Samsung 971P

[JoshHagg]

I just purchased this monitor the other day at CompUSA for $380 with $80 in rebates. So effectively, it was $300. Is this a good monitor in the price range? I can't find any reviews on it, or any information at all really. The LCD buyer's guide in this forum has me a little nervous about Sumsungs, and all the info that I was fed (i.e. 6ms response time, 1500:1 contrast ratio, etc.) I will be using this primarily for school work *wink* and also for gaming. It also has USB which is cool, but I am worried the monitor may not be everything it seemed like it was, and I could get another monitor cheaper. I was also looking at the LG L1972TQ that Best Buy has on sale right now $250. I know this is rather vague, but I guess I am just looking for some reassurance that this monitor isn't overpriced, or that another cheaper monitor would outperform it. Thanks for any help!

Josh

 

[jbbrown]

Hi. I have looked at Samsung monitors with the same type of panel as the 971P. I was very impressed with it. There will always be duds with every brand, but I don't think the 971P is one of them. From what I have seen, it is a good monitor with excellent viewing angles and great contrast.

I have heard that the monitor is higher priced among the 19" LCD's, but it did just come out and it has an S-PVA panel which is good. This monitor is part of their Premium line so it will cost more than your typical TN panel and the colors will look much better too. And, it is about $360 right now, so getting it for $300 is a good deal.

I know there is one review on Amazon.com and another here.

Please let me know what you think of this monitor - I have been considering getting it. I'd like to know what you think. Thanks!

 

[jbbrown]

Originally posted by: jbbrown
I know there is one review on Amazon.com and another here.
q]

Here is the review that is on Amazon.

Other than the users manual not being the greatest, he had good things to say.

 

[PowderBB3D]

I too wonder how this monitor performs.

I purchased a 19" SAMSUNG LCD (the new 931c to be exact) and while the response time and brightness were great, it failed to show an acceptable range of color. I realize that a true 8-bit, SPVA screen will significantly outclass the 931c, but there is a bit of ambiguity regarding another query I have that I'd like cleared up.

Specifically, the 931c's native was 12x10, which is typical of 17" and 19" monitors. However, as it was a 19" and not 17", things seemed "blown up" and noticeably less sharp than my roommate's 740BX 17". Is this always the case with 19" monitors? If not, is it the case with the 971p, as I am considering replacing my 931c with something more color-capable.

 

[SonicWind]

Hi PowderBB3D, I bought a 931C as well only because the 971 was not available in Australia, I must say it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

I had used a dell 1905 about 1 year ago and from memory the dell showed better color than the 931C. the other problem i notice is the 931C is not able to display fading effects correctly, ie if you are using fading for the winxp start button, when you click on the START, the 931C would NOT begin with showing a hint of white, but a totally wrong colour. This could be a huge problem for games. Lastly I am not able to use the autoadjust button on the monitor, I am not sure if it is designed that way or not...

I would definitely choose the 971 over the 931c

 

[jbbrown]

Originally posted by: PowderBB3D

Specifically, the 931c's native was 12x10, which is typical of 17" and 19" monitors. However, as it was a 19" and not 17", things seemed "blown up" and noticeably less sharp than my roommate's 740BX 17". Is this always the case with 19" monitors? If not, is it the case with the 971p, as I am considering replacing my 931c with something more color-capable.

All 17" and 19" lcd monitors will have a native resolution of 1280x1024. I guess I've never really compared the two together. With a 19" the pixel pitch (distance between each pixel) will be slightly larger than a 17" one. But, I don't know if that will always make it less sharp. Since the resolutions are the same for both sizes, the 19" will stretch those same pixels to take up the extra space on the screen. I haven't heard of this being a big problem though for 19" screens. I would assume you will get the most crisp image on a 17" 1280x1024 or a 20" 1600x1200 as they have a low pixel pitch.

A couple of my friends have 19" monitors and they look fine to me and they love it. I would suggest an S-PVA or S-IPS panel for better color at 8-bits.

I know the 931C comes with that new CCFL backlight to help out the color gamut. Does this not seem to enhance the colors?

Let me know what you decide about the monitors!

 

[jbbrown]

Originally posted by: SonicWind

I would definitely choose the 971 over the 931c

I would have to agree with you on this one SonicWind. From what I've read about the 971P, it is a great monitor compared to the 931C. They have two different types of panels (S-PVA and TN respectively) so you will get much better quality on the 971P.

I have just been waiting for more reviews and a nice price drop on the 971P before I decide to buy.

Originally posted by: SonicWind

Hi PowderBB3D, I bought a 931C as well only because the 971 was not available in Australia, I must say it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

I typically order things on NewEgg, do they ship to Australia? Though, if they do, I'd assume shipping would be quite expensive.

