Reviewed by Barry Little - July 16, 2007

Manufacturer: SAMSUNG

Model: 226BW (Model Code LS22MEWSFV/XAA)

Price: Shopping.com

The cost of PC gaming certainly doesn't seem to be getting any cheaper these days. Not everyone has the budget (or even the need) for a larger 24” - 30” LCD display. Fortunately for those of us with more modest financial resources and requirements, widescreen high-definition gaming is still within reach—thanks to the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 226BW LCD Display!

As one of the worldwide leaders in consumer electronics, global business products and services, it's hard to imagine that anyone would not know who SAMSUNG is. Take a close look inside your PC, around your household or office. Chances are you're bound to come across a component or product made by the company with the familiar blue label.

About SAMSUNG

Since its founding in 1938, SAMSUNG has maintained a mission statement that responds both to its own change, and to new developments in the world: "Economic contribution to the nation," "Priority to human resources," "Pursuit of rationalism." Each slogan represents significant moments in SAMSUNG's history, reflecting different stages of the company's growth from a domestic industrial leader into a global consumer electronics powerhouse.

In the 1990's, we transformed our mission statement to keep pace with our growing global operations, rapid changes in the world economy, and escalating competition from well-established rivals. "We will devote our human resources and technology to create superior products and services, thereby contributing to a better global society."

Our management philosophy represents our strong determination to contribute directly to the prosperity of people all over the world. The talent, creativity and dedication of our people is key to our efforts, and the strides we've made in technology offer endless possibilities to achieve higher standards of living everywhere.

At SAMSUNG, We believe that the success of our contributions to society and to the mutual prosperity of people across national boundaries truly depends on how we manage our company. Our goal is to create the future with our customers.

The relatively low cost of RAM, less-than-a-dollar-per-megabyte prices of large hard drives, incredibly powerful multi-core processors and graphic accelerator cards, are fueling the growing wave of multitasking and high definition entertainment on computers everywhere. Standard LCD displays with their boxy 4:3 aspect ratios are quickly becoming as obsolete as the bulky, heavy CRT displays they replaced. Whether you're playing the latest, hottest games, editing photos and videos, watching movies—or reading E-Mail while juggling several documents, a spreadsheet and your favorite browser—it's hard to overlook the benefits of a widescreen LCD display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and over 20% more viewing area, than a standard display.

Boasting a resolution of 2560 x 1600, 30” LCD displays represent the ultimate in high-definition widescreen gaming and entertainment. Only elite gamers armed with a pair of GeForce 8800 GTX or GTX Ultras in SLI—and some serious cash—need apply here ($1,300 and up for the display and almost as much for the two GTX cards). Occupying the mid-range are 24-26” (soon to be replaced by 27”) displays with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200. Though they aren’t what someone on a tight budget would necessarily call cheap, the LCDs in this range have come down in price quite a bit lately. Depending on features, $575-$850 is not uncommon, and not too shabby—considering that it wasn’t more than a year ago when their prices were in the neighborhood of what 30” displays are going for now.

Quickly replacing regular 17-19” standard and widescreen displays, with a resolution of 1680 x 1050, 20-22” LCDs are considered the new budget/entry-level models. To keep costs down, LCDs in this price range usually lack the amenities—built-in USB hubs and ports, card readers, speakers, and “portrait mode” rotation—of their larger, pricier counterparts. With prices ranging from the mid $200 to $350 this is where the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 226BW fits in.

Packaging

While SAMSUNG’s tasteful package design for their flagship products would look just as much at home hanging on a gallery wall as on a store shelf, the box for the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 226BW is a bit more utilitarian in appearance. Plain, brown cardboard with SAMSUNG’s ubiquitous logos and their new "Imagine Infinity" slogan, the monitor’s specs are listed in multiple languages beneath an illustration rather than the usual photo, of the display. In spite of the sparse but effective two-color ink layout the box tells you everything you need to know about the 226BW when picking it up at your local home electronics superstore, rather than over-selling it with an avalanche of marketing glitz.

