 The Samsung P2570HD; High Definition TV, Monitor & Video Player, a best value for your buck |
| Review Date: September 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Manuel Pubillones, Seattle, WA and Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
Samsung's SyncMaster P2570HD offers plenty of inputs, a descent HD-TV monitor, basic speakers, and a remote control with all necessary features. Also, great style and very good performance are included in a panel less than 2" deep. But, no VGA cable included, no height or tilt adjustment and Samsung's website does not have an updated driver for Windows 7. Best for those of us that need (or want) a new big screen monitor that might be also be used as a TV.
It is an LCD Display with 24.6 diagonal inches of screen and I paid $339.00 On Line. After searching on the Internet for reviews on the new Samsungs (not many found), decided on giving a try to this new product. Has multiple inputs; from VGA to HDMI that and an integrated TV tuner, speakers and even the power supply (connects directly to an outlet) in a fairly light device.
It is an attractive device with lots of shine, transparent surfaces and a matte screen. The base is a glossy black oval with hues of red on the perimeter. A transparent glass bluish neck anchors the monitor [pic1]. The aspect ratio is 16:9 which makes it very modern looking when compared to the Apple products. The borders of the screen have a 5/16" clear area [pic4] and on the rear, all input jacks are recessed about one inch and face backwards, not downwards like other monitors/TVs [pic6]. This can make hard flush wall mounting the device. Two small speakers face downward and there is an 18" area on the rear upper part for heat dissipation (remember that the power supply is inside the device).
I tested the monitor with a 2002 Dell XPS running Windows 7 [pic3]. Tried to get an updated driver for the new OS but none yet available. Refresh rate was awesome, colors were bright, blacks were not seen and no distortion or bleeding of the screen was noted. In order to "stress" the video card to its limits (plus the shared RAM), was able to work with eight screens at the same time and even play a DVD trough the WMP-11 and at the same time, play that same movie stored on an External HDD trough VLC [pic5]; no problems!
Then decided to customize the settings for the display and used the remote control for this (instead of the touch sensing buttons on the lower R front area). The Remote [pic5] is quite intuitive and settings were very easy to adjust for optimum viewing. Brightness and contrast had to be decreased to 67% compared with the factory settings which were 80% for both. Something unexpected, when switching from a regular 17 inch LCD monitor to this big screen, the mouse needs more area to properly work. Otherwise, adjustments need to be made for said device but I'll try that later.
After one month of using my Samsung P2570HD solely as a Computer Monitor, I connected it to the cable TV and DVP player to evaluate its performance. Because neither the DVR nor DVD player had more than one HDMI outputs, the comparison needed to be done by stages. The cable from my Cable TV provider [not the DVR/descrambler] was directly connected to the TV input of the Samsung and auto scan was programmed [pic7]. Then, searched for a TV transmission in High Definition [pic9].
Connected the Philips DVD player to the Samsung and to my 40" Sony Bravia LCD. First trough Composite [pic3] and later trough HDMI [pic 10]. Compared picture quality and trough the "custom" setting, tried to make the image of the Samsung as close as possible to the Bravia [pic 11]. The screen adjustments were made using a specific scene from Zefirelli's Traviatta because the only illumination for Violetta's party scene is by candles. On the second configuration [pic12] adjustments were not necessary since the Samsung had been connected through its HDMI input.
Results:
1. As a stand along TV set, the television picture quality is great with plenty of adjustments for us to customize to specific room/ambience[s].
2. The TV itself took about seven minutes to scan the 900 channels of my Cable TV provider and classify them as High Definition or "normal". Worth to mention that the auto scan did not select any inactive or scrambled channels; great!
3. The audio is not the best on the lower frequencies since the speakers are fairly small and face downwards. But, this device is intended to be used mainly as a TV/Monitor with external speakers and supplemental bass boost. So the bass module or subwoofer of your computer's audio devices compensates those modest integrated speakers.
4. Having so many input alternatives, users can select the one (or the best one) for the source device(s) be HDMI, Composite, S-VHS or even the regular three prongs A/V [pic6].
