Update 5/18/2007 : The saga of the 226BW is incredible, but necessary and finally desirable for the good of consumers.
Summary : Starting at the beginning, Samsung made the 226BW, which was equipped with Samsung panels, which were high quality, reactive and calibrated. These 226BWs S series are excellent and are what the press throughout the world received. It was often picked as the best in its category. In February 2007, we even gave it our maximum note of 5 stars before downgrading it to 4 later in May. The reason was that in production Samsung delegated a part of panel manufacturing first to AU Optronics, (the « A series »), then to CMO and after this to CPT (the « C series » for these last two).
In our tests, the A proved to be as good as the S in reactivity, but colors by default were off. However, for those who now have this version, we offer a manual correction profile to install – everything is described step by step.
Unfortunately, the « C » version tested (a CMO panel) proved to be not as good. We found colors that were even more off and very difficult or even impossible to adjust, as well as more afterglow due to an inferior overdrive management (an electronic process meant to accelerate liquid crystals).
In the end, it was up to chance what monitor consumers received. Unless they unpacked the box at the store and hooked the screen up to verify the panel’s identity in the hidden menu, there was no way of knowing which version you were about to buy.
All of this fuss around this monitor, however, was necessary. This allowed at least Samsung and we hope other manufacturers to know that consumers are sensitive to display colors. And to believe honestly that they didn’t know this...
One question / answer in conclusion: Is the 226BW C a bad screen? No, it will suit most users. Only a small number will be truly bothered by its color and game rendering. However, here we are talking about graphic artists or game fanatics. Even its C version is worth 4 stars. Now let’s get back to the test…
The SyncMaster 226BW has a low price, devastating design, matte TN 2 ms panel, and a DVI connection with HDCP support in order to display protected content (movies and games). Our measurements finished off this already impressive list with something that is more and more important for us: It has very good color fidelity (see box for more on this subject).
Actually, the 226BW is the big brother of a screen that we really liked, the SyncMaster 931BW, which in our opinion was the best 19 inch on the market at the start of 2007. This new 22 inch is simply a bigger version with the same qualities, design and finishing touches. However here, we especially make the transition from 1440 x 900 to 1680 x 1050 pixels. These two monitors considerably simplify the choice of screens. If you have a smaller budget of around 200 Euros, opt for the 931BW. If you want bigger for gaming and photo editing, take the 226BW.
So, why choose the SyncMaster 226BW ? Let’s first answer: is the 226BW the best current 22? Yes.
For the moment, all the current 22 inch displays are equipped with TN type panels with a response time of either 2 ms or 5 ms (and actually they all are really 5 ms). The difference between these two values in games is obvious and 2 ms screens are much more affected by afterglow. Just take a look at the Side by Side results, like in this example to see for yourself. So, for the moment there is nothing more reactive than a 226BW in 22 inches or any other diagonal.
A second advantage of the 226BW is its color fidelity. Adjustments are minor (see box) and for gaming, photo editing, and movies, this is a real plus.
In the end, there is its design, which is more attractive than other 22 inch displays – with exception to ViewSonic’s VX series (the VX2235wm and VX2245wm).
In the end, the 226BW is almost the ideal screen and at the beginning of this year it was difficult to find better at this price. Nevertheless, we can find a few downsides, reasons to prefer another screen, or even why we might want to wait a little before buying.
Why not to choose the SyncMaster 226BW ?
- ergonomics are at a strict minimum. There is no USB hub, card player, the base is fixed and it isn’t vertically adjustable. The best in this area by far is ViewSonic : the VG2230wm is vertically adjustable, and the VX2245wm offers a number of bonuses such as an iPod station and integrated base speaker.
- TN technology has two inconveniences common to all 22 inch displays. The lower viewing angle is small quickly turning black, and there is a flickering in large color blocks in movies. Recent graphic cards compensate rather well for this problem, however, there is a series of monitors not affected by this defect, MVA type panels. We find them in 20 inch displays and the most popular are the Belinea 10 20 35W, Belinea 2080S1 and ViewSonic VX2025wm.
- the panel is in wide (movie) format. Some games still aren’t meant for this size and this is less practical for the office than a 4/3 20 inch (1600 x 1200 pixels). Our two preferred screens in this area are the Belinea 2080S1 (MVA panel) and LG L2000C (with a very good IPS panel).
- finally, 2007 may see the arrival of a new generation of screens at some unknown date and price. There will be TN 1 ms panels (will this be real progress in reactivity? We don’t think so.), LED backlighting for a wider gamut (the first, the XL20, will be released shortly for 1400 Euros), and finally 100/120 Hz screens. These last ones should noticeably improve rendering in games, but will they actually make an appearance in 2007 or 2008 ?
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