The one area SAMSUNG has never cut corners whether it’s a $300 or $1,600 display, is where it really counts—protecting the product. SAMSUNG uses the same thick, “crumble-resistant” Styrofoam shipping blocks and “nylon fabric” rather than plastic bags, that you’ll find inside the boxes of their displays that cost twice as much as the 226BW. Compare this to some manufacturers who use cheaper-grade materials to pack and protect their products in the same price range as the 226BW, and SAMSUNG’s commitment to quality becomes quite apparent. After all, what good is a dead or broken display regardless of its price tag?

Unpacking the box, you’ll find the SyncMaster 226BW display itself; the base for the stand, the usual documentation (Quick Setup Guide, Snail-mail Warranty Card & Safety Information); and the monitor software CD. SAMSUNG has also thrown-in a handy, lint-free cleaning cloth—something you don't often find included with most monitors (but should be). Finally, there's the Analog DB-15 VGA and Digital DVI-D cables, and of course, the power cord.

The Display

Measuring 20.3” x 16.6” x 8.8,” the widescreen 16:10 aspect ratio and native 1680 x 1050 resolution of the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 226BW, gives you plenty of screen real estate over a conventional 19-20” display, while fitting comfortably on cramped desks and workspaces. If the 226BW’s main features weren’t obvious on the box, SAMSUNG has more than made up for it with the stickers they’ve attached to the bezel, making the display look more like a NASCAR racer. Of note is the 226BW’s Windows Vista Premium Certification and HDCP support—both are necessary if you plan on viewing HD DVD and Blu-ray movies on your PC. Then there’s the blazingly fast 2ms Response Time—critical for playing games and viewing videos without headache-inducing “ghosting.” The 226BW also is capable of a 3000:1 contrast ratio through SAMSUNG’s Dynamic Contrast technology introduced with their award-winning line of LCD televisions.

Once you peel away the stickers, you’ll be treated to a sleek, slim bezel with a beautiful, high-gloss, piano black finish. Along with the expected brand and model number, SAMSUNG obviously doesn’t want you to forget about the SyncMaster 226BW’s 2ms response time or 3000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, as they are silk-screened in the upper right-hand corner of the display. The only visible button on the front of the display is the power button, which has a brushed metal finish, and gives off a pleasing, blue glow around its edges when activated. The lower edge of the bezel has a metallic silver inlay that contrasts nicely against the glossy black finish. Under normal lighting conditions, it also makes it easier to see and decipher the engraved labels for the buttons that control the 226BW's functions—which are vertically oriented below each one beneath the display.

The ASS’Y STAND-BASE (19”/20”) sticker on the bag containing the base might give you pause at first. Once you screw the base onto the stand, you’ll realize that the display’s 226BW's two extra inches doesn’t present any stability problems—mostly due to the display's light weight (10.8 lbs). The base has a rotation ring with rubber pads that allows effortless rotation of the display, while preventing it from sliding around on even the slickest surfaces. The glossy finish around the edge of the base matches the bezel, while the center matches the rest of the display. While the SyncMaster 226BW’s stand allows you to rotate and tilt the display, you cannot adjust its height or swivel the display panel into “portrait” mode for viewing page-length documents.

The back of the 226BW has the usual textured, dark gray finish with a SAMSUNG logo and industry-standard 100mm x 100mm wall bracket mounting holes. There's also a Kensington slot next to the lower left bracket hole for the security-minded. Pulling off the lower rear panel which maintains the display’s sleek, clean appearance from the back with all the cables and cords installed, reveals the socket for the power cord, the 15-pin D-sub (VGA) and DVI connectors. You can also access the three screws that attach the display panel to the stand, if you need to remove it. There are no USB hub/ports, built-in speakers or card reader on the SyncMaster 226BW. Nor will you find any Composite video connections. So if you want to hook your Xbox 360 up to it, you’ll need to buy an Xbox VGA cable.

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Copyright © 2003-2008 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.