Technical characteristics of Samsung syncmaster f2380. Samsung F2380 is a benchmark in black reproduction. Determining response time and output latency
The Samsung SyncMaster F2380 LCD monitor is equipped with a new C-PVA type matrix, which is hardly worse than the previous generation *VA, while the screen diagonal is 23 inches and the resolution corresponds to Full HD. Plus three inputs, a high declared contrast and an adjustable stand - together these parameters allow us to consider the monitor as a candidate for the role of a universal display device, suitable for both work and gaming and watching movies.
Delivery set, technical specifications and price
Appearance
The design of the monitor is almost 100% utilitarian, almost, since there are a couple of concessions for the sake of decoration and to the detriment of ergonomics. The monitor body and stand panels are made of matte black plastic. The screen surface is black and matte. The frame around the screen is very thin - 15 mm according to the manufacturer and protrudes from the surface of the screen by only 2.5 mm. On the bottom edge of the frame, exactly in the center, there is a “beard” made of plastic with a gray-silver coating, on which the buttons are labeled in dark gray.
The buttons themselves are at the bottom.
The protrusions on the buttons help you find them by touch, and the markings on the front are visible, but the buttons are still not convenient to use, especially in the dark. In addition, menu navigation involves moving up and down and left and right, and the buttons are simply arranged in a row. This is the first flaw in the design. The second is the power indicator: between the beard and the screen frame there is a narrow insert made of transparent plastic, which is illuminated in white when the monitor is operating. The backlight is dim, but cannot be turned off, which is slightly distracting, for example, when watching movies. At least the button labels would be highlighted, but at best, with the light of this indicator, you can only see the labels for two buttons. This is the second drawback, and that’s all, then there are only advantages and admiration. From the back, the monitor looks very neat.
The relief pattern looks appropriate; the stand mounting point and ventilation grilles are covered with a removable shield. The connectors are located at the lower end of the protruding part of the case and are oriented downward.
There is a mechanical power switch next to the power connector. Connecting cables is convenient, especially when you flip the screen to portrait orientation. In the corner on the back panel you can find a Kensington lock slot. The standard stand is screwed with two screws to two points of the VESA pad (100 mm square). If necessary, a second set of threaded holes can be used for mounting on the bracket, forming a 200 by 100 mm rectangle. The telescopic stand of the stand is made of aluminum alloy with a black anodized surface. The load-bearing element of the base is a figured stamped thick sheet of steel. The stand and base are covered on top with plastic covers. The stand has several adjustments - height (range 130 mm), tilt (forward 1° and back 20°) and swivel left and right - and allows you to flip the screen into portrait orientation.
The base of the stand has a relatively large area, which ensures the stability of the monitor even in portrait orientation with maximum elevation. The upper surface of the base is flat and horizontal - you can put various small things on it, thereby utilizing the space occupied on the table.
The design of the stand is quite rigid, and there is no feeling of looseness in the joints. A wire pin is included with the monitor; by inserting it into the corresponding hole, you can fix the stands at the minimum height, which is convenient, for example, when transporting the monitor.
Switching
The monitor is equipped with two digital DVI-D inputs (HDCP supported) and one analog VGA input. If the signal from the current input is lost, the monitor will automatically try to switch to another, but this behavior can be disabled in the settings menu.
For those who are forgetful or who like to watch movies before bedtime, the automatic shutdown timer (1-23 hours in 1-hour increments) will be useful.
Menu, localization and control
Navigating through the menu is relatively convenient and fast. The last page the user accessed is remembered, but not the settings on it. A hint on the current button functions is displayed at the bottom line of the menu.
To improve the convenience of working with the menu, you can move it to the bottom edge of the screen so that the help icons are opposite the buttons themselves. When adjusting the image, the menu remains on the screen, which slightly interferes with the assessment of the changes being made. When there is no menu, the down button is responsible for quickly moving to the selection of brightness profiles, color correction, color effect or image format (which is indicated in the menu),
up button - call up brightness settings, enter button - switch between signal sources. If necessary, you can select a translucent menu background and change the timeout. There is a Russian version of the on-screen menu. The Cyrillic font of the menu is smooth and readable. The quality of the translation into Russian is good. We received the monitor without a manual and without a disk with drivers and software, but on the company’s website you can find both Russian and English versions of the manual, as well as a driver and software. The program was of interest MagicTune, which allows you to control the monitor from a computer, but its current version refused to work on our computer.
Image
There are settings Brightness, Contrast And Definition. List MagicBright- these are 5 non-editable profiles with combinations Brightness/Contrast, one user, and when selecting a profile Auto contrast Most settings are locked and dynamic brightness control is enabled (brightness increases for bright scenes and decreases for dark scenes). Parameter Response time is responsible for matrix overclocking modes. ( Rough And Exactly- manual substring for VGA signal).
List MagicColor- these are two preset color correction profiles and a demo mode, in which the result of picture correction is displayed in one half of the screen, and the image without correction is displayed in the other. Settings Hue is a list of three preset color temperature profiles and one custom one, in which you can adjust the gain of red, green and blue colors. Function color effect allows you to switch the monitor to black and white mode with a couple of clicks, or change the picture to shades of green, aquamarine and sepia. Parameter Gamma determines the current gamma correction profile.
There are several modes of geometric transformation: you can either preserve the original proportions of the image ( Auto), fitting it into the screen, or forcefully stretching it to fill the entire screen ( Wide). When you turn on the mode AV and digital signals at the input, the picture can be forced to the format 4:3 with a small overscan (fitting into the screen height), stretch to fill the entire screen without ( By screen size) or with a small overscan ( 16:9 ).
With a VGA connection, automatic adjustment to the parameters of the VGA signal is performed quickly and correctly. Both DVI and VGA connections support resolutions of at least 1920x1080 pixels. You can see the list of supported resolutions and . We tested some of them - the proportions are preserved, interpolation to the matrix resolution is performed without artifacts. In the 1920×1080 mode, stripes every pixel are clearly visible, there are no artifacts, color lines one pixel thick are displayed perfectly, without loss of color clarity. According to subjective sensations, the colors are correct and saturated. On a gray scale at Brightness= 0-100 and Contrast= no more than 79 and with some deviation of the view from the perpendicular to the screen, you can distinguish all gradations in the range from 0 to 255 in steps of 1. If you look strictly perpendicular to the screen, then in the shadows the first few shades are indistinguishable from black. When increasing the parameter Contrast gradations in highlights begin to disappear as the Brightness or Contrast- brightness decreases, but the number of distinguishable gradations remains virtually unchanged. At first glance, the white field is uniform; on the black field there is a very weak and small area of illumination from the corners towards the center. The photograph of the black field shows the geometry of this illumination.
Dynamic color mixing (dithering) is not visible. Visually, the speed of the matrix is low. At Response time a = Normal A noticeable tail stretches behind objects in motion. At Response time = Faster And The fastest the tail is slightly shortened. When white objects move quickly against a dark background, the front of objects several pixels deep takes on a greenish tint. Viewing angles are very good, the diagonal effect is not pronounced.
Cinema operating modes were tested using . Subtle gradations of shades differ in both highlights and shadows (a small fall does not go beyond the “safe” boundaries). Apparently, only RGB color is supported. Brightness and color clarity are very high and are determined only by the resolution of the input signal. When scaling from low resolutions, no artifacts appear, but the jagged edges are smoothed out a bit. Regardless of the signal type, geometric transformation is performed correctly according to the selected mode. Full HD at 24 fps is not supported, nor is 576i/480i, but the monitor accepts 576p, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p signals. In the case of 1080i, the image is displayed in fields. In 1080 modes, when overscan is turned off, there is no interpolation, and accordingly, the picture clarity is maximum. The monitor did an excellent job of displaying fragments of films and animated films containing both dark and bright scenes. Thanks to the very high contrast, the black bars at the top and bottom are virtually invisible in 2.35:1 film formats.
LCD matrix testing
We checked some of the matrix parameters using our instruments. All tests, unless otherwise noted, were performed with a DVI connection and Hue = Normal, Brightness= 100 and Contrast = 79.
Color rendering quality assessment
To assess the quality of color rendering, a GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display LT colorimeter was used. Target parameters: gamma = 2.2, white point = 6500 K.
Colors are closest to standard when choosing a profile Normal. By manual correction using the brightness enhancement parameters of red, green and blue colors, color rendition can be brought closer to standard (second line in the table). Profile correction curves Normal diverge slightly, in the shadows the signal level must be increased to bring the gamma curve closer to the standard form. After correction, the color temperature became closer to standard:
The color gamut is close to sRGB.
