Samsung 192MP (19in LCD/TV)

Does it seem like more and more products are turning into the Swiss Knife of things to you? First it was the printer/fax, then the printer/fax added scanning and copying. Some of them even let you plug in your media cards so you can print you pictures without turning on your PC. Well, the company that does this with monitors is Samsung. Today I am looking at the 192MP which is a 19” LCD monitor that sport just about every feature you could think of adding to a monitor.

Introduction

---

Does it seem like more and more products are turning into the Swiss Knife of things to you?  First it was the printer/fax, then the printer/fax added scanning and copying.  Some of them even let you plug in your media cards so you can print your pictures without turning on your PC.  Well the company that does this with monitors is Samsung.  I looked at the Samsung 172MP here.  Well Samsung has evolved the idea of multimedia monitor even more this time.

Today, I am looking at the 192MP which is a 19” LCD monitor that sports just about every feature you could think of adding to a monitor.  The only thing I could think that was missing is a built-in web cam (probably just gave them an idea)!

Features and Specifications

---

Let us first that a look at the features of the monitor:

Superior Image Quality(DNIe) 

• High Brightness & Contrast
• Final image quality is determined by the combination of Brightness, Contrast and Resolution ( 192MP: 250cd/m2, 750:1, 1280×1024 ) 
• DNIe(Digital Natural Image engine). A New image compensation algorithm gives brighter, clearer images to its viewers. DNIe technology will catch every detail for your eyes.  

Side Mounted Input 

• Easy access to connectors
• Side mounted Video & Audio, S-video, Headphone connector
• Clean looking, Hidden input & output connectors 

Slim & Lightweight 

Efficient and creative design will produce an impressively lightweight and comfortable working environment.  

Integrated Multimedia speakers (5W/ChX2) 

• Improve the quality of TV watching, online training, music listening, gaming, and DVD playback on your system
• Includes stereo headphones/ speaker out.  

Sleep Timer 

• For up to 180 minutes in 30 minutes intervals, you can set the TV to go off automatically.
• Off /30 /60 /90 /120 /150 /180 (min.) 

Wall and Arm Mountable 

• Wall and Arm Mount Design VESA 100 mm wall-mount compatible design providing maximum functionality and flexibility 
• Designed to meet VESA standards to accommodate any display type. Fits any environment whether on your desk, on the wall or to any position with arm mount. 

MagicBright

• Three modes & additional user adjusted modes are available
• Optimum display parameter configuration depending on contents
• Additional user adjusted mode available 

As you can see Samsung is making the push on how easy the monitor could be carried from room to room with its light weight and base being used as a handle.  I put this to use on carrying it to different rooms to hook up gaming systems that are spread around my house.

   
The Samsung 192MP. Click on each image for a larger version

And here are the specifications:

Panel
Type	a-si TFT/PVA
Viewable area	19″
Pixel Pitch	0.294
Brightness (Typ.)	250cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	750:1
Viewing Angle (H/V)	170/170
Response Time	25ms
Interface	Dual
Frequency
Horizontal Frequency	31 ~ 81 kHz
Vertical Frequency	56 ~ 75 Hz
Bandwidth	135 MHz
Maximun resolution	1280×1024
Color Supported	16.7Mil.
Signal Input
Input Video Signal	Analog RGB, DVI Digital link, CVBS S-video, Component , TV(antenna/cable)

 
Here you find all connectors. Click for large image.

Video Level	Analog : 0.7V P-P , DIGITAL : TMDS™
Sync. Type	Separate H/V, Composite H/V
Input Connectors	15pin D-sub, DVI-D S-video, Component, TV antenna/cable
Included Signal Cables	VGA cable, DVI cable(option)
Plug&Play
USB Powered Hub Option	N/A
DDC	DDC 1/2B
Power
On Mode	62 Watts (Max.)
DPMS Mode	< 2W
Energy star / NUTEK	O
Multimedia Speakers	Attachable speakers 5Watt 2ch
OSD
Digital Display DirectorTM	O
Cabinet Color (front / back)	Neo Silver/Cocoa Black
Other include accessories	Remote controller

The included Remote

Dimensions
Set(W*H*D) mm(with stand)	433mm x 436mm x 198mm
Set(W*H*D) mm(without stand)	433mm x 419.5mm x 58mm
Packing(W*H*D) mm	532mm x 553mm x 165mm
Weight
Net	5.9kg
Gross	8.9kg
Special Features	External TV Tunner, S-video, HDTV ready, PIP, unction, MagicBright
Warranty(P/L/Backlight)	3y/3y/20,000h
Stand	foldable stand

 
The sides of the monitor where you either can connect an external
source or set up various settings of the monitor. Click for large image

Samsung also do not include a DVI-cable. Considering that most new video cards have at least 1 DVI-connector it seems strange not to include a DVI-cable. Since this is a monitor that is targeted at places where you need to conserve space, like college dorms or kids room, it’s possible Samsung don’t think that a DVI-cable would be used anyway and thus don’t include it to conserve cost. It’s however a negative point for me.

