Samsung 2232BW vs. LG's L227WTG-PF and W2252TQ-TF?

Among those of us looking at good 22-inch (admittedly, all TN) LCD monitors lately, the Samsung 2232BW has been high on many a list. But how, in your opinion and experience, does it stack up (particularly with regard to image quality--color, sharpness, depth, detail, and clarity) compared with two of LG's newest entries, the L227WTG-PF and the W2252TQ-TF?

What about their respective strengths and weaknesses overall, including reliability? Which one(s) would you recommend for (1) movies and video, (2) viewing and working with photographs, (3) gaming, and (4) overall Internet surfing?

In terms of gaming, both LG monitors offer a 4:3 "reverse letterboxing" setting, a wonderful option for those of us who enjoy older games and prefer them unstretched.

Except for their digital contrast ratios, admittedly a debatable measure, the three monitors' overall specifications are substantially identical. The Samsung and the LG W2252TQ-TF have matte (non-glossy) screens, while the L227WTG-PF is glossy (albeit not quite as glossy as HP's, Gateway's, or the old Sony LCDs).

It seems to me that while the Samsung's color saturation is very good, both LG monitors seem brighter and are in many cases better in terms of sharpness, depth, and clarity. In particular, among images seen on Best Buy's standard in-store monitor demonstration images, foreground objects all but pop out at the viewer on the LG L227WTG-PF. Both LGs also seem to render subtle details better, with about 70 percent of the image elements I compared in depth, most notably the folds on the water-skiier's red trunks, the river and sagebrush along it in the desert scene, and the details on the large thistle. With about 30 percent of the images compared, the Samsung seemed to have an edge in detail, especially with such images as the lighter-colored flamingo's feathers and the subtle details in the large wave behind the water-skiier. The Samsung seem to show reds better; both LGs seem to show blues and greens better. I am basing this on side-by-side in-store comparisons at several Best Buy stores in my area. How much of this might be due to the LGs' 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio compared with the Samsung's 3,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio? What about other factors?

One Best Buy sales manager who said he was knowledgeable about monitors told me that he considered the Samsung better overall than either LG monitor, stating that the Samsung had a superior image engine.

All three appear to be excellent choices. But how would you rank them? And if you could choose only one of these three, which one would it be and why? And among those you select as second and third choices, how might one best tinker with their settings to at least approach the quality of your first choice?

Thanks for all your time, thought, and help on this. My old monitor, a 17" Sony Trinitron Multiscan 200GS, has been wonderful since the day I bought it, back in 1998, but has started to show its age. I hope my next monitor choice will prove just as strong.

goldengruntz

HP 763n, Pentium 4 (2.53 GHz), 80-GB hard drive, 512 MB RAM, nVidia GEForce4 MX420 graphics card (64-MB)--planning to beef up RAM to 2 GB and video card to higher level later this year (I much prefer Windows XP Home Edition, Service Pack 2, to Vista!)

Peripherals also include 2.1 Altec Lansing speakers, Epson printer, and HP flatbed scanner

Hi,
This is kind of late for a reply, but just thought I would chime in on the LG W2252TQ-TF. I picked one up last week for a new system I am building. The monitor is great as far as size, weight, brightness, contrast, so far seems to have some good features like the 4:3 option (which I am using on my old laptop till I get the new system built). Why did I buy it? It was a decent brand, fast response time and good contrast ratio...plus I found it at best buy for $260...I had to give it a shot for that price.

My only warning would be this (and I had read this is a problem before I bought it so I was kind of expecting it) ... but I bought the first 1 and it had 2 dead pixels right in the center of the screen...took it back and exchanged it with no problems at all...second try also had 1 dead pixel right in the center of the screen...so I decided to go to a different store to see if I would get lucky, 3rd monitor was perfect...so I am very happy with the purchase now.

Basically I would not mail order this monitor since you may have to return it a couple of times...but it does have a great picture so far.

Thats alot of dough for a 22" i don't know that id call that general consumer. Seeing as how you can easily pick up 24inch models for that price and not even all bad panels id definately say pro consumer. I love the idea of the 1920x1200 22 inch that lenovo did as i dislike 24inch since i find it to large but the price has to be right.

I own the LG W2252TQ-TF monitor and it is fantastic! I made all the comparisons prior to purchase and this one provided the best overall value The on-screen display options allow for more than just the usual adjustments to brightness, contrast, location, refresh rate, etc~ it also allows you to switch between widescreen and 4-3 formats when playing games. The picture quality is impressively crisp while the colors are simply outstanding.

I compared the displays (Samsung 2232BW) in store before purchase and the LG was superior to my eye for both sharpness of image and color.

This monitor was an upgrade over my old 19" viewsonic and I was blown away by the difference.

Purchased as Best Buy, on sale for $239.00