this screen would be for photo and movie viewing. But no gaming. Photo editing would be the number one priority. Do you think this would be a good screen? How does it compare to the NEC? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824002118

Do they use the same panels? Why is the NEC so much more expensive?

 

[justlnluck]

Anyone know?

 

[justlnluck]

I keep reading about the ones made in Mexico are of lesser quality than those produced in Taiwan. Lately Newegg has only been selling those made in Mexico. One guy has purchased three. Two from Taiwan and one from Mexico. He says the Mexican one has wrong colors in comparison to the first two from Taiwan. Are there any places that still sell the 214T made in Taiwan?