FIND THE BEST PRICES FOR THE SAMSUNG 192MP AT PRICEGRABBER

Testing the monitor

---

The monitor was tested on the following machine:

• Asus SK8N (nForce3 150PRO)
• AMD Athlon 64 FX-51
• 2x 512MB Corsair TwinX 3200 ECC
• BFG 6800U
• 2 x 36GB WD Raptors RAID 0 and 2 x 200GB Maxtors RAID 1
• DirectX 9.0c, ForceWare 66.81
• Windows XP SP2
• Antec True Power 550Watt
• SB Audigy 2 ZS

For testing I used both a VGA and a DVI cable when hooked to my PC. 

Monitorsdirect.com Utility
I went to http://www.monitorsdirect.com/ and used their tools to test the monitor, and all tests were run at the native resolution of 1280×1024.

Brightness and Contrast:
The 192MP looked very good in the test. The black on the gray scale was excellent with both VGA and DVI cables.

Color Purity:
During this test, the screen is filled with color, and you look to see if the colors are even across the screen. I saw even color patterns on Blue, Green and White. The monitor performed excellent with both VGA and DVI cables in this test also.

Dead Pixels:
I am happy to report that no dead pixels where found on the monitor.

Ghost Trailing:
In this test, a four-box pattern moves around the screen, and we look for ghost images of the box following the pattern. I did observe slight ghosting on the DVI cable but I did not seem to notice it on the VGA cable.

Ghosting & Streaking:
In this test, white and black rectangles are placed against each other to see if there is any bleed through at the edges of the rectangles. I did not notice any ghosting in this test with either cable.

GAMING
This is on place where I got puzzled on this monitor.  Playing Counter Strike Source I could notice a lot of ghosting during the game.  So I grabbed UT 2004 and the Men of Valor demo and did not notice any of the ghosting I saw in Counter Strike Source.  This problem was seen with both the DVI and VGA cables.  But then again Samsung is not claiming that this is a monitor meant for gamers but as an all in one space saving unit.

Next up was the Game Cube.  Here we used the RCA inputs and played several of the kids favorite games.  I am happy to report the monitor worked great playing every thing from Sponge Bobs 2 games for the Game Cube, Mario Racing and some Zelda games.

USED AS A TV
It is too bad I do not have HDTV to test the monitor with since it is ready for that.  The TV tuner did a good job on displaying in full screen, but not as good as Leadtek TV tuner card in one of my machines.  The smaller PIP display area was excellent.  I do have to admit though if I was sitting on a couch 5 to 6 feet away from the screen it looked great on both the built in tuner and the Leadtek.  But in testing on my desk I was 2 feet away from the screen most of the time.

 
Watching TV in fullscreen (left) and using Picture In Picture (right). Click for larger images.

HOOK UP THE VIDEO CAMERA
I was very happy to report that taking my Sony Camcorder and hooking it up to the monitor and watching movies was EXCELLENT.  The video quality was much better than watching it on my Samsung 957MB CRT.

DAY TO DAY USE
Since I spend 75% of my day sitting in front of my monitor doing typing for the website and working with vendors I can say the 192MP performed flawless with both the DVI and VGA cable in text use.  My only thing is and this is not a knock on the 192MP but on all LCD’s is why can’t they display 1600×1200 on a 19” screen?  Notebook maker Dell does in on its laptops. I just wish the desktop guys would figure out the how to get that to us.

FIND THE BEST PRICES FOR THE SAMSUNG 192MP AT PRICEGRABBER

Conclusion

---

For what the 192MP is designed for it does its job well.  A hardcore gamer probably should look for another monitor but it should be ok for any casual gaming. This is a monitor that I can recommend to most day in day out users.  It would work well in the college dorm room or a child’s room that does not need a CRT and a TV.  Believe me, with 3 kids I would love to have 3 of these hooked up to their computers.

You can find the monitor at PriceGrabber for between $639 and $959 so it well worth shopping around to find the best price.

PROs
+ Light weight
+ Price
+ Good all in one unit

CONs
– No DVI
– Strange Backlight Warranty
– Slight Ghosting, not for a hardcore gamer

Rating 8.5  (would have been 9 with DVI cable)

FIND THE BEST PRICES FOR THE SAMSUNG 192MP AT PRICEGRABBER