Samsung SyncMaster B2330HD

Hey, guys, this is Eric Franklin from CNET.com and today we're taking a first look at the Samsung SyncMaster B2330HD. The B23 has an oval-shaped foot stand and when knocked from the side, the display wobbles quite a bit, but we never felt it was in danger of toppling except when we knocked it from the back. The back of the display has a wide deep groove across the top that acts as a ventilation area but also doubles as convenient carrying space. The connection options face outward making them easy to access. The B23 also includes a Samsung TV-like remote and it's the preferred way of navigating the OSD. Picture options include typical controls like brightness, contrast, and sharpness, and some custom presets. Also, there's a color temperature option and an option to adjust the red, blue, and green values individually. In movies, the B23 displayed dark detail just as well as the PX2370. What stood out most was the apparent green push noticeable in character faces, making them appear sickly compared to the healthy looking faces on the PX2370. However, we were able to make some color adjustment in the settings that improved things greatly. We found games to deliver vibrant imagery with no hint of the green color tint problem, at least after calibration. In power consumption, the B23 would cost a whopping $16.13 per year to run compared to the Samsung PX2370's much lower $7.65 per year. The B23 is a $260 23-inch monitor with more connection options than most monitors over $300. If connection options are important to you, that fact alone is a big deal. Unfortunately, there's no DVI port so you'll need to invest in an additional cord if you want to make a digital connection. If you're looking for an HDTV/monitor combo, we recommend the more expensive Samsung FX2490HD thanks to its better performance. However, if price is a concern, the B23 is a great second choice. Once again, this is Eric Franklin and this had been the first look at the Samsung SyncMaster B2300HD.