It doesn't seem like you named the input PC. To do this, hit "source" to bring up the source menu, go to HDMI2, hit the "tools" button on the remote, go to "Edit name" and select PC.
When you do this, it does some of what you've already done (sharpness to 0 and just scan), but it also fixes the color decoding (blurry reds seem to be a common problem on LCD TVs actually). I'd also suggest going into the detailed options in the picture settings and setting the color tone to warm2.
Finally, if it's still too bright, reduce the backlight. I have mine set around 3 or 4.
Hopefully this helps!
This weekend I took the plunge and purchased the Samsung 40? LN40A630 for use as a 1080p home PC monitor. It should be worth mentioning that this is my second TV-LCD, my first being a 37? 1080p Westinghouse that I?ve used (with fantastic results) for the last 2+ years ? which unfortunately suffered a smashed screen while moving into my new house. ):
So that said, I purchased the Samsung as a replacement ? and then spent the rest of the weekend extremely frustrated, trying to get it to work well with my PC. I?m hoping maybe someone else has ran into similar issues, or maybe even a godsend from Samsung will have a decent solution for me, preventing an unnecessary return.
For a little background ? I?m using this on a PC with a GeForce 8800 GTX. While my Westinghouse had a DVI port on it, the Samsung is HDMI ? therefore I purchased a 6? DVI to HDMI cable for the connection.
It's also worth nothing that I'm using HDMI Port 2, which the monitor's manual specifically states should be used for DVI->HDMI cables (telling me -someone- has done this before).
The initial problem was that the screen the PC was transmitting was placed about an inch outside the borders of the Samsung screen, all the way around. Meaning I just barely couldn?t see my Start-menu etc. The PC was definitely sending at 1920x1080 (at 60hz), and seemed to recognize that as the native resolution of the Samsung ? so all was theoretically well ? it should have matched up perfectly ? but just didn?t. Ultimately I semi-fixed this problem on the Samsung itself by setting the options to use ?Just Scan? rather than 16x9, but I get the sense that in the process of growing and shrinking I may have slightly lost my 1:1 pixel ratio in the process ? as everything still feels very ?off?, and lacks the crisp pixel edges that I?m used to. It almost feels like a very slight anti-aliasing is applied ? and while minor, it may end up being enough for me to return the screen, as it?s pretty jarring to my eyes.
The second problem was the fact that all text on the screen was surrounded by a white outline, roughly 3-5x the width of the text itself. It basically felt like a bad contrast issue, but again I found what ?felt? like a fix. By adjusting the sharpness on the Samsung to literally 0, that white outline effect went away entirely ? but I feel this may relate to the issue above. My text just doesn?t feel sharp ? everything is just a tad blurry.
The last issue, which may be related to any and all of these ? is a substantial color bleed that I?m seeing, primarily with reds. If I show any stark red color on the screen, it has a very visible black outline along the entire left side. Oddly enough this ends up looking like a shadow, giving red text unnecessary (and very strange) depth. On top of that, pretty much anywhere red is visible on the screen, it?s a bit blurred, and bleeding outside the lines. It?s very obvious in things as small as icons in my Firefox toolbar.
Lastly, just a point for anyone interesting in doing something along these lines ? this may sound ironic, but I?m concerned that the contrast on these screens may be so good that it?s actually detrimental as a PC screen. While I?m sure it looks fantastic in games (World of Warcraft looked almost 3D) and movies ? blank text on a white Word Document is pretty jarring. I?m very confident you can adjust settings around this ? but it?s much much more prominent on this screen than my Westinghouse, which is a few years back in tech. In addition, the brightness of these has improved so much over the last couple of years, but being used at a closer range (a few feet) it?s pretty much a requirement to limit that substantially anyway.
So all of that said, I?d really appreciate some feedback. I have a feeling that if properly configured I?d really enjoy this screen ? and it would suit my needs well. The physical aesthetics are gorgeous, and on paper ? the screen is a monster.
Thanks ahead,
Luke
luke@centercode.com

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic