Samsung 193P: Exclusive Preview

Construction (continued)

Samsung SyncMaster 193P
LCD	19.0" SXGA LCD (Active Matrix) pixel pitch: 0.294mm Anti-glare coating PVA
Scanning Frequency	Horizontal: 30-81kHz Vertical: 56-75Hz
Response Time	20ms (Typical)
Contrast Ratio	800:1 (Typical)
Compatibility	1280 x 1024 (Native)
Brightness	250 cd/m2
Dimensions (WxHxD)	16.7"x 16.2" x 9.3"
Power	Working: 40W Standby/Off: 5W
Warranty	3 years parts and labor

As we have seen with other LCDs from Samsung, the PVA display mode is a key giveaway that the panel in the 193P is manufactured by Samsung. PVA is proprietary to Samsung.

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We were slightly suspicious of the 800:1 contrast ratio. This seems fairly high for any LCD of this size, particularly with a 250cd/m² brightness. There are no Samsung LCD panels with 800:1 contrast ratios on the Samsung website as of March 2004. As we will see in later parts of the review, the contrast ratio does seem improved over previous models that we have seen in the past.

Recently, we have criticized a few LCDs for their approach to cooling (particularly the Samsung 213T and Dell 2001FP). Too little ventilation, and the monitor runs the risk of overheating. Too much ventilation, and the monitor components are exposed (as well as any and all effects of EMI shielding are negated). Our SyncMaster 193P demonstrates the best of both worlds. The bulk of LCD heat comes from the AC-DC inverter and the panel backlights. In the case of the 193P, Samsung uses an AC-DC brick adaptor. Panel temperatures are low enough to seal completely the components in a plastic sheath. The result is a very sleek design.

Click to enlarge.

Our 193P did not have any pixel defects. We spotted one dead subpixel in the upper right quadrant of the monitor, but it was, otherwise, flawless. This was expected; our 193P sample uses a 1280x1024 SXGA LCD panel. Our last reviews were based on UXGA panels with significantly more pixels.