Samsung SyncMaster 193P

The 193P is the first TFT we've seen to dispense entirely with front-panel buttons. In place of the usual array, there's just a power switch, with everything else controlled via software. While it may sound laborious, it actually takes a lot of the guesswork out of configuration. The wizard-based calibration process guides you quickly and simply through setting appropriate brightness, contrast and colour. Once set up, it's a simple matter of right-clicking the Desktop and selecting another preset to change.

Following a similar approach is Natural Color, a handy utility that does a reasonable job of matching print performance to that of the screen. It isn't specific to this monitor, though, and you can't make the adjustments to contrast and brightness it asks for without some confusing juggling of applications.

There's a marked difference once the screen has been adjusted, which gave an impressively bright and crisp image. The excellent contrast is immediately apparent in inky blacks and clean whites, complemented by natural-looking colour tones. Definition is excellent from both DVI and D-SUB inputs.

While we were pleased with its performance in general use, it's a different story with DVD playback. The principle problem is the distinct screen lag, which distracts the attention even in relatively still scenes. It's even more noticeable in gaming, as you can't get a completely clear picture of what's happening.

There were more problems evident from our technical testing. While the overall colour response and range is impressive, there's a sharp roll-off in separation at the extreme high and low ends of the spectrum. This manifested in colour gradients peaking too early, with adjoining colours appearing identical. Colour ramps also exhibited severe banding, again indicating that a group of similar colours are being shown as just one. If colour accuracy is important to you, you'll be best looking elsewhere, although it has to be said that these flaws won't be obvious in everyday use.

What you'll notice is the unusual design of the screen itself. The back of the panel is a pearlescent plastic reminiscent of modern Apple systems and looks smarter than most from behind. The inputs are discreetly placed in the base of the stand, making this an ideal screen for locations where it's highly visible. Bear in mind the external power-supply brick though. The stand offers basic forward and back tilting adjustment and 50mm of height adjustment. It's a little cumbersome to adjust, and the panel will tend to droop if moved, but it's reassuringly sturdy.

Considering the relatively high price tag, the performance is disappointing, particularly given all the attention paid to colour calibration. The lack of front-panel controls is an interesting and surprisingly functional approach, although it could leave you with problems if using the screen away from your usual machine. Aspects of the performance really let this screen down, with the flaws in colour handling being the worst. If that's important to you, screens with more direct control are still the best approach, such as Eizo's 20.1in FlexScan L885. Also consider panels with compatible hardware calibration units, like LaCie's Photon20Vision. Both will cost you nearly twice as much though. Otherwise, we've seen better performance from 19in panels costing less, such as the CTX S962A, for £399.

Author: Ross Burridge