Samsung 931BW LCD Monitor
Review by: Steve
Edited by: Ji4m
Provided by: Samsung Canada
Price: $299 Canadian

Introduction:
The 931BW is the latest widescreen LCD offering from Samsung. Sporting a highly impressive 2000:1 contrast ratio and 2ms response time, the specs make it look like a pretty stunning monitor for the price. Let's take it for a test drive and give this LCD a chance to show us what it's all about!

In The Box:
(1) Samsung 931BW Display
(1) Analog Signal Cable
(1) Cleaning cloth
(1) Power Cable
(1) Installation packet

Specs:

Features:
Being 19" wide, the 931BW runs at a native resolution of 1440x900. One thing I don't like about all about 19" widescreen's is the loss in height for the resolution. My 17" LCD runs at 1280x1024 and compared to the 931BW it means a vertical resolution loss of 124 pixels; a noticeable difference to me. I do realize that the format of a wide screen monitor is best suited to watching movies or other media that is formatted for wide screen, but this is not the primary use of my monitor.

The 2000:1 contrast ratio and a 2ms response time combined into one monitor is impressive, especially for being around the $300 Canadian price mark! Specs like that make this an excellent monitor for digital entertainment uses such as watching DVD's and Hi-Def content. Gaming is yet another field this monitor will really excel in with the 2ms response time.

I was happy to see both analog and digital signal interfaces supported on the 931BW. Unfortunately only the analog signal cable was included which was a downside. It wouldn't cost much more at all for Samsung to toss in a DVI cable too. The power supply is also fully internal so you only have to run a power cable to the LCD, no need to hide a bulky power adapter anywhere like some displays! All these cables plug vertically into the back of the display, under a removable plastic plate. I love how this removable cover plate hides all the connections on the back of LCD. This looks especially good if you're using it in an office where clients can see the back of your monitor on your desk.