Product Description

The 2343BWX large 23-inch widescreen display will easily become the centerpiece of your desk. Looks aside, it’s equipped to deliver top-notch performance with a fast 5ms response time, 2048 x 1152 high resolution and 20000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #221 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Samsung
• Model: 2343BWX
• Dimensions: 5.50" h x 15.60" w x 24.50" l, 15.10 pounds

Features

• 2343BWX DVI VGA BLK 5MS TLT

Customer Reviews

A few minor drawbacks, but an excellent value overall and very high resolution
This has been one of the best LCD monitors I've owned. The incredibly high 2048 x 1152 resolution gives you a huge amount of screen real estate at a true 16:9 aspect ratio. It's possible to view two web pages simultaneously without having them overlap. The image quality is sharp and bright. The industrial design is clean, unembellished and professional looking.

The main drawbacks are the power LED indicator, pivot/stand and limited ports. In idle/sleep mode the bright blue flashing power LED can get irritating -- I'm tempted to put some black duct tape over it since it can light up a dark room when the computer is off. Though you can pivot the display stand, you can't raise it. There are only two ports (DVI and VGA), no HDMI or built-in USB hub. Video at such a high resolution can lose frames if your graphics card isn't fast enough. Finally, the configuration buttons on the front of the monitor (for adjusting brightness, input, etc.) aren't really buttons, but flat, touch-sensitive areas. While this makes the monitor look sleek, there's no tactile feedback, so it's hard to figure out what you're pressing if you don't look at the icon first.

Despite the drawbacks, for the cost of this display and its quality it's a superb deal. Most 24" displays have lower resolutions and the quality ones cost much more. Considering the reputable Samsung brand and the features, you really get a great deal with this display.

So Far So Good
I have had this monitor for 5 weeks and it has performed well. I have the monitor attached to 2 computers - 1 via DVI and 1 via VGA. You can easily toggle between the 2 computers with the source button on the monitor. Pictures and video look great. The native resolution of the monitor is unique, but neither computer has had an issue with it. This screen is wider than most wide screen monitors and that extra real estate comes in handy when looking at 2 things side-by-side. I thought is would take a while to get used to the true 16:9 aspect ratio of this monitor, but it did not. The price for this monitor is less than some 22" monitors and considerably less than 24". Overall I believe this monitor is a good value.

Needs Height Adjustment
The Samsung 2343BWX has a 23-inch TN panel, and has the main weakness of TN: degradation when viewed off-center. You need to set this up such that your eyes are aimed directly at the middle of the screeen in your primary viewing position, or you will be disappointed. Viewing by multiple people will mean viewing off-center. You start to see the degradation just moving from one side of the screen to the other. It's worse from top to bottom.

The viewable area of the screen is only 11.3 inches high, and the monitor sits low on the desk. The stand rotates nicely, not too important for a one-person display. It tilts, but not enough to get the panel perpendicular to my eyes. (That would probably turn it into a dust-catcher, anyhow.) What this unit needs most is what it lacks: a height adjustment. People use books or reams of paper to address this, but then the keyboard won't slide back over the base. To address this issue, I looked at Ergotron LX Desk Mount Arm - mounting kit ( 45-179-195 ) and Ergotron 45-174-300 Neo-Flex LCD Arm-Extension Grommet Desk Mount, but why should I have to pay for that? Up in the attic, I found an old monitor stand with keyboard drawer I had for an old CRT - I'm now using that without the drawer. [Yes, there is a reason I keep all that old junk!]

Since I don't play action games, I also looked at S-PVA screens - Dell 2408WFP UltraSharp 24-inch Widescreen + High Definition Flat Panel Monitor seems best, cheaper from Dell direct - and IPS screens HP LP2475W 24in LCD Monitor 1920X1200 or Apple LED Cinema Display 24-Inch MB382LL/A seems best. Ominously, Amazon has withdrawn the HP from sales, only offering it through a partner, due to inventory, shipping, or description problems [my guess, users noted color shift problems, and started returning them]. The Apple costs almost $900.

Associates have the Dell at work, and it's fine, but not spectacular. I have used a single Dell 2001FP at work for years (with 8 Linux desktops, one dedicated to my Windows VM). My wife has a 2007FP at home for photo work - these 4:3 20-inch displays may be better quality than the 2408WFP.

The 2343BWX replaced a 1280x1024 Princeton from Costco that cost me $600 a number of years ago. I paid a premium at Costco for the new one, because of their 90-day return policy on electronics. I have had this unit 2.5 months. The Dell would definitely be better, but it would cost me about $200 more. I've pretty much talked myself into keeping the 2343BWX, which I rate at 3.5 stars.

The 2048x1152 16:9 aspect ratio on the 2343BWX is better for my use, which is working with many Windows XP windows open at a time. For side-by-side viewing, the extra width is more important than height. The total number of pixels is also slightly higher than a 1920x1200 16:10 resolution (e.g. the Dell and HP units above).

Quite a number of 1920x1080 16:9 units are out there - I cannot see any reason to buy one of them instead of the Samsung 2343BWX.