32" HDTV & PC Monitor -- Sony KDL-32XBR6 vs. Samsung LN32A550 or something else?

Hello, I was in a similar situation close to a month ago,

I was comparing the same TV's

I went with the 32xbr6 because I felt it had a better picture than the sammy in stores, yes i changed both of them to closer to calibrated settings I did not compare in vivid mode.

the other reason was because the sony has some more features the samsung did not have like the TV Guide, an extra HDMI input and basic 3:2 reverse pulldown features even though I now never use "cinemotion" because i have decided that I like the way the PS3 handles the conversion more than letting the tv do it with a 24p signal

another personal reason was the remote control, I don't like samsungs glossy remotes they have too many buttons and they all feel the same so it makes it hard to learn to use without looking, the sony remote is uncluttered and very easy to learn without looking at it all the time

as for text clarity on it. When connected via HDMI (i use a DVI to HDMI cable)
with the sony set at photo mode text is just as good as on a real PC LCD monitor and colors and contrast is far better than most PC LCD's

connected via VGA it is good, in fact i had a hard time deciding if i wanted to stay on VGA or use HDMI. HDMI is sharper and clearer in photo mode, in video mode though its not as sharp as VGA, I have settled on using HDMI in photo mode unless i'm playing a game or watching movies then i go in and switch to video mode because it cleans up the picture a bit and makes it look better and i can also then turn on game mode to reduce the input lag slightly and semi defeat the auto dim that does happen on all sonys if the movie/game is very dark at times

so on that note i will say the 2 issues I have with my 32xbr6

Keep in mind I love the TV even with these issues and they are not major enough for me to return it and go with something else. every tv's gonna have a few issues

#1 auto dim, regardless of what settings, firmware etc. you have set on the tv if its given a very dark image to display it will automatically dim the backlight, why? the reason most people think sony is doing this is to reduce the backlight clouding and flash lighting that can occur on any LCD TV, now mine does not have any of these even without the auto dim on as long as my backlight isnt set super high, and with use as a monitor you wont want to set it high, still none the less the only way to disable it that i have found is use the VGA input, its disabled on this input. on all other inputs I found I can reduce its effects by setting game mode to on in video mode and its no longer a big issue with dark movies and games

#2 the display has a slight issue with black to white transitions
I can only make this happen in windows, this issue does not effect games, TV , movies that i have seen in the past 3+ weeks of use

in windows if i have a bright general image on the screen white shows it the most, and i say have another window or something on screen that is black or very dark and it sits in one spot of a few seconds at least, then i move it the pixels do not blur, but they leave a very slight grey color of the dark image that was there before for a split second, then it looks normal. its clearly a pixel response issue with going from black to white but oddly enough does not visibly effect fast moving objects or fluid video where the picture is changing alot, even in windows if i move the black object around quickly the pixels become very responsive and it goes away, it only happens if a black object is left on a bright/white area for a couple seconds or more and then moved away quickly, its somewhat hard to notice. i didnt see it for the first couple days i had the TV


as far as input lag goes the samsung a550 and 32xbr6 have both been tested (the 32xbr6 was tested by me vs a CRT display) and have roughly 32-45 ms of input lag, allthough there are a few faster LCD TV's out in the 32" size panasonic lz85 and samsung a650 (if you can find one in 32" size very rare even before they were discontinued) are faster than this and they have around 15-30 ms lag

the sony exhibits less input lag than most LCD's with non-native resolutions and mainly SD video inputs, the lag jumps up only about 10 or so ms

game mode seems to reduce input lag by about 10ms and VGA input is pretty consistent at around 25-35 ms lag and from my tests is the fastest input on the TV

I play FPS games on mine in photo mode without game mode on (its disabled in photo mode) and have no issues with the slight lag but some people are more sensitive than others so you will really need to try it to find out if its a problem for you

good luck with the decision and both TV's are great TV's

not a problem, happy to help out

I've been the exact same research, glad to have found this thread. When talking to the sales guys at my local Video Only, they didn't seem to think the 120Hz (Samsung) or Full Motion (Panasonic) would be a relevant feature for PC use. The thinking was that it only applied to ATSC or QAM signals - I'm assuming because it's related to the decoding of the video signal rather than playing a "raw" signal that has already been decoded and sent over HDMI. Can anyone comment on if this 120Hz feature is something I should consider when looking for a HDTV for use as a computer screen?