To assess the pattern of brightness growth on the gray scale, we measured the brightness of 256 shades of gray (from 0, 0, 0 to 255, 255, 255). The graph below shows the increase (not the absolute value!) of brightness between adjacent halftones when Gamma = Mode1.
From 5 to 255 the brightness of the next hue is higher than the previous one. The approximation of the obtained gamma curves gave the indicator 2,09 For Gamma = Mode1, And 2,30 And 2,50 For Mode2 And Mode3, respectively. Real gamma curves deviate slightly from the power function, and in the shadows they go much lower, as shown in the following graph.
Note that we used a highly directional sensor placed perpendicular to the screen. It turns out that when looking strictly perpendicular to the screen, details in the darkest areas of the image are lost. The common statement that all monitors with a *VA matrix display this way is nothing more than a myth, since we tested monitors with *VA matrices that did not have this feature (for example, NEC MultiSync EA191M).
Measuring black and white uniformity and brightness
Measurements of the brightness of a small area of the screen in a given direction were carried out with a highly sensitive narrow-directional (4+/-0.5 degrees) sensor. When measuring the uniformity of the white and black fields, the sensor was sequentially placed at 25 points on the screen, located in increments of 1/6 of the screen width and height (screen borders are not included). In this case, the sensor axis was directed strictly perpendicular to the surface of the screen. Cut-off filters produced by the company are installed in front of the photodiode of the sensor, cutting off IR radiation from 760 nm, but transmitting all visible light. Contrast was calculated as the ratio of the brightness of the fields at the measured points.
The table shows the average values and the minimum and maximum deviations from the average values.
Hardware measurements showed that the contrast is very high, the uniformity of the white field and contrast is excellent, and the black field is good. The graph below shows how in the mode Auto contrast Dynamic backlight works when switching from black to white.
For clarity, the pulsation of the backlight lamps is smoothed out. The increase in brightness takes approximately 1.2 s, given the low speed of correction and the very high native contrast, it hardly makes sense to turn on the mode Auto contrast.
The brightness of the white field in the center of the screen was determined using an Argus-02 brightness meter. At maximum parameter values Brightness And Contrast, brightness was 243 cd/m². The maximum operating brightness (halftones vary in almost the entire range, color rendition is acceptable) is approximately the same. When decreasing the parameter Brightness the actual brightness decreases, the contrast also decreases slightly, but even at minimum brightness (26 cd/m²) it remains above 1000:1:
This indicates that the parameter Brightness in a wide range, it mainly changes the brightness of the backlight lamps (changing the modulation amplitude), i.e., with virtually no damage to image quality (contrast and the number of distinguishable gradations are maintained), the brightness of the monitor can be changed from 243 to 26 cd/m², which allows you to work comfortably and watch movies in both lit and dark rooms. The flickering of the backlights is not visible due to the high modulation frequency of 180 Hz. On the contrary, when decreasing the parameter Contrast Both brightness and contrast decrease:
Determining response time and output latency
We measured response times during transitions from black to white and between midtones. In the case of semitones, we carried out three types of measurements: for a fixed semitone ( X) measured the response time during the transition from black to X, from X to white, and to transition between halftones in the vicinity X, distant from X by a fixed value (we chose it to be 10% because we consider 20% to be the minimum meaningful difference between the semitones).
The black-white-black response time is 22.3 ms (15.9 on + 6.4 off). Without acceleration, transitions between semitones occur in an average of 39.1 ms in total, in mode Faster- in 36.6 ms, and in The fastest- in 34.7 ms. As can be seen from the graphs of brightness versus time, even in overclocked modes, there are no bursts at the transition fronts; the slope of the transitions only slightly increases. As an example, we present brightness graphs for a halftone transition between shades of 40% and 60% in various modes.
Reducing the brightness of the white field by 50%:
We note a smooth decrease in brightness when deviating from the perpendicular to the screen in any direction, while the graphs do not intersect over the entire range of measured angles. There is a weak diagonal effect - the brightness of the black field increases slightly faster when deviating diagonally than when deviating vertically and horizontally. The contrast in the ±82° angle range is well above the 10:1 mark, and even for the diagonal direction it does not fall below 36:1.
conclusions
The Samsung SyncMaster F2380 monitor has a practical, utilitarian design and is equipped with a very convenient stand. The new C-PVA matrix is characterized, above all, by a very high contrast, which is maintained even up to very large deviations from the perpendicular to the screen. On the contrary, in terms of brightness drop, the viewing angles are good, but not the most outstanding. The matrix, even in overclocked modes, is not fast, which does not allow us to recommend the monitor for playing dynamic games, but for cinema its speed is sufficient. Let's add excellent illumination uniformity, a wide format, two digital inputs with HDCP, one of which can be connected to a computer, the second to a player, and we get a device suitable for watching movies. The gamma curve of the monitor, especially in the initial section, deviates from the standard curve, so if you use the monitor for professional work with graphic material, you will need to perform software calibration.
