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Samsung 933HD review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £196
inc VAT

If you want a television as well as a computer monitor and are short on space, this is a good compromise at a reasonable price

The 933HD is the only 19in TV here, which goes some way to making up for its low resolution of 1,360×768.

This is designed for playing back 720p HD content, but means that the Windows desktop feels more cramped than on the higher-resolution monitors here.

As a TV, the 933HD performs well. It took just over two minutes to scan for all digital channels, and the menu system is clear and easy to navigate, with large icons and bold text. The electronic programme guide shows six channels at a time in Now & Next mode, with a preview of the current channel. A full channel list shows 24 channels, but without the preview or programme information.

Freeview picture quality was good, with vibrant colours and good contrast, but even with digital noise reduction the picture was grainy and susceptible to compression artefacts. Watching a Blu-ray disc, we were impressed by the contrast and clarity, but not by the colours, which we found to be a little faded. Of the three image presets available, we found Dynamic to be overblown and Movie a bit too warm, but there are plenty of options to tweak to get the picture that suits your taste.

The 933HD is a bit tricky to set up as a monitor, and we had to reboot Windows twice to have it recognised. Windows text is clear and again we found contrast to be excellent, but colours were a bit faded compared with the other 19in models. As noted, the low resolution means there’s less room for the desktop, and we soon missed the extra vertical space that the other 19in monitors provide.

It may seem unfair to put the 933HD up against two dedicated 19in monitors, but if you want a television as well as a computer monitor and are short on space, this is a good compromise at a reasonable price. If you don’t need a combined monitor and TV, we recommend that you buy BenQ’s E2200HD and a separate TV.

Basic Specifications

Rating****

Physical

Viewable size19 in
Native resolution1,366×768
Contrast ratio10,000:1 (dynamic)
Brightness300cd/m²
Horizontal viewing angle170°
Response time5ms
Response time typeblack-to-black
Screen depth60mm
Base (WxD)227x177mm
Screen elevation99mm

Features

Portrait modeno
Wall mount optionyes
Height adjustableno
Internal speakersyes (3W stereo)
Detachable cablesyes
USB hubnone
Integrated power supplyyes
Kensington lock lugyes
Display extrasnone
VGA inputyes
DVI inputyes
S-video inputno
Component inputyes
Composite inputno
Audio inputs3.5mm line in, stereo phono in

Environmental

Power consumption standby1W
Power consumption on44W

Buying Information

Price£196
Supplierhttp://www.argos.co.uk
Detailswww.samsung.com
Warrantythree years collect and return

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Reviews | TVs