120hz and motion enhancers are really only made for films that are 24fps, they can have effects on broadcast TV but its not as usefull as on movies to reduce judder and make the motion in movies smoother some times unnaturally smooth for many people

Thanks for the reply frito. Also, I just stumbled across this unit from Samsung: T260HD

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Touch-...1387366&sr=1-6

It's a 26" LCD panel intended as a monitor and television. As such it has DVI input in addition to just HDMI, which can be convenient for many of us. It also has a 16:10 aspect ration with a resolution of 1920x1200. The added vertical resolution can be really nice for a computer. While smaller than the 32" models, at $370 it's also about half the price! I think I just found the knee of the curve. Thanks the input folks.

I'm currently wondering whether I should get a 32" tv or a 24" Apple Cinema Display. This would be hooked up to my Macbook and they should be roughly the same price after a few discounts. I don't care for the OTA tuner. It would be used mainly for heavy text work, blu-ray movies, and games.

Also, are there any 32" televisions that can do 24p natively? As far as 120hz, I despise it. I personally think it ruins movies.

Let's compare the 24" Apple Display to the aforementioned Samsung T260HD:

APPLE LED 24" CINEMA DISPLAY

Size: 24" (-)

Resolution: 1920x1200 (=)

Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (=)

Brightness: 330cd/m2 (+)

Viewing angle: 178 horizontal, 178 vertical (++)

Response: ?ms (?)

Price: $900 (---)

Samsung T260HD

Size: 25.5" (+)

Resolution: 1920x1200 (=)

Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (=)

Brightness: 300cd/m2 (-)

Viewing angle: 170 horizontal, 150 vertical (--)

Response: 5ms (?)

Price: $370 (TigerDirect) (+++)

Obviously there are other considerations like inputs, color accuracy, etc. The Samsung generally gets excellent reviews. I suspect the Apple would beat it out on color, just my impression. However, dollar for dollar I think the Samsung is a far better deal. You'd have to be ok with a different kind of pretty though ;-)

I have the 32xbr6 as a PC monitor. I have had it since Feb. I play World of Warcraft on it 3 nights a week for 4-5 hrs.

Let me be clear. There is no difference in using this thru vga connection as using a so called PC monitor.

1920 res IMO ius perfect for a 32 inch monitor. I actaully am getting tired of the rediculously high res on small monitors that so called PC monitors are using.

They cause 2 problems for gamers. One the text is getting to tiny on desktops and 2 the video card power need is rediculous.

Anyhow the monitor is an AWESOME PC monitor.

As someone facing many of the same issues, I thought I'd chime in...

The Samsung T260HD is almost certainly a TN LCD panel. As such it will suffer from less than ideal (some would say atrocious) viewing angles. The new Apple Cinema Display is an LG.Philips H-IPS panel and LED-backlit to boot. The picture quality and viewing angles will be far superior to a TN panel, and the colour accuracy will almost certainly be superior to the PVA panel in most 32-inch TVs (Panasonic, I believe, often uses IPS Alpha panels in their LCDs). If you are doing any colour-critical work, an IPS panel is strongly recommended.

A 32-inch telly with lower resolution than a 24-inch monitor will possess a greater dot pitch (ie bigger pixels). You may not want to work very close to the TV, and viewing text especially may be problematic. It generally takes a certain amount of fiddling to get a comfortable configuration for text on a TV (see appropriate threads on AVSForum). Some, like SerialMike, may prefer larger pixels, however.

Of course, as Prozak points out, the 24-inch monitor costs about as much as a 32-inch TV!

Note, as well, that the new Apple displays are glossy -- very glossy -- and do not offer the array of inputs that a TV would. In fact it offers only 'mini-DisplayPort'; you'll require adapters to make most computers work with it (unless you own a new-generation MacBook). These two factors rule out the Apple for me (and I'm a proud MacBook Pro owner!).

Prozak, what do you mean by 24p native? Cinema film is shot 24 times per second and projected in the cinema at, I believe, twice per frame. Let's call that '48 Hz' at 2x (or '2:2'). 120 Hz enables the possibility of showing each film frame five times (5:5), a perfect integer, and thus do away with 'judder' from 3:2 pulldown at 60 Hz. Almost all 120 Hz TVs also come with motion processing technologies (eg Sony MotionFlow) which interpolates (makes up) intermediate frames to smoothen apparent motion. I don't care for most current motion processing, but as with any technology, I suspect this will be much better in several years. I'd personally get a 120 Hz TV to correct judder but then switch off the motion processing.

(High-end plasma (eg Pioneer KURO) are able to display 72 Hz and display each frame of film 3x -- 3:3.)