Advantages:
- Practical design
- Very high contrast
- Brightness is adjustable over a wide range without sacrificing image quality
- Supports 4:3 and 16:9 modes with edge trimming
- Three video inputs
- Supports HDCP and consumer video modes
- Convenient stand
- Russified menu
Flaws:
- The gamma curve deviates from the standard power function
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10 /10
July 28, 2012It took me a long time to decide, I bought it, I don’t regret it. Games such as call of duty modern warfare 3, or The Witcher 2 run without pixel lubrication. I watch HD movies on my monitor, play games, surf the Internet, try to tinker with Photoshop, all this without pixel lubrication. Although I once launched Portal 2, it was in this game that I learned how pixels are smudged, it was impossible to play. (problem with textures). I downloaded an HD film about nature... there were no such colors on the old monitor.
- The viewing angles are great, the screen can be rotated 90 degrees (very convenient for reading), the viewing angle has virtually no effect on color rendition. Small frame near the screen, stylish look, convenient menu. Easy to adjust stand.
- Some older games have poor response, which is noticeable. Decent price. You rack your brains for a long time when choosing between response speed and color rendition. At first, my eyes took a long time to get used to the old monitor. And the default is very high brightness.
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10 /10
October 31, 2011Excellent monitor. Good value for money. Played various games with a resolution of 1920x1080 just super, some delays and glitches.
- Cool and cheap monitor with good image quality. Neat and beautiful model. Colors will not change at different viewing angles, which is not usual for inexpensive monitors. Very cool stand for the monitor (you rarely see this type of stand at all, you can put everything on it you want a phone, a flash drive, etc.). You can twist it as you please, you can also lower it down or up, also as you please. When working or playing for a long time behind the eye monitor...
- I haven’t identified any shortcomings of this monitor at this price (maybe I’m not too picky)
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10 /10
March 12, 2012Well worth the money. I'm 100% satisfied, I bought two. I advise you to install a Samsung program to “line” the display for application windows. With its help, when you “maximize” a window, it will take the position prepared for it (imitation of two monitors on one).
- 1. Excellent transmission; 2. Rotating screen (portrait, landscape); 3. Thin frame
- Hardcore gamers will notice the picture sticking. Still, its update frequency is lower than “cheap” offers.; But again, I note that you need to take a closer look and focus on this. It’s not so noticeable (you can’t look at the pixels on the monitor =)).
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10 /10
October 7, 2012I bought this wonderful monitor in used condition, since unfortunately they are no longer produced. I was looking for this one, because this is probably the last worthy Samsung model with CCFL backlighting and a PVA matrix. Before this, I had a Dell U2312HM, which I bought based on reviews from others and regretted it. After just an hour of working with Dell, my eyes felt like they were filled with sand, I had a terrible headache, the crystalline effect and purple tints were simply killing me!
- -Soft backlight; -Minimalistic rough design; -I have never seen such a black color even on professional CRTs! ; -The overall contrast is mind-blowing
The 23"w monitor based on an LCD panel using C-PVA technology combines the latest advances in the field of video imaging.
Ultra-thin, perfectly tailored design
A professionally strict design of the case, maximally focused on increasing ease of use. The frame around the screen is 15mm thick and only 2.5mm high visually expands the visible area of the screen, and the metal stand allows the screen to be adjusted in height within 130mm.
MagicBright 3™ feature
MagicBright 3 features 7 preset modes optimized for different image types: Text, Internet, Sports, Cinema, Games, Dynamic Contrast mode and Custom mode.
HDCP(High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) technology
HDCP technology is designed to prevent illegal copying of high-quality video signals transmitted through the DVI and HDMI interfaces. Protected video can only be played back on equipment that supports HDCP. Support for this technology is fully implemented in new models of SyncMaster LCD monitors.
Windows Vista Premium
This monitor fully meets Microsoft's strictest compatibility requirements, as evidenced by its Windows Vista Premium certification.
