Samsung 933HD review

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Verdict:

Review Date: 18 Mar 2009

Price when reviewed: £196

Supplier: http://www.argos.co.uk

Reviewed By: Barry de la Rosa

Our Rating 4 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

The 933HD is the only 19in TV here, which goes some way to making up for its low resolution of 1,360x768.

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.

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