User Controls | Power, Source, Menu, Volume(+,-), Channel(+,-) Picture(Mode, Backlight, Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness, Color, Tint, Picture Option, Reset), Sound(Mode, Equalizer, Multi-Track Option, Auto Volume, TV Speaker), Channel(Antenna, Auto Program, Clear Scrambled Channel, Name, Fine Tune, Signal Strength), Setup(Plug&Play, Language, Time, V-chip, Caption, Melody, Light Effect, Light Level, Energy Saving, SW Upgrade), Input(Source List, Edit Name) |
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Pros: This monitor is simply the best compromise between those who want a large computer monitor, and but also who want to be able to watch tv with it. It is also the only monitor of it's size with an hdtv tuner that does 1080p. I have this in my dorm room right now, and I must say the size is perfect. Any bigger and I would have no desk space, while a 24" would seem a tad small. Once you complete setup, the colors are vibrant and lively, and samsung's tv tuner hardware automatically scans the available channels and removes the scrambled/unviewable ones. On top of that, the remote is very intuitive to use and has buttons for commonly adjusted settings (such as picture size, closed captioning, etc). Finally, the aesthetics of the ToC line can't be beat. The monitor, whether off or on, just looks amazing. Great design.
Cons: Requires color calibration out of the box - this is not as big a con as it seems. Just set color mode to "dynamic" when you're watching tv, it makes it look a lot better. And from the default brightness, bump it up to 60 or so. Poor vertical viewing angles - Having used Samsung's S-PVA panels before, (215TW and Dell's 2408WFP), the viewing angles are definitely not as great. But they are as they are advertised (170 horizontal/ 150 vertical). Horizontally, the color distortion is very minimal which is fine. But vertically, the viewing angle is much more limited, and it is easy to see.
Overall Review: Contrary to what some other people have said, this monitor is 100% HDCP compliant. I have tested 2 blu-ray players, (one ps3, and another made by samsung) through the hdmi and dvi ports. Both play fine. Slashgear's article on the T260HD confirms hdcp support as well. If you are a serious designer (video, graphics, etc), this monitor's gamut is pretty decent, but not great (mid 80%'s). I would still recommend the dell line of monitors for that type of usage.