I'm personally torn between spending $500 to $1200 for a good 24-inch H-IPS monitor (the HP LP2475w at the lower end, the NEC LCD2490WUXi at the upper end) and spending, say, $900 on a Sony 32XBR9. Prozak, have you considered the HP LP2475w? It has a wide array of inputs, including HDMI, component video, and DisplayPort, and is a very capable display.

Oh, I should mention that, for me, the deciding factor between a 24-inch IPS monitor and a 32-inch TV is not technical. It's a woman. If it were a purely personal decision for a display I'd use in my bedroom and as a computer monitor, I'd get the HP or (if no women were in my near future) the $1200 NEC!

I brought a laptop (Dell E6400)and a VGA cable into Best Buy this weekend... didn't have much time but I wanted to compare the new LG LH30 32 and 37 inch. I set the PC to 1920 x 1080 ....

I didn't have much time so I hooked up to the LG and was not impressed with the text at all. (I didn't mess with any settings..... text looked skinny and light.

I know one of the posters, KVM maybe, spent alot of time looking for a low input lag TV that could work as a PC monitor ... if memory serves me correct, he LOVES that TV as a monitor and it has low input lag. YOu might want to search the forums for that and see how he connected... maybe he was using DVI-HDMI ...don't remember

I hooked up my laptop to a Samsung A550 32" and thought it looked great. The screen size was off a little, but text was sharp and dark.

Has anyone seen LN32B530 yet? I'm tempted to put one on my credit card and test it as a monitor and for an input lag.... just can't do it right now though.

Hey winterpool, thanks for all the suggestions. I am aware of the difference between a Samsung TN panel and the Apple H-IPS panel. Obviously, the two are in completely different quality tiers. Let's not forget that the Apple uses an LED backlight system as well. Also, I have one of the new MBP's with the mini-display port so the integrated power adapter and USB hub is a definite plus along with the aesthetics of it all.

I have looked at the HP and I know I'm paying a lot more for the Apple one, but it goes quiet nicely with my laptop and the LED lighting is nice because I do plan to keep this monitor for a VERY long time. I kept my 19" monitor for almost 12 years and my next monitor should last just as long.

As for 120hz, it is my understanding that 120hz is what causes film to look unnatural (like a soap opera). Film is supposed to run at 24 frames per second and it is the intended look, so all of this crazy processing that makes things look like a soap opera just destroy the vision of film, IMO anyways. But if I understood you correctly, 120hz allows film to be displayed without the 3:2 pulldown, and the soap opera effect is part of a different motion process? If so 120hz would be worthwhile to me. One question though, I will be watching movies from my MBP, so will 120hz still work this way?

Going back to ACD vs. TV, which do you think would offer better picture quality for movies?

120 Hz is almost always bundled and marketed with motion processing / frame interpolation technologies (eg 'Motionflow 120 Hz'), and unfortunately many reviewers don't separate the two either. I've seen plenty of reviews which discuss the 'smoothening' effect and artefacts of 120 Hz, but a purely mechanical doubling of the refresh rate shouldn't make much difference to the perceived image. The dreaded 'soap opera effect' should probably be attributed to the motion processing, not the simple refresh rate.

However, for 120 Hz to correct for 3:2 pulldown through 5:5, you generally require a 24p input capability. This usually means a Blu-ray player that can output at 24 fps (rather than 60), and a telly that has such an input setting (almost all Sonys do). The TV would then be obtaining 24 fps video which it could evenly quintuple to 120 Hz (5:5).

I suspect the MacBook Pro can only output at 60 Hz over DVI / DisplayPort. So 3:2 pulldown would already be a factor before the video even got to the display. If your computer is going to be the primary input source, it may not be worth it to get a 120 Hz display. (Sony's 'CineMotion Reverse 3:2 Pulldown' may help correct this from a 60 Hz source, but I've never tested it properly.)

Frito has the 32XBR6 (60 Hz) and is very pleased with it overall. The Sony auto-dimming issue appears to have been fixed by a 28 April firmware update, but it's only available for current 2009 tellies (eg the 32XBR9).

I am not recommending the Apple Cinema Display to most punters owing to its limited inputs and its exceeding glossiness, but if neither is a problem for you, than I should probably choose that over a TV for 'computer work'. You may want to try working with someone's 32-inch telly to see if you can stomach the larger dot pitch.

I just picked up one of these last week. So far, I'm really happy with it.
There seems to be some input lag, but not enough to bother me.

How would I test the amount?