 

[PowderBB3D]

Bump for more opinions on the 971p.

I can't decide what to do at the moment, and would really like to hear from others with this monitor (esp. concerning image sharpness).

 

[jbbrown]

Originally posted by: PowderBB3D
Bump for more opinions on the 971p.

I can't decide what to do at the moment, and would really like to hear from others with this monitor (esp. concerning image sharpness).

If you haven't already, check out the Overclockers Online link I provided above. You can also email Jody, who wrote the article. She has received several Samsung monitors in the past to review for them. She might be able to tell you more about the quality and sharpness of the image.

 

[skippysnemesis]

Picked up this monitor last week after looking at every other monitor available in my area (I mean I spent All day going back and forth between 9 showrooms...Note: Be sure your looking at Native Resolution, or you'll never know what your really getting!). I'm a commercial photographer and have been addicted to Trinitron CRT's for image work and even worked with calibrated Apple Macs for a year. And I gotta tell ya that this Samsung 971p leaves everything else in the dust. I could go on about image sharpness, contrast, etc., but the fact is that I'm still using Analog mode for image editing...I can't even imagine how good this monitor would look in DVI. As far as setup goes, XP took care of everything but the change to Native Resolution. With a quick run through the monitors menu of presets (which are accessed via a single base mounted switch in combination with the monitors power switch), total installation took less time than getting the unit out of the box. NUFF SAID?

 

[jbbrown]

Originally posted by: skippysnemesis
Picked up this monitor last week after looking at every other monitor available in my area (I mean I spent All day going back and forth between 9 showrooms...Note: Be sure your looking at Native Resolution, or you'll never know what your really getting!). I'm a commercial photographer and have been addicted to Trinitron CRT's for image work and even worked with calibrated Apple Macs for a year. And I gotta tell ya that this Samsung 971p leaves everything else in the dust. I could go on about image sharpness, contrast, etc., but the fact is that I'm still using Analog mode for image editing...I can't even imagine how good this monitor would look in DVI. As far as setup goes, XP took care of everything but the change to Native Resolution. With a quick run through the monitors menu of presets (which are accessed via a single base mounted switch in combination with the monitors power switch), total installation took less time than getting the unit out of the box. NUFF SAID?

Hey thanks for the review - I've been waiting for some more news on the 971P! Sounds like a great monitor. All I need is the price to go down and I'll get it! Where do you have to go to see it in a showroom? I know BB and Circuit City don't carry it, I haven't checked Fry's Electronics though. It would be nice to see it in person. Thanks!

 

[skippysnemesis]

Got mine at CompUSA... and although it wasn't cheap, they still knocked some off the price. Now I'm just hoping the Samsung's durability matches its incredible image quality!

 

[Richard in Idaho]

Ordered one from Compusa on Saturday with a $50 rebate. They now have them in stock but say mine is on it way so will wait. The one on display today looked great. They were runing it off of an Apple.
Also have a new computer from Peget that will be here tomorrow.

 

[skippysnemesis]

To JB Brown
Frye's has the 970 model. Seem to recall different specs on the 970's image, and the reviews all mentioned problems with the base... hinge problems or something.

 

[jbbrown]

Originally posted by: skippysnemesis

To JB Brown
Frye's has the 970 model. Seem to recall different specs on the 970's image, and the reviews all mentioned problems with the base... hinge problems or something.

Yes, from what I've heard, the 971P is better all-around, especially the hinge system. But, I will have to check the 970P out at Fry's to get a better idea.

Do you know what type of panel the 971P uses? It is listed as S-PVA, but I've heard/seen it other places as a PVA. I know that S-PVA's are suppose to have higher contrast and better viewing angles (about 178 degrees) so I don't know if you can tell from that or not.

Also, do you use the Magic Rotation? I was wondering how well that worked when you rotate the screen.

Thanks for the info!

 

[skippysnemesis]

S-PVA and yes I use the Auto Rotation app. The monitor has an auto indicator in the center of the screen (only when the screen is rotated, of course) which shows the rotation in 90 degree increments. The image does not "rotate" automatically with the monitor. The Auto Rotation icon in the system tray allows you to choose the increment (90, 180, etc.) of image rotation... and its best to make that choice before you physically rotate the monitor... because once the monitor is rotated the mouse cursor goes wierd and selection is difficult until image rotation is accomplished. This monitor also uses a program Samsung calls Natural Color Pro for monitor calibration, and another called Magic Tune Premium for user preference tuning. Both were easy to load and use... however, the default settings picked for the monitor were spot on, and I didn't have to make any adjustments. I haven't made any output tests yet (in my case digital files to CD) so I can't comment on the integrity of image transfer. But if tweaking is necessary it should be easy to accomplish.