Compared with the LCD Sony Bravia:
1. The screen of this 25 inch (24.6 actually) monitor/TV is almost 2/3 the size of the 40 inch Bravia.
2. As expected, trough Composite, picture quality of the Samsung is lower than the Sony [pic10]but thanks to the many adjustable settings, I was able to almost have the same display in both devices [pic11].
3. Trough HDMI, the Bravia picture is still better [pic12] because of its size and Sony markets the Bravia as a TV, not a TV/computer monitor.
Conclusion:
As a stand along TV, the p2570HD is a great device and will not disappoint anyone as long as they do the proper connections and setting adjustments. As a video playing device it performs excellently especially trough its HDMI input. Composite is almost as good but you have to see what output capabilities your specific equipment has. As a computer monitor has been performing in an excellent way, especially with a new inexpensive EVGA GeForce card that increased the WEP from 3.5 to 4.9
Having stated all this I would recommend this device to be used for anyone who wants a great Computer Monitor to be used in a home office that occasionally will become a guest room. Have not mentioned but the Remote is quite handy allowing users to switch between devices and even adjusting picture, contrast and so many other features that will take users to the optimum viewing situation. If you are looking for a TV that can be used as a monitor or hooked to your computer, perhaps, there are some other better alternatives but that was not my need. Pic2 shows you a size comparison with a 10" NetBook and the I-Phone.
In September, read that a specific warehouse was selling this device for $350.00. I called all of them within a 50 mile radius of downtown Seattle and none had it. While you decide on which monitor/TV is best for your needs, here are some photos of the monitor so you can see what it looks like since obviously, you are considering it. As a monitor and DVD playback device, I would give it five stars. As a TV, would give it only fur because of the speakers.
Overall, the Samsung p2570HD is a great device and most of the consumers will find a place/setting for its optimum use. And also, works perfectly with Windows 7. Have fun searching for your next Monitor/TV and hope that this review was useful for your selection.
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Good Gaming Monitor
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| Review Date: August 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: CraigT, VA USA |
| Bought this to replace an HP 22" that did 1680x1050. I wanted a TV for the kids play room that would work as a computer monitor. I found this at a local wharehouse type members only store for 349 and thought I'd try it even though I usually wait for the reviews to come out. I am very happy with the computer monitor function and the HDMI input allows me to use an upconverting dvd player without having to run additional audio cables as I have no handy way of sharing the PC audio with the DVD player. I have only used it for over the air HDTV not via cable, so I can't speak to that, but it functions very well with over the air HDTV. I did notice that it has an USB service port, so anything that may come up can be addressed by putting new firmware on it hopefully. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase and can only assume that the store priced it as a P2570 versus the P2570HD. It seems very cheap considering how expensive LCD 26" TVs still are (same price as this) and that it really looks great as a monitor for the PC. Slight light bleed from top and bottom when all black screen is being displayed, but not too bad. There is a remote for adjusting everything to taste and the on off button is more of a sensor where you barely touch over the indicator and it goes on or off. I am used to blue indicators and this has red ones, but that's no big deal. Great product so far. Great deal. |
Better Than Good Enough
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| Review Date: January 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: PrettyStuzz, Charlotte, NC USA |
Amazon offered this Samsung 1080p HDTV/PC monitor/display via the Buy.com seller. I ordered it because (1) I have a Samsung 32" 720 LCD HDTV that's excellent, and (2) I intended to get a 13" Macbook Pro (which works with the Samsung via a DVI-to-HDMI adapter), and (3) I wanted a 2nd TV in my other room. I don't have full HD from the cable company, only the over-the-air stations (local network affiliates and local PBS affiliates) which the digital cable provides in HD. I don't watch TV except for golf; and standard definition DVD quality makes me plenty happy for movies and music performances, especially since the audio quality is always excellent.
The Samsung P2570HD 24.6-Inch Full 1080p HDTV LCD Monitor arrived on time and in fine condition. It includes a 6 ft. HDMI cable even though the user manual and Samsung specs say it's not included (thanks Buy.com!). Having already set up my other Samsung HDTV, I had a very flat and easy learning curve for setting up this one. Fortunately, the Macbook Pro connected and displayed itself without a hitch (I only had to check a box in the Macbook's Display Preferences). I made some adjustments to match the black & white tones - I played a movie on the Macbook, which showed too much 'sepia' tone on the Samsung, and scrolled through the Samsung's Advanced Settings until I found the setting that 'corrected' the difference.
