SAMSUNG XL20: True Colors

LCD monitors have almost become a commodity. In times when response time and viewing angle start to level out near the physical maximum, those who have been critical of the color reporduction found in LCD screens have finally been heard too. Mostly with the advent of LED backlighting it's now a talking point to discuss the monitor's ability to reproduce thos 16 million shades of color. Suddenly it's clear that traditional LCD monitors are often limited to reproducing roughly 75% of the color spectrum it's being fed with. The main culprit is the back lighting which spectrum is incomplete and therefore makes less shades of color possible. Photographers and graphics artists therefore boasted for a long time that there is no match for a good CRT -- and mostly rightly so --- until now.

IN A NUTSHELL

With the professional background in mind, it comes as a surprise that Samsung's support of Vista and especially Vista x64 is rather limited. Generally that's not a big problem if it wasn't for the included Color Management System to refuse to work with a majority of current video cards (at least under Vista x64). Support is marginal at best and very difficult to find. The time between software updates appears very long and at this point there is no hope that it will change anything for the XL20.

With these sour grapes out of the way, the ability of this monitor to display fine color transitions and resolve dark areas better than any monitor I've seen before, the investment was still a good one. Granted, this goes back to the recent sales price of $599, but it's worth at least that for everybody wanting to see "true" colors.

DETAILS

Setup: [***--] There are no major surprises when connecting the monitor as it's fairly standard procedure to have a DVI cable and a power cable to be the only things to be connected. The included disk holds the monitor driver which is not much more than to correctly communicate the available settings to the video driver and of course name the monitor (i.e. SyncMaster). Beyond this point there are a few hurdles presented by the limited compatibility of the included software which proved so far impossible to overcome on my system (Vista x64, Radeon HD4870). Unfortunately there is no effective technical support available to get the most out of this purchase.

MagicTune: [*----] Despite a 64bit version being available for download, the software does not support the XL20 and therfore cannot be used to control monitor parameters right from the desktop. In Samsung's defense, this software wasn't included, but it's needed to use the AutoRotation feature which is technically supported by the XL20 but only in theory as the needed software is not. The reason appears to be the relatively outdated list of supported graphics adapters in the software and MagicTune rejects any model that's either older or newer. Yoy're not given an opportunity to try a "generic" profile, and the software completely refused to provide any functionality. (The help link in the error message is outdated too.)

MagicRotate: [***--] Included in the XL20 software is this tool to rotate the screen and as mentioned above it currently does not support automatic rotation since MagicTune is needed to perform that task for you. With that functionality unavailable, MagicRotate becomes somewhat obsolete since most graphics drivers (at least ATI and nVidia) provide this feature already for years and allow manual rotation of the screen from Landscape to Portrait. So in essence it does what it's supposed to by itself but doesn't provide any Magic relative to what's already in the graphics driver.

Natural Color Expert: [*----] The biggest disappointment regarding provided software is the included Natural Color Expert (NCE). The disk supports Windows XP only and a Vista version can be downloaded online. (No specific Vista x64 version is currently available.) Regardless, my configuration is NOT supported either, and it again seems to be due to an outdated list of supported graphics cards which weren't even the latests models when the monitor was first released about a year ago. So the main argument for purchasing this monitor (to get more accurate colors) is currently unavailable for video cards currently sold in stores. It's actually quite surprising that Samsung even imposed that restriction as it technically does not use any of the specific hardware, and the color rendition and needed correction profile are to a large degree only between the monitor itself and Windows' color management (ICC profile).

Connectivity: [***--] There are two DVI inputs available with one being a pure digital DVI-D and the other being a digital and analog DVI-I input. The latter is needed in conjunction with the included VGA-DVI cable to connect this monitor to a CRT or even an analog LCD monitor (typically low end models). Both connectors are located behind the panel pointing down. The USB hub was a surprise in the sense that it only sports two outputs. Further, the location on the side is convenient for temporary devices like FlashDrive or Dongles, but a bit of an eyesore for permantently connected peripherals (i.e. video camera). At least the connector to the computer could have been located near the DVI connectors for a cleaner routing.

Compatibility: [**---] A bit unexpected for a monitor, but it turns out that Samsung's compatibility list is to be taken literal and not just a suggestion. While it's true that in essence it's a monitor and it works just like any other, the purpose of the XL20 as a tool for graphics professionals demanding accurate color is greatly hindered by the restrictive hardware check in the software basically rejecting any model not listed. In other words, be aware that if your graphics card is not listed, the included software will most likely refuse to start. Further, Vista 64 bit users are plain out of luck with any hardware configuration. -> [see end of review for updates]

Picture: [****-] The most important part of a monitor is of course the picture and that's where the XL20 justifies its existence. Based on a large gamut LED back lighting unit, the ability to display a more complete spectrum of colors isn't evident until the proper profile has been chosen. Right not I can on access the predefined profiles since NCE isn't working, and therefor I cannot judge on accuracy nor do I believe it's on the spot right now. Black level was a bit disappointing and while managed in the darker sRGB only. Switching to AdobeRGB or the Calibration mode increases the backlighting and slightly looses Black levels too (dark Grey). This is mostly relevant for dark pictures / videos. On the positive side, the dark detail is greatly enhanced and doesn't appear to band like normal LCDs would in dark portions.

Video: [****-] At 8 ms refresh time (Grey-Grey) the monitor is plenty fast for video and gaming. There were some reports where testers still believed to have seen blur effects which I wasn't able to reproduce, but I have not done much gaming and my main application (Photos) is certainly not affected either. Regardless, a few videos later I am convinced that if there is something to complain about the refresh time, it's not significant for my use.

Usability: [***--] The onscreen menu follows basic Samsung structures and offers all basic adjustments with virtually no surprises. It doesn't include the MagicBright and MagicColor options, as the professional focus of the XL20 on color accuracy could actually be negatively affected. Given that most software doesn't work with my system, some functionality may actually be hidden. In the end, the XL20 is a monitor and acts like one. Virtually no learning curve is required for basic use.

Value: [****-] It's hard to ignore the fact that even with the great deal it's about twice the price of a standard 20" monitor in 2008. However, those models won't come even close in neither color gamut nor accuracy as the XL20 does. So it's not for those just needing a 20" monitor, but for those professionals and enthusiasts wanting to rid themselves of the clunky CRT screen and gain a sharp monitor with the ability to render professional color quality. This hasn't been an option until recently. On the other hand Samsung's own SyncMaster 245T offers 24 inch screen with a color gamut of 93% for the same price as the XL20 with the rebate etc..

© 2008, theuerkorn

[Update, Jan. 2009] - Finally a universal version of NCE is available as v2.0 and the compatibility issues for the color calibration have been resolved. With NCE now working, a major problem has been eliminated, though it's still not working for MagicTune and MagicRotate. Either way, I increased the rating to 4 stars in light of the NCE improvements.