Magic Color technology
MagicColor technology ensures superior quality
images, making the colors bright and fresh, and the picture amazingly clear and contrasty. For each scene, a special MagicColor Engine chip calculates the optimal levels for the red, green and blue components of the video signal and adjusts them so that the resulting image looks more natural. Even something as simple as adjusting white balance gives better results when using MagicColor technology.
TCO 5.0 certificate
This monitor fully meets the TCO 5.0 standard for video displays.
Wide viewing angles
Stunningly wide viewing angles - both horizontally and vertically they are 178°. Essentially, this option is limited only by the presence of a frame around the screen.
MagicSpeed 8ms technology
A fast response time of 8ms ensures clear images when watching DVDs and streaming video. This monitor is ideal for multimedia applications, gaming and watching animations.
Always the right proportions
The intelligent control system can automatically detect the output image format and select the corresponding video mode.
Programmable control button
One of the control buttons on the front of the monitor can be reprogrammed to perform one of the frequently used user functions. For example, such as Magic Bright, Magic Color, Color Effect or Image Size.
Color Effect function
Thanks to the Color Effect function, you can change the appearance of the image displayed on the screen with the press of one button. There are four preset modes to choose from: Black and White, Sepia, Greenscale or Aquamarine.
The first thing to start getting acquainted with any new device is packaging. The F2380 comes in an eco-friendly box made from recycled cardboard.
On the top side of the box, in addition to indicating the model, there are key features of the monitor - screen size, viewing angles, dynamic contrast value, height adjustment and interfaces.
Inside the box we find a neatly packed delivery kit, which, in addition to the monitor itself and the stand, includes a power cable, two interface cables for connecting to a computer (VGA and DVI-D), a disk with instructions and paper documentation.
In order to bring the monitor into working position, you need to screw the stand to the base of the “leg”; this is done quite simply and without the use of tools, using a special screw. By the way, unlike many monitors from other manufacturers, this procedure is reversible, that is, if you need to move the monitor to another room, the stand can be easily removed.
After screwing the stand, all that remains is to connect the cables and the monitor is ready for use. For more comfortable use, the monitor has four degrees of display freedom - pivot, height, tilt, left-right rotation (swivel). All these adjustments are made without changing the position of the stand, due to the thoughtful design of the leg.
Before you can select the optimal screen position, you must remove the transport lock.
The monitor control buttons are mechanical and are located in the central part of the bottom edge of the monitor
The signatures are on a small silver stripe on the front of the monitor.
Let's look at the characteristics of the monitor in question.
| Diagonal | 23"" |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Permission | 1920 x 1080 |
| Response time | 8 ms GTG |
| Contrast | 3000:1 static and 150000 dynamic |
| Brightness | 300 cd/m2 |
| Number of colors | 16.7 million (6-bit+AFRC) |
| Color gamut | 71% NTSC color gamut, 100% sRGB (CCFL) |
| 178/178 | |
| Matrix | cPVA |
| Interfaces | 2x DVI-D (HDCP), D-sub |
| Colors used in the design | Black |
| Adjusting the screen position | Pivot/ Height/ Tilt/ Rotate left-right (swivel) |
As can be seen from the table, the monitor has high contrast, decent color rendition, and wide viewing angles, as befits a monitor with a PVA family matrix. Let's look at the main thing in a monitor - the picture. Let's start with viewing angles.
From the above photograph you can see that there is practically no color distortion and drop in contrast, although they exist. For comparison, you can look at a similar photograph of a monitor with a TN matrix, where there is a drop in contrast and color distortion.
Another advantage of PVA matrix is the black color, which is truly black. In order not to be unfounded, here is a photograph of a monitor in the dark, on the screen of which there is a black background.
It is almost impossible to see where the screen ends and the monitor frame begins, which speaks not only about the excellent black color, but also about the uniformity of the backlight, especially considering that the monitor uses CCFL backlighting.
Monitors with PVA matrix are usually criticized for their long response time. Samsung engineers have seriously worked on this problem, and the F2380 has used RTC technology to reduce response time. This function is enabled directly in the monitor menu.
Depending on the selected mode, the response time changes, and it becomes noticeably better, which is perfectly illustrated by a photo of the screen from the PixPerAn test
The faster the mode, the less noticeable the trail and the clearer the image, thanks to which the monitor will surely appeal to fans of games and fast-paced films. Of course, this parameter is much more interesting for TN monitors, but given the excellent black color, viewing angles and color gamut certainly make this monitor a better choice.
