Samsung SyncMaster 2693HM 25.5-inch LCD Monitor
The 2693HM has everything that you need. With a Height Adjustable Stand (HAS), built-in-speakers, HDMI technology, full 1080p input and fast response time, you will be able to power through a work day and watch a movie or play games with all of the extra free time that you will have. Not to mention, the eye catching bezel design will fit perfectly in public view or in the comfort of your home office. The 2693HM is Microsoft Vista Certified and works hard while looking good. With the 2693HM it's not hard to imagine. With HDMI and built-in speakers, the 2693HM is a comprehensive entertainment solution. 160º/160º Horizontal and Vertical Viewing Angles VGA, DVI, HDMI Connectors Built-in 4Watts (2W x 2 CH) Multimedia Speakers Approximate Unit Dimensions - 23.54 (W) x 18.03 (H) x 9.84(D) Approximate Unit Weight - 21.3lbs 3-Year Warranty
Great choice for computer use
I wanted to replace my 22" (1620 wide native resolution) monitor with a larger monitor (1920 wide) to get more stuff on the screen. I am a software developer and need to have multiple applications open on the screen. I often am working with at least 2 windows side by side, so the more space on the screen the better. However, I don't have enough desk space for dual monitors.
I also wanted to keep the tilt, pivot, and height adjustment features of my current monitor. (The pivot lets you put the monitor in portrait mode. I don't use this often, but it is handy when reading long PDF documents onscreen.)
There is a somewhat bewildering array of Samsung options, each with their pros and cons. I chose the 2693 because it has the tilt/height/pivot adjustments and because I was worried about too small print on the 24" monitors (which also are 1920x1200).
I am very satisfied with this monitor. It took a little playing around to get the right contrast & brightness for my room (I use Brightness=30 and Contrast=100). I also struggled at first with the "invisible" buttons in the lower right. (I had a comical episode when I thought the monitor was broken because I didn't realize there was an on/off switch!)
But, after using this for about 5 weeks, I am very pleased and believe I made the right purchase. Everything works perfectly and the display quality and colors are great.
Clean appearance, good performance
I have to say this monitor is very pleasing after using it about 5 days for a few hours each day. The screen has a pleasing amount of matte texture, not too glossy so as to add glare, but not to matte so as to muddy up the video. The height adjustable, tilt, and swiveling base is very nice, but since I don't usually (almost never) rotate the monitor to vertical I will rarely notice the nice base after setting it up. The worst feature is the touch-sensitive controls. They aren't really that bad, because I haven't needed to use them very much after first setting up, and a plus for them is that they won't collect dirt and dust and they add to this monitor's clean appearance. The buttons don't always respond with each touch, and that coupled with a lack of button menu familiarity (since the device is new to me) makes them seem worse than they actually are. I like the idea but they need to perfect the touch sensitivity some more on future models. This feature would not deter me from a great recommendation. As for the blue power light mentioned in other reviews, I can hardly believe people complain this much about such trivial things, at least that's how I see it. It is easily covered up if necessary... As it happens for me, the blue matches my Antec P150 PC case power and HHD lights... and I don't have issue with indicator lights being visible. The point of them is to show the status of the video input and power status, which I find useful when switching PCs with my KVM switch. The video switches fairly quickly using the KVM, with only a second or two of no video. This is slightly slower than the 204B was, but definitely no issue. I also like the crystalline (back-painted glass) look of the bezel and it sort-of matches nicely with the MS-Vista Aero glass theme appearance.
I had been using a Samsung 204B 20 inch flat monitor for 3 years Samsung SyncMaster 204B 20.1-Inch LCD Monitor (Black) and was quite pleased with it overall, so picking out this monitor felt safe. I had looked at the Dell S2409W 24" LCD DELL S2409W 24" Full HD 1080p Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor (With DVI & HDMI Connection) at Best Buy at was seriously considering that one, and then I saw the small cousin of this monitor, the 2493HM Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM 24" LCD Monitor, and liked its looks better, and I was more comfortable with the Samsung brand. Finding the 2693HM was only about $30 more for the extra size, I went for it, and I'm pleased with this product and highly recommend it.