The Macbook's display is always slightly sharper, which is to be expected; but without such a comparison, the Samsung's display is excellent on its own. I watched DVD's from a DVD player (pre-HDMI), they looked great; also from the Macbook, and they looked great. The TV program images are okay, maybe even excellent. The 'industry' isn't standardized; the carriers aren't standardized (cable, sat, fibre, etc.); the networks aren't standardized; so you get different quality throughout the channel range. The best you can do is try to make sure you can see details in the lapels of a suit or blazer jacket, that is, adjust your picture for that quality, so the lapels show.
The sound quality is adequate, nothing to complain about at ordinary volume levels. The only audio output for connecting to an external audio system is via an optical cable (aka Toslink). But the unit has a miniplug headphone output jack, and if you know what you're doing, you can output from the Samsung's headphone output which comes off the pre-amplifier, and connect to an external power amplifier. That doesn't mean you can connect to an audio system's inputs like 'aux' or 'audio-in', for example, and expect to get good sound - you won't, because you'll be going from a pre-amplifier into another pre-amplifier, and you'll have to boost the power/volume to both signals. But if you have a stand-alone power amplifier, or if you have a system with 'pre-out'/'main-in' terminals, you can connect to the 'main-in' (which by-passes the preamplifier and separates it from the amplifier section). This connection - from the Samsung's headphone output to a power amplifier - works well (superbly), and the volume control comes only from the Samsung, so its remote control unit is all you need. The audio quality is only as good as the source (cable, over-air, sat, etc.); it's pretty good because it's digital and has little or no harmonic distortion. I don't subscribe to the music stuff from cable, so I can't evaluate the audio at its highest fidelity; but what I hear is a zillion times better than the TV's own audio.
Hey - it's inexpensive; it's a full 1080p HDTV and a 24 1/2" PC display monitor; it's a Samsung; and it's delivered to your door! |
Outstanding set
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| Review Date: December 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Coolfire, Nevada |
I am thoroughly delighted with this Samsung. I use it only as a stand alone TV, so cannot speak of it as a PC monitor. However, as a TV it is outstanding. Great colors, contrast, etc., and immediate response to remote controls. It also seems to have a QTAM tuner within as it receives the free mandated HDTV stations from cable, i.e., those for which a digital subscription is not required. Some people are not aware of this gov't requirement for cable providers. I had looked for QTAM in the specs, but had missed it if it is there. But the auto channel scan picked up these free HDTV channels.
I saw that someone was looking for a manual. One can be found for downloading on the Samsung site. I know that this is a short review, but frankly, it's simply a great HDTV set. |
Very good TV/Computer Monitor that is Aesthetically Aweomse
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| Review Date: December 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Andrew Paul Robertson, MN |
The Image Quality is Great.
Optical out for great sound on my receiver.
Big screen size for computer monitor although I just use it as a TV. (24.6")
Only negative is it would be nice to have 2 HDMI inputs although 3 would be the best. The speakers aren't the best, but I knew that coming in. I use a receiver with a Infinity Primus surround sound. It outputs Dolby Digital to my receiver. How awesome! By the way, Infinity Primus speakers are the best buy for your money if you get them cheap.
The huge positive is the aesthetics. Beautiful. I can't gush over it enough. Like a work of art! I hear people have complained that the base is not adjustable, but that is really not a problem for me since I use it as a TV.
This is also a great computer monitor. I hook up my laptop via pc connection and approve! 1920X1080 resolution at 60 hz. I actually prefer 1280x720 (720p) because it makes everything bigger, and I view at a larger distance since it is from my bed.
When I watch Blu-Rays and Sports, I am impressed. Excellent quality. This will hold me off until march-april 2010 when the new TVs come out. I think a 42" plasma might be more fun, but it's tough to buy one now when the new ones are coming out. Sure it'll be big, but I'll put it closer to the wall and move my bed back. I love plasma. Even better for sports and high action scenes. Plus the image quality is better. Don't get me wrong, this TV does rock, but it is LCD and can't beat high end plasmas. |
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