Closing Thoughts
We like to think that after spending over $600 on a 24" LCD, users will get a high-quality experience. That may not always be the case, but at least with the Samsung 245T we have no qualms with recommending it as a very good 24" LCD. Perhaps a better recommendation however would be to try and purchase a 24" LCD that comes with a Samsung S-PVA panel; all of the LCDs we've tested that have Samsung panels perform admirably, with the deciding factors generally being a personal preference -- external appearance, extra features, or more likely price.
The Samsung 245T has an MSRP of $799. At that price, we have to admit that it would be very difficult for us to recommend this particular LCD over some of the competition. Thankfully, a quick look online shows that prices are much more reasonable, and quite a few resellers carry the LCD for under $700 -- some as low as $630. That price is definitely higher than what we see on some of the budget 24" LCDs, but then many of those LCDs use TN panels
There are a few areas where the 245T falls short. Perhaps the biggest flaw is the support for resolution scaling. If you predominantly use 16:10 or 4:3 aspect ratios, you should be okay, but any 16:9 sources will end up slightly distorted when using the digital inputs; however, analog inputs are better on aspect ratio support. This isn't a big enough problem that we would go so far as recommending against using the 245T, and truthfully there are plenty of users that will never know the difference; still, there are other LCDs that offer better scaling options. Dell's 2407WFP and Gateway's FPD2485W are two examples, and there are certainly others.
There are many people that seem to think 24" LCDs are "too large", but after purchasing a 2405FPW three years ago I have never regretted the decision. In fact, I even took the next step and upgraded to a 30" LCD 18 months later. The cost of 30" LCDs is still relatively prohibitive, but when you think about how many hours you spend a day staring at your computer screen, we definitely wouldn't skimp on this important peripheral. We feel 24" LCDs are now the sweet spot for computer displays, and with prices ranging from $300-$700, they're more affordable than ever before. The Samsung 245T comes in at the higher end of that range, and it's still not perfect, but if quality is a primary consideration, you could do far worse.
If you're not in a big hurry to upgrade your display right now, we should also mention that there are a few other companies launching new displays in the near future. We can't talk performance or features yet, and we're not expecting any quantum leaps in overall quality to occur; still, waiting to see what other companies come out with won't hurt. One thing is certain: this isn't the only LCD we're going to see released this year with this particular Samsung S-PVA panel.
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alainiala - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
I do A LOT of monitor testing at my work because I'm one of a handful of people responsible for setting our enterprise hardware standards. I try to steer our company away from TN-based panels, but sometimes its unavoidable (all but one 22" panel that I'm aware of are TN). I find S-PVA to be acceptable, but the true beauties are the S-IPS monitors. NEC makes some of the best S-IPS monitors around, but they are very pricey. My favorite monitors is undoubtably the NEC 2490WUXi, but you have to be prepared to sell an organ to get one. Not worth it for the average user, but anybody with color-critical apps should take a long hard look at it. I do wish more manufacturers would stick with S-PVA and S-IPS... But alas, the pricepoints demand we all get stuck with TN garbage.Pjotr - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
TVA -> PVAJarredWalton - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
Fixed, thanks - after writing an article for so many hours, some things start to blur past your eyes. :)uethello - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
The panel being listed as TN is ominous to me. I've been studying monitors hard for about a month (since I found out how much of my money Uncle Sam is giving me). Seems like some manufacturers build monitors with both types of panels. Going for the "Hope" buy, I guess. The person who hears about someone getting a good panel and buying in the hopes of not getting a TN.JarredWalton - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
I talked to my contact at Samsung and got this response on the panel:"As to your question, the 245T does have an S-PVA panel, which is a far superior technology than TN, not that I need to tell you that. The 245BW uses a TN panel. The proper authorities have been notified and they’re working on fixing [the PDF] immediately. I appreciate you letting me know."
So no worries - the 245T is an S-PVA panel as reported and as the images show.
Dainas - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
...all manufacturers are seemingly phasing out all mva/pva panels below $650, replacing them with TN at the same pricepoint and no one cares. It surprises me that the reviewers despite not being a big fan of $500+ TN panels, have not noted this plain as day trend.JarredWalton - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
Ummm... did you read my HP w2408 review? I pretty much slammed on that trend and said that IMO the TN panels still suck by comparison. I also praised this LCD for not being a TN panel. How is that "not noting the trend"?Dainas - Thursday, February 7, 2008 - link
ok, you noted that much :P Except for what amount to closeout deals, we are starved for choice compaired to 6 months ago. Its not just a matter of waiting for things to get back up to swing after the chinese new year. Besides the expensive stalwarts such as this and the dells line, TN is just eating up everything else was :(I would expect nothing short of a full blown rant about this, hehe.
strikeback03 - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
Aside from closeout deals and Black Friday specials and the like, have there ever been 24" LCDs that didn't use TN panels available "cheaply"? Seems that when the 24" LCDs were initially all good panels and all expensive, then as more came out the prices dropped some, then someone started making 24" TN panels and those monitors formed a whole separate price bracket.JarredWalton - Friday, February 8, 2008 - link
I believe there are some S-PVA 24" panels for around $400-$450. Are they good LCDs, or are they the reject S-PVA panels that couldn't be put in $600 LCDs? I don't know - I'd like to get one to test, but unfortunately the budget LCD companies aren't interested in sending us review samples. Anecdotally, I've heard that while they are usually better than TN panels, they've got other issues - firmware, low build quality, etc.