Author: Eric Chua, Terren Tong, Andy Zen
Editor: Howard Ha
Publish Date: Wednesday, November 5th, 2003
Originally Published on Neoseeker (http://www.neoseeker.com)
Article Link: http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/Samsung_172x/
Copyright Neo Era Media, Inc. - please do not redistribute or use for commercial purposes.
Introduction
When the subject of LCDs is brought up, Samsung is one of the companies that first come to mind and with good cause. Samsung consistently releases quality products as well as being at the forefront of technology, recently being one of the first to release a 1600x1200 native resolution LCD. Although everyone would love to have a 21" LCD, they are a bit cost prohibitive. Today we look at Samsung's 172x, a monitor that is aimed at the high end of the mainstream segment. A quick peek at search engine reveals that the 172x starts at around the $580 USD mark. The 172x claims to have a 12ms refresh rate as well as a 500:1 contrast ratio. Let's take a look at the rest of the specs -
Note- We have updated the review of the 172x in a new article due to problems with the original 172x sample we received and it has affected our evaluation drastically
Specifications
|
Panel Type |
a-si TFT/TN |
|
Effective Viewable Area |
17" |
|
Pixel Pitch |
0.294mm |
|
Brightness (typ.) |
270cd/m² |
|
Contrast Ratio |
500 : 1 |
|
Viewing Angle (H/V) |
160° / 140° |
|
Response Time |
12ms |
|
Interface |
Analog / Digital |
|
Horizontal Frequency |
30 ~ 80 kHz |
|
Vertical Frequency |
56 ~ 75 Hz |
|
Bandwidth |
135MHz |
|
Maximum Resolution |
1280 x 1024 |
|
Color Supported |
16.2Mil. |
|
Input Video Signal |
Analog RGB, DVI Digital Link |
|
Video Level Sync. Type |
Analog : 0.7Vp-p, Digital : TMDS™ |
|
Input Connectors |
Separate H/V, Composite H/V, SOG(Option) |
|
Included Signal Cable |
15pin D-sub, DVI-D |
|
Wall-Mount |
VGA Cable, DVI Cable(Option) |
|
Dimension - Set with stand (WxHxD) |
361.6mm x 363mm x 193.9mm |
|
Dimension - Packing (WxHxD) |
461mm x 393mm x 142mm |
|
Net Weight |
3.75kg |
|
Gross Weight |
5.45kg |
Like most 17" LCDs, the native resolution of 1280x1024 is standard fare. Unlike the MP line, the 172x only has DVI and Analog VGA In which means no S-Video, Component In or anything else. The transition between DVI and Analog is quite snappy. The long wait times with the input switching of the 172MP does not seem to have been carried over. The 172x is also wall mountable and comes with an accompanying kit for this purpose. A standard VGA cable and calibration software is included but alas no DVI cable which is a shame.
First Impressions
The 172x is very pleasing to look at. It combines a narrow bezel with a rich feature set. The size is surprising as it could almost pass as a 15" screen. Like other recent Samsung LCDs, the bezel is made of plastic with a faux aluminum look. The effect is quite good and at first glance it may pass off as actually being metal. The bezel is uniform around the screen at 3/8" and because of its thinness, the bezel gives an appearance of having a larger screen size than normal. The OSD buttons are hidden at the bottom edge of the bezel creating a very clean look to the screen. The Samsung boasts a slim 3/4” – 1” thickness for the actual monitor, but needs about 6” behind it to accommodate for the 8” deep stand. By moving all the input connection onto the stand rather than the back of the monitor itself, Samsung has accomplished the task of making the 172x the thinnest LCD on the market.
A unique idea that Samsung has incorporated with this product is the mounting plate which allows the 172x to be attached to wall.
The monitor uses the dual-hinge framework for the stand, which allows for vertical adjustment and tilt. By not allowing full extention of the dual-hinge mechanism, Samsung has restricted the full potential for the height. The hinges on the stand are a bit on the stiff side, in particular the bottom hinge. It was stiff enough that I began to worry about the amount of pressure I was using to try to raise the monitor. At the maximum height level, the 172x is still a bit low for my preference. It should be mentioned that this is an improvement compared to other LCD monitors that do not allow for any vertical adjustment at all.
The power supply for the 172x is external. While it is not as elegant as an onboard solution, it makes the replacement of a faulty DC adapter a lot less of a hassle. The actual DC block is not where the plug is so it is not one of those that hog up several spots on a powerstrip.
Usability
The menu controls have been relocated to the underside of the screen. This adds to the simplistic and contemporary style to the monitor. This results in a cleaner looking monitor. Although the button placement is attractive it feels awkward to have the buttons on the underside of the bezel. This was magnified with the issues I had with the stiffness of the hinge; when the bottom hinge is all the way down, I had to wedge my fingers in there to use the buttons. There is definite tactile feedback on the buttons with a slight click when depressed.
