X-bit labs

Closer Look at the 19" Monitor Features. Part III (page 22)

Category: Other

by Oleg Artamonov

[ 03/30/2005 | 01:45 PM ]

Samsung SyncMaster 910T

The SyncMaster 910T strongly resembles the previous model, but features a digital DVI-D input. The case has absolutely the same shape, but it is totally black here. Two variants of the base are available; they both allow adjusting the height of the screen and turning it into the portrait mode, but differ in the shape of their foundation. Samsung must have thought it improper to offer the senior model of the series with an inexpensive stand without the portrait-mode capability.

I don’t want to dwell long on the appearance and the ergonomic qualities of this monitor. In comparison with the SyncMaster 910N, there have appeared a digital input and a 220V power switch (there is a plastic gag instead of this switch in the 910N). The Select button has acquired the additional function of switching between the inputs.

The SyncMaster 910T comes in two color schemes: black (as shown in the snapshot) and silvery-black, similar to the above-described 910N. The black scheme has one drawback – the labels on the control buttons are pressed out, i.e. they are of the same black color and are difficult to read. I mentioned the same drawback with respect to the NEC LCD1960NXi monitor, which has the same black case and similar black buttons. Here, however, you can use the MagicBright utility to control the monitor from Windows.

By default the brightness and contrast settings of this monitor are set to 80%; when they are set to about 55%, the screen brightness becomes 100nit. Like with the two previous monitors, the menu offers three gamma correction variants, “Mode 1” being default. The second variant gives you a slightly lower gamma, and the third – a slightly higher gamma. And it turned out that “Mode 3” ensured the most accurate monitor setup, closest to the sRGB standard in which gamma equals 2.2. That’s why I tested the monitor using this third mode.