MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews - Samsung SyncMaster 930MP TFT-LCD Monitor Review

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The 930MP includes a menu system that is well designed, easy to navigate and covers all the basic settings such as vertical and horizontal positioning, OSD (On Screen Display), image size, auto tuning, Picture-In-Picture (PIP), Picture-By-Picture (PBP) as well as brightness and contrast settings. In PC mode the PIP and PBP options are great for watching television while working on your desktop in the background. What is new to the OSD Menu with the 930MP model is the inclusion of a FM Radio menu which manually allows you to adjust this setting to your favourite radio station.

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As previously mentioned, Samsung has bundled a software application called Natural Color to compliment the OSD Menu. Natural Color is an easy to use management system that assists consumers in monitor image alignment on screen or via print. An easy to use wizard guides you through the menu options where you can make the necessary adjustments for your own personal preference. Once powered up, I was really impressed by the display quality from the 930MP. The sharpness of the image and colour quality was by far one of the best that I have seen in the SyncMaster product to date.

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The Samsung SyncMaster 930MP TFT-LCD Monitor was run through a series of applications at different resolutions ranging from 2D and 3D programs, TV, DVD's, and games. Overall performance was very good when connected to both an Albatron Gigi FX5900XTV video card and Radeon 9700 Pro video card. TV Tuner playback was excellent with clear sharp images and good resolution when viewed at close range or a few feet away. I did find that the feature set on the TV Tuner module is quite limited and lacks some of the more robust options found on third party add-on TV Tuner cards. There is no Guide Plus interactive TV guide which is a great feature for TV program viewing. Consumers also do not have any TIVO or Time Shifting type functions for recording and scheduling their favourite TV programs.

DVD playback using "Star Wars Episode IV: The New Hope" was excellent with crystal clear image quality and vibrant colours. The sound generated by the integrated speakers was decent but not as impressive as an external set of THX certified speakers. Video game playback was decent with some slight ghosting issues noted when playing a few round of Pariah with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024. What should be noted is that the 930MP is not really marketed as a gaming monitor since it has a slow response time of 25ms.

Conclusion:

Samsung solidifies its reputation by providing innovative revisions on their popular SyncMaster product line. The Samsung SyncMaster 930MP is not really a monitor designed for the gaming community but it does incorporates new and useful features that will appeal to many consumers. Consumers will appreciate the sleek silver design and easy to navigate On Screen Display menu options. This product is good for everyday use with normal desktop applications as well as the perfect component for the home theatre enthusiast. The multitude of usable ports on the rear of this unit allows you to easily connect this product to any component source. The DVI digital and S-Video ports simplify the process of placing this unit into a dual monitor configuration. The built-in TV Tuner module includes a basic set of TV viewing options, although it would be nice to see the addition of Guide Plus and recording options. The integrated FM Tuner module includes an easy to install wire antenna that can tune in local radio stations with ease. The inclusion of the integrated speakers is a nice touch and eliminates the need for additional speakers if desk space is limited. The light weight remote control is very handy for everyday use and has a nice non-complicated button layout. The only negative aspects of this product were the missing VESA Wall Mounting Kit and DVI cable which were not included with this package. While the 930MP is perfect for multi-media applications, consumers concerned with gaming may be slightly turned off by the slow 25ms response time. Overall, I was very impressed with SyncMaster 930MP LCD-TFT Monitor and award MTB's Seal of Approval with a final rating of 9.5 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Samsung Canada website for more information or discuss them in our forums.