The OSD is fairly intuitive with the usual settings of brightness, contrast, color adjustments, white point, picture position amongst a few other settings. Of particular note, the 172x has a feature called MagicBright, which automatically adjusts brightness depending on the intended use of the monitor. The available settings are User Controlled, Text, Internet and Entertainment. Text, Internet and Entertainment get progressively brighter. The Auto button automatically tries to adjust fine course and position when using an analog signal.
Performance
We have split the performance into each individiaul author's take on the screen. Terren comes from a CRT dominant background while Andy uses LCDs primarily. This is important as there are users that are coming from both backgrounds and will have different expectations of how LCDs will perform.
Terren's take
Coming from a CRT only background, I can say that the 172x is great on the desktop. As with all LCDs though, the 172x looks best at its native resolution and is noticeably fuzzier on anything else. Color reproduction at the default values are not the best as it was noticed that graphics on Neoseeker were not the proper shade when compared to a CRT. Subjectively, the colors do not seem as rich in graphical files compared to a Trinitron that I use regularly. There is color calibration software that is included but it seems silly to me since regular users probably do not have a point of reference for which to calibrate to.
Using the Nokia Monitor Test Utility, there was a lot of banding with the green gradient. The red gradient also exhibited banding problems although not as bad. Blue was fairly uniform and better than both the other colors. Users who are reliant on color accuracy may want to take note of this.
We did a couple of motion tests to test the claims of the 12 ms response time. I used a sample of T2's Extreme Edition (the 720p version (1280 x 544) availiable here) as a test and it looked fantastic. No lag or blurring of any kind.
On the gaming side the 172x was run through a few shooters. Here it did not perform as well. Of particular note was Unreal Tournament 2003; while the character at was at a standstill, the picture was razor sharp. However during movement there was a noticeable blurring effect. It was not ghosting but it was a lack of sharpness, kind of like a drunken effect. A good example would be the dream sequences in Max Payne 2 where there is an intentional blur. While it was not as pronounced as that, it was definitely something that bothered me with the 172x that is not an issue with CRTs.
The 172x we have here is free from dead pixels / stuck pixels. Solid backgrounds of white, black, red, green and blue were used to search for defects. Note that although our screen is defect free it does not necessarily mean that every 172x will be.
Andy's Take
The color representation is definitely better on the 172x than on most it looks a more 'pure'/cleaner white than most LCDs including the Samsung 151s, a Sharp branded one on my laptop and the Samsung 213t (it came out a little redder).
In UT2K3 it is not very representative of the 12 ms response time as it is not a whole lot better than my current 151s. The mouse lag is slightly noticeable especially when sweeping a 180 degree angle.
Conclusion
The Samsung 172x is an impressive monitor. Physically it looks very stylish with the thin, uniform bezel and the unobstrusive buttons. Some users may dislike the fact that the DC powersupply is external and is not part of the monitor itself. The desktop performance is good with perfect geometry and great sharpness. For those who are doing a lot of graphical work, it will be essential to calibrate the monitor properly. The Magictune software has wizards to help with the process but the end result was not satisfactory. After the calibration, my grey browser windows had a red tint. This was the result of a calibration choice to make a picture look more natural and in the end I had to change it. The color has improved a lot according to Andy who uses several LCDs regularly including the older Samsung 151s. For those who like to watch movies on the computer, the 172x performs admirably also. Unfortunately it is not all the way there yet with games, notably shooters. There is a distracting blurring effect that those migrating over from a CRT will definitely notice and those currently on LCDs may not notice a huge improvement over 25ms LCDs. The general consensus in the office is that the claimed 12 ms response time is a bit aggressive. The benefits of LCDs are undeniable though with their tiny footprint compared to a CRT as well as their light weight which makes them ideal for lan parties or users who move their monitor around regularly. I would not hesitate to recommend the 172x for office work yet the price makes it prohibitive - for about 30$ more one can get a 19" LCD with DV. I was expecting a lot more in terms of performance especially with weighty claims such as a 12 ms response time and cannot really recommend this monitor at this price point. Samsung will really need to look at the pricing structure of this monitor and rethink the numbers they are using as they are not indicative of real world performance and as such we cannot recommend this product.
Aesthetics 10 /10 Desktop Performance 8/10 Color Accuracy 7/10 Multimedia Performance 10/10 Gaming Performance 4/10 Overall Value 3/10 Overall Score (not an average) 6/10
Note- We have updated the review of the 172x in a new article due to problems with the original 172x sample we received and it has affected our evaluation drastically
Please do not redistribute or use this article in whole, or in part, for commercial purposes.