Samsung XL2370 LED Monitor - Installation / Testing

Category: Displays / TVs

Created on Wednesday, 06 January 2010 20:16

Written by Steve

Installation:
Installation can be as straightforward as plug-and-play for a monitor, but it's always a good idea to install the driver and Samsung calibration software to assure maximum performance from your new display.

Testing:
I will be testing the XL2370 by comparing a variety of high contrast photos and videos as well as doing some head-on comparisons with my beloved HP W2408, a monitor I believe to be a strong contender in the LCD field.

To test it exactly as advertised, I turned on the dynamic contrast ratio, which should give me that 5M:1 ratio. All other settings were left default and the DVI-VGA cable was used to connect it to my laptop. The display was run at it's native resolution during all testin

When it came to colour intensity and contrast, the XL2370 left me impressed. Although it's a different class of monitor from my HP W2408, the HP had to accept defeat in this battle as I have found a new favourite. Colours were fabulous, both in videos and in pictures. I've stuck a few snapshots from my camera below, although they don't do it justice, they will at least give you an idea.

The following snapshots are taken directly out of my Samsung ST50 camera with only cropping applied. Keep in mind that room lighting means they aren't a 100% accurate representation, but it gives you an idea.

Another complaint I noticed in some forums online were XL2370 owners complaining that the blacks in the bottom portion of the panel seemed to have a blue hue to them. This seemed to be a hit or miss complaint though, as not everyone noticed it and not everyone had it to the same degree as others. I paid special attention to this region of my sample to see if I could witness this same issue. The monitor I received seemed unaffected by this, so I am unable to comment if this has been fixed in newer panels or is still a hit-or-miss issue.