Samsung SyncMaster 763MB 17'' CDT: Affordable Flatscreen

MagicWhat?

You might have been able to guess the MB in 763MB denotes MagicBright.  However not many people are familiar with the term.  The term actually comes from a new design of Samsung products, which has its roots surrounding the problems plaguing dim tube monitors.  Anyone who follows our LCD reviews knows the importance of a bright monitor.  Typically, the luminance of a monitor is measured in cd/m² or candela per square meter. 

The 763MB has a maximum advertised brightness of 330cd/m².  Even though this doesn’t seem like much, the typical CRT/CDT hovers around or below 200cd/m².  However, unless you dig hard enough, finding the luminance of a monitor is generally difficult.  As a lot of manufacturers are finding out, the monitor luminance is becoming increasingly more important as computers are turned into entertainment centers and graphic design studios.  Whereas reading a poorly lit book puts unnecessary strain on your eyes, so does watching a poorly illuminated movie. 

To counter eye strain, Samsung redesigned their High Gamma Electron Gun to most effectively illuminate the tube.  Furthermore, the new HGEG was coupled with DynaFlat technology to provide a high quality package.  Samsung also added a “Super Invar Shadow Mask”, in order to provide the sharpest quality on this new design.  The final product was the evolved next generation CDT; the MagicBright.

In order to achieve different levels of brightness, the monitor has a button on the front labeled “MagicBright.”  The idea is that with only a few touches of this button, the user can increase or decrease the brightness to one of three optimal levels.

The first of these modes is the “Text” mode.  At this mode, the brightness of the CRT is dimmed to 150cd/m², which is about the brightness of a normal CRT.  This brightness is idea for working on text documents, presentations, or hardware reviews.  When running at this intensity, the monitor is not distractingly bright.  The intermediate brightness mode for the 763MB is the “Internet” mode; which is basically intended for anyone viewing graphics and text at the same time.  Although Samsung does not list a luminance rating for this mode, we suspect it is in the area of about 240cd/m².

The final mode Samsung calls the “Entertain” mode.  At this mode, the monitor doesn’t hold anything back with a luminance of 330cd/m².  The difference is definitely noticeable, especially when watching DVD Video.  Not only was the picture cleaner, but it was also much easier on our eyes.

We have seen this type of brightness control on a few monitors to date now.  In particularly, the Eizo FlexScan demonstrated a similar brightness preset with their “Fine Contrast Mode” adjustment.  However, whereas the Samsung’s MagicBright control adjusts only the brightness, the Eizo FlexScan adjusts brightness and color temperatures.