Originally posted by: xtknight
Oh, the contrast and viewing angles do confirm that it's a PVA. (I assume 500:1 is supposed to be 1500:1) Yes, viewing angles for all panels are overrated, and PVAs start to dim just as fast as TNs with subtle movement, but they still maintain their brightness much better at extreme angles. My MVA certainly starts losing half brightness on one side of the panel at 45 degrees. The BeHardware tests make it obvious it's a PVA as well:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/594-...ng-syncmaster-770p-pva-6ms-1500-1.html
PVA (770P) vs. TN (204B)
Whether that's the 770P being sold in the UK, I can't confirm, but I'm pretty sure of it. The Samsung UK site lists the SM770P (and these are certainly PVA specs):
http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/moni.../ls17vdpxhqedc.asp?page=Specifications
Yes, it's only a 4-domain PVA, but it's still equal to, and better than any TN in some cases. If wherever you buy it from says 1500:1 and viewing angles of 178/178, you can be sure that's the rating of a PVA. If it's a TN, they are advertising it falsely. No TN that I know of is rated over 800:1 contrast, and certainly none are 1500:1. I'm not saying it's not a possibility you'll get a TN, but if you do, it would be extremely deceptive of them to advertise it like that. The fact they say the VP730, a TN panel, is about equal, is likely a fib. The PVA certainly has a better contrast.
This is a PVA right here:
http://www.morecomputers.co.uk/textra.asp?extension=&product_number=LS17VDPXHQ
But, eBuyer lists it as a '4ms 1500:1':
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/108521/rb/20211245295
We'll just have to assume that's another mistake, but you can contact eBuyer and see what they have to say about it. The monitor's official spec lists 6 ms. I do understand your concern, but I'm pretty sure they are just typos. If I were you I wouldn't buy it (at least from eBuyer) though until you ask eBuyer about the '4ms' claim, just to make sure. Sorry this is so much trouble.
As for why it's not in the US, I'm not sure, but Samsung has lots of different models in different countries. Perhaps they can't manufacture enough 1500:1 17" PVAs to sustain US demand. I've found that few monitor companies are ever up front about the types of panels in their monitors, and even give you wrong information sometimes, so that's nothing out of the ordinary. I've had at least two unanswered e-mails regarding panel types. Sad, but true, so we just have to learn to recognize the patterns in viewing angle and contrast. Also Samsung's TFT-LCD semiconductor site lists a "1500:1 6 ms." panel as PVA, so if that's not the panel in the 770P, I don't know what would be in there.