SAMSUNG SyncMaster 961BW - why it's more expensive?

[magoood]

Hi
I was looking for to move on from my boring Samsung 17 inch CRT to a 19 inch wide screen LCD and after a lot of research, i settled on Samsung 906BW but by chance, i came across another model called SAMSUNG SyncMaster 961BW which is more expenisve even though i'm not sure what's new in this monitor 2 make it more expensive than the other. My Question is which model to go with ? and am i right with my decision of choosing a wide screen from Samsung or it's better to go with another brand ?
THX

P.S. My main interests are a 16.7 M colors and a response time less than 5 ms and screen is big enough (i.e. 19 or 20 inch) and of course an excellent reputation about this monitor from lots of users worldwide so that i can feel comfortable when buying it and price doesn't jump over 250 USD

 

[jaguarskx]

Don't know that much about the two monitors, but one reason why the 961BW is more expensive than the 906BW is the neck connecting the panel to the base. The 906BW has a simple neck that only allows you to tilt the monitor. The 961BW's neck allows you to adjust the height as well.

The 906BW has also been out for a while so that's another reason.

Both monitors use 6-bit TN panels that can only produce 262k of colors. Thru dithering, they can create the remaining 16 million colors. 6-bit TN panels are notorious for poor color accuracy, bad viewing angles, and image artifacts.

You will need to step up to an 8-bit panel if you want true 16.7m colors. These 8-bit panels (P-MVA, S-PVA, S-IPS) are more expensive and not as fast as 6-bit TN panels (i.e. higher response times), but they are superior in every other aspect.

The fastest 8-bit panel that I know of is 5ms, but that monitor ( 26" Planar PX2611) is about 4x more than what you want to spend. If you want a widescreen LCD monitor that can truly create 16.7m colors then you will need to step up to a 24" LCD monitor.

Unfortunately 6-bit TN panels have invaded the 24" club, so any monitor selling for less than $500 most likely uses the inferior TN panel such as the following:

KDS K-24MDWB Black 24"
Acer AL2416WBsd Silver 24"
SAMSUNG 245BW Black high glossy 24"

 

[magoood]

Thx but i am still confused a bit. Do u suggest me to go for a normal 4:3 19 inch monitor or what is the best i can get for a 250 USD?. Wished i can pay more but i am limited in budget coz all i need is a monitor that puts as less eye strain as possible + provides the clearest texts/images/videos for my budget
Thx again for yr kind replies

 

[jaguarskx]

At $250 or less, any monitor you buy will use a 6-bit TN panel. Now the question is where you want to by a widescreen monitor or not.

Many people will tell you that widescreen is the way to go because many games support that format and movies are also widescreen where they are 16:9 or 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The downside of widesceen monitors (that many people don't realize) is that they are shorter than a comparable non-widescreen monitor. Meaning the screen on a 19" standard LCD monitor will be taller than the screen on 19" widescreen LCD monitor.

The Samsung 206BW seems to be a good monitor and it has many positive reviews.

If you want to save some money, you could opt for the older Samsung 204BW which is selling for under $200 after a mail-in rebate. This has height and tilt adjustments. But is slightly slower at 6ms rather than 2ms response times. You should also know that there is no standard for measuring response times so always take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001087

The specs are a little different, but not by much. The Samsung 206BW lists "16.7 million colors" (that's BS) and the 204BW lists "16.2 million colors". The fact is both of these monitors uses 6-bit TN panels. Without getting into the technicals, that means these monitors can only produce 262k of colors. As I mentioned before, thru dithering the panels can create (not very accurately) the remaining 16 million colors.