Samsung T240HD Monitor

September 18th, 2008 -- by default
Source: Playback

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Packed to the gills with features and connections, this newest monitor from Samsung doubles as a full-fledged HDTV, featuring on-board analog (SD), digital (DTV) and unencrypted cable tuners, as well as built-in audio, with a fully functional remote control to round out the package. Connectivity options are extremely good, with two HDMI inputs—one on the rear panel’s jack pack, with the second tucked behind a flip-out door on the monitor’s left side—just the ticket for quick and easy hookup of an HD game console or other HDMI-equipped source. A DVI input brings the digi-tal input count up to three, and the set also sports a conventional component video input, as well as a VGA input for a computer. The Samsung’s right-hand side panel features six buttons that allow complete control of the set should the regular remote turn up missing.

The cabinetry is sufficiently stylish, with gently rounded accents, shiny black plastic bezel and base, touched off with a clear plastic front panel edge treatment that adds some dimensionality to the display. The contoured base quickly connects to the display, and provides about 21 degrees of rear tilt from vertical, which should be enough for most users.

FEATURES

• ATSC/NTSC/ClearQAM tuners

• 2 HDMI inputs

• DVI input

• VGA input

• Component video input

USER INTERFACE

Luckily, the T240HD comes with virtually the same type of menu system that Samsung developed for their HDTV line-up—a good thing, as it is clear, concise, easy to use, and with logically grouped controls that allow as many picture adjustment options as one could possibly need. Each input is provided with context-sensitive menu variants. As I had guessed, the color analyzer confirmed that the Samsung’s MOVIE picture mode most closely matched the most optimum picture characteristics, including the color temperature (white point).

REMOTE

The remote is well designed and laid out, with a numeric keypad for channel selection and large volume and channel up/down buttons. Sources can be toggled through (no direct input buttons), or directly selected via the Input choice available in the menu.

RECOMMENDED PICTURE SETTINGS

Note: The following recommended settings were obtained using a Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray player, set to 1080p output, and connected to the set via HDMI, using the recently released Digital Video Essentials HD Basics Bluray test and set-up disc. Having a test DVD and/or HD disc on hand is really the only way to ensure that your source components and the display are properly adjusted, especially with respect to the brightness and contrast controls.

DVD	Detail	Color	Blac ks	Shadow Detail	Artifacts /Noise
(Blu-Ray) I Am Legend	The film’s opening sequences show a desolate and decrepit midtown Manhattan, and the T240HD clearly delineates blades of tall grass in a hunting scene.	With the MOVIE and WARM 2 modes selected, the color quality strikes the perfect balance between richness and subtlety. The color analyzer confirms that the T240HD’s color gamut is just about spot on to the desired DTV standards, ensuring an accurate HD color gamut.	The red Mustang GT used in the opening scenes features a jet black interior, which the T240HD replicates well, revealing clear differences between the surface textures of the car’s various interior materials.	About average for LCD – not bad, but not great. An early scene shot in a dark and gloomy room had some dimly lit elements that were hard to see.	None noted.
(DVD) Shrek 2	Slightly soft, with this animated feature, as well as with test patterns. Still, the overall upconversion from the disc’s native 480i standard resolution to the T240HD’s 1080p resolution is quite good overall.	As with the Blu-ray example, the Samsung’s excellent colorimetry shows the town scene in Chapter 11 bursting with vibrant color, but not excessively so.	The Puss-n-Boots character sports a jet black hat, and similarly black boots, that are deep and rich.	A few brief nighttime scenes in the movie reveal little, if any, problems in handling shadow detail with this film.	Occasional jaggies noted. Be sure to set the T240HD’s Film mode to On – that improves things tremendously with standard definition film-based sources.
(HDTV) Live Free Or Die Hard	Comparable to Blu-ray, with easily discernable text and graphics on the many closeups of various computer monitors.	Rich color and believable skin tones, the mark of a good display.	McCain’s black Ford sedan comes across as properly black, with a nice shiny finish (until the car crash scene, that is).	Shadowy half-lit face shots in the cyber-terrorists’ lair display some black crush artifacts, where dark details appear and disappear according to the scene lighting.	None noted.

Ambient Light Tolerance: The Samsung has an effective anti-glare filter, and was eminently viewable in a brightly lit room during the day, even with the set’s backlighting set to a middle range value.

Comments

Thad (not verified) -- Tue, 06/02/2009 - 11:36

Bruce Willis's character in Die Hard is named John McCLANE.
John McCAIN is somebody else entirely.