24 inches: The Dell 2407WFP vs. the Samsung 244T (page 7: Films and viewing angles)

Films

We now have to separate results into two different categories. Either you have a recent ATI card with updated drivers and standard options, or you don´t (not recent, no update, NVIDIA…). Indeed, the Canadian manufacturer has recently introduced an anti-noise function for MPEG2 movies that is activated with standard options. It is impressive and very efficient for monitors with PVA panels like these two, which are subject to a strong twinkling effect. However, this isn´t perfect yet. Its activation has, from my point of view (a guy that isn´t specialised at all in graphic cards) more negative consequences than positive. To begin with, anti-noise, doesn´t perfectly smooth out parasite pixels. It freezes them and we see them on monitor. Usually, they move all around and here they are still. They aren´t perfectly fixed, like some noise, they shake a little and this is the reason why you see them. There is however some smothering and color approximation work that is done, and sometimes it gets lucky and the image is much nicer. Sometimes it isn´t and the image is clearly worse. There are uniform color areas instead of shades of the same color and it causes a reduction of detail and sometimes small areas with very off colors.

I prefer deactivating this function…when I use an ATI graphic card. This isn´t however the case here as I have an NVIDIA 7800GT.

Rendering is standard and typical of PVA panels with wide viewing angles and reduced afterglow, but with strong twinkling. There are also overly strong colors when they aren´t adjusted; green for the dell and red for Samsung…

To benefit from SD and HD sequences, if possible step back at least two meters from the monitor.

Finally, if you are planning on connecting a DVD player or a satellite decoder, use the DVI input, even if you have to use a DVI/HDMI adaptor (if you have this output) or else the YUV.

Viewing angles

The two 24 inches
Viewing angles are very good, and up until 100° colors are almost as bight as for ISP monitors:

Beyond 100°, however, color intensity decreases faster. ISP monitors have (as written in their characteristics) almost total viewing angles, while PVA monitors do not. So, it isn´t logical to us that both technologies have equivalent viewing angles on paper, 178°. We already said that many times, this is due to the "norms" that are used by manufacturers and aren´t representative of real results. Figures for 5:1 or even 10:1 don´t really even have a point.