Admirers of cutting-edge technology at a tremendous value will find the Samsung 730B Black LCD Monitor irresistible. This model’s peppy response time of 8ms, max resolution of 1280 X 1024, and healthy 600:1 contrast ratio meet junior gamers’ stringent standards. Your stunning monitor is thoughtfully appointed with MagicBright™ and MagicTune™ technologies, which both optimize the display brightness, making it an inspired addition to light up any home or office.
Not only does this attractive model offer convenient controls, ergonomically located at the bottom of slick black bezel for easy access, but an amazing 160 degrees of all-over viewing. Now you can get up to feed the kitty or iron your shirt, and still check on the online auction or catch up with Internet pals.
Samsung scores another grand slam among gamers with the MagicSpeed™ software, which enhances the killer graphics. This means ghosts and blurs are a thing of the past. Indeed, whether you are playing at the office, or playing hookey, this superior monitor is sure to make it onto your list of favorites.
Fast Response TimeThe SAMSUNG 730B's fast 8ms response time ensures speedy color switching for enhanced motion video and gaming performance.
High Contrast Ratio and BrightnessThe SAMSUNG 730B's impressive 600:1 contrast ratio and 300-nit brightness ensure accurate color reproduction and sharp images even when displaying darker scenes and images for even more breathtaking games and full-motion video!
Multiple InputsThe SAMSUNG 730B comes with both analog (VGA) and digital (DVI) inputs for great compatibility and flexibility.
Samsung MagicBrightSamsung's innovative MagicBright technology provides an optimum viewing environment depending on the content displayed. Text, Internet, Entertain and Custom modes are available with pre-configured brightness values that can be selected by a simple press of the MagicBright button.
Samsung MagicTuneSamsung's MagicTune OSD solution is a simple and convenient adjustment tool for optimum image quality and is especially ideal for photographers, designers and multimedia artists.
Pros: Attractive, tasteful appearance (sleek black case, narrow bezel, removable cover for cable connections). Reasonably lightweight, not at all bulky for a 17" display. Great picture quality, as long as you're using DVI--see below. Wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Very, VERY bright (currently running at 60% brightness--anything higher is like having a miniature sun sitting on my desk). Control via MagicTune software is nifty (see below)--I can't believe I didn't start using it sooner!
Cons: Using the analog input, the 730B looks considerably worse than my analog-only Samsung 712N. Seems that Samsung skimped a bit on analog signal conversion in this model, figuring that most users will use the digital input anyway. Stick with DVI, and you'll have a beautiful picture. / No DVI cable is included. Free tip: Don't be tempted by inexpensive 3-foot cables. They work fine, but that's barely enough cable to work with, even when your monitor is right next to the computer. Choose a 6-foot or longer cable. / One stuck pixel, almost dead-center of the lower left quadrant of the display. Disappointing, but not a deal-breaker; the defect is so small that it's hard to tell what color it's stuck on (red, I think) without a magnifying glass. For the price I paid, I can deal with it--as long as more pixels don't follow suit. / Driver/software CD needs major work, but anyone who knows their stuff will eventually get it to behave.
Overall Review: If you're buying monitors for a dual-head setup, you'd do well to buy units of the same model; even monitors of the same brand can have significantly different attributes. For example, the "color temperature" of the 730B is significantly "cooler" than that of the 712N. Even with the 712N set to "Normal" and the 730B set to "Warm", the 730B appears "cooler". (For an understanding of these admittedly silly terms, direct experimentation and Google are both your friends.) If you're trying to match two different Samsung models, MagicTune is indispensable--much better than fiddling with OSDs on two monitors. Speaking of which, MagicTune is not limited to the primary monitor on a multiple-monitor setup. All one needs to do is move MagicTune's window so that it is displayed on the monitor that one wishes to control. This information is in MagicTune's help file (aka The Fine Manual, which one should always Read).