Wireless joys: Samsung CA750 monitor review
Not so long ago, Samsung Electronics introduced the CA750 and CA550 monitors on the Russian market , equipped with docking stations and capable of receiving images via a wireless interface - they even even talked about the first model on the company's blog .
Both models are presented in two versions - with a screen diagonal of 23 inches (C23A750X and C23A550U) and 27 inches (C27A750X and C27A550U), respectively. The device combines a low response time (2 ms), FullHD-resolution (1920x1080), high contrast (1,000,000: 1) and large (170 ° / 160 °) viewing angles. Today we will talk in more detail about the Samsung C23A750X , which I managed to get for the test.
The monitor is sold in a small box - it is quite light, despite the diagonal of the device inside. But it is not surprising - the weight of the monitor is a little more than 4 kilograms!
The package includes the monitor itself, power supply, HDMI-cable and a special wireless USB adapter for external devices. The instruction hints that initially the kit also included (or may be optional) USB 3.0 and D-Sub cables, a USB charging connector and a cloth for wiping the screen.
Immediately after the announcement of the product, a lot of renderings with images of new items appeared on the network - they could be found everywhere, even on the official website. In reality, the device looks a little different (for example, a different frame around the display), but in general, the percentage of similarity is very, very high. Here are some pictures for a clear comparison:
On the front panel there are several touch buttons, which, depending on the situation, are visible or not. The first three buttons are located at the bottom right - power (power), HUB (for hub settings) and the on-screen menu.
The remaining buttons (in the amount of five pieces) are slightly higher - four “arrows” for navigating the menu and one (central) - for confirming the choice of source.
On the left side of the “legs” of the device are four interfaces: two USB ports (3.0), one HDMI and one audio jack (minijack 3.5 mm).
On the right, there are only 2 USB ports (already version 2.0).
On the back there is a VGA connector, Ethernet and USB ports (“square") and a hole for power from the DC adapter.
-
Leg movable - allows you to increase the "clearance" of the monitor (from 3 to 10 centimeters) and the angle of inclination (from 90 degrees to ~ 50). To complete the picture, there is not enough ability to rotate the screen to the right and left, but what is not in this model is not.
I repeat that the monitor is unusually light - on the one hand, the extra weight would only add “solidity”, on the other hand, the available weight is not at the expense of stability. The case itself is assembled more than soundly, although the front plastic will be quite easy to scratch - make it a rule to always handle the equipment carefully.
In general, the monitor looks pretty nice: a practical matte screen, a thin frame, a multifunctional “leg” - such a device will harmoniously fit into any situation, whether it is an office desk or an IKEA bedside table in the living room.
It is worth connecting the power cable, as the status LED lights up on the top of the docking station - everything works, you only need to choose a video source.
There are several connection options (D-Sub / DVI-HDMI / HDMI), but I think everyone is interested in learning about the wireless capabilities of this device.
First of all, I took the supplied wireless adapter, inserted it into a free USB port of the laptop and started to “click” the buttons in anticipation of a miracle. I really wanted to see the image from the laptop on the monitor screen, but alas, the fakir was drunk, the focus failed.
It turned out that without special software can not do. “Nuuu has begun,” I thought, and set about searching for the necessary software. Of course, he was found on the Internet - Samsung Central Station distribution kit( current version ) takes about 70 megabytes. Download, install - the Wireless Connection Manager icon appears on the desktop .
The software is put on all kinds of netbooks, laptops, so that, as you might guess, the HUB Monitor hub function, perhaps the main feature of the monitor, is working in them. It lies in the fact that various devices can be connected directly to the monitor, bypassing the computer. Imagine, for example, that you have a “helpless” netbook, the number of connectors (yes the same USB) in which is very limited. We connect its small diagonal to the 23-inch MONITOR, then we connect, for example, a digital camera and, voila, we look at the contents of the camera on the monitor, controlling it from a netbook. That is, this function allows you to control simultaneously multiple connected devices from the laptop when they are not connected to the laptop itself. If necessary, plug-in USB devices will be charged - including then,
Exactly the same thing can be done with a netbook without resorting to using wires - just insert the wireless module into a free USB port and lay on the sofa (within a radius of a meter). We connect the speaker system to the monitor and watch a full-fledged movie on a rather large screen (all in my understanding, for TV sets for cinema, the diagonal should be more than 2 times).
Well, or insert the network cable into the Ethernet-connector of the monitor and have Internet on the connected computer. Well, or ... yes, a lot of things can still be connected here - well, is it convenient ?! Conveniently.
In general, everything worked only after dancing with a tambourine, albeit not for long - now the necessary signal source (wireless) is selected on the monitor and happiness becomes complete. If you wish, you can make this connection automatic so that the priority of the connected computer is higher than other signal sources.
The photo (albeit bad) shows that a movie is being played on the laptop, which is duplicated wirelessly to a monitor on the windowsill - pay attention to the absence of any connecting wires between the devices. Unfortunately, among other things, the photo captures the maximum distance at which the film was shown “wirelessly” without artifacts - jerks, delays and other troubles began. Ideally, in general, the receiver and transmitter should be at the same level (and look at each other kindly), but I have not recreated such conditions - maybe some additional centimeters are won there.
Speaking about image quality, many of the company's developments, which were described earlier, have gathered in this monitor. For example, Samsung Magic Angle, Magic Bright and Magic Color technologies - maybe someone no longer believes in the power of all these “magic cards”, but sometimes you click on the settings and you realize that you lost a lot before =) By the way, Magic Angle on In fact, it turned out to be a very useful technology - in comparison with many other monitors, it allows you to display comfortable regardless of where you are (relative to the screen - from the bottom, side, top, or somewhere else).
All settings are made through the on-screen menu, which, unfortunately, does not withstand any criticism - compared to what I tested recentlyis a step back. If my memory serves me, there are 14 languages available in the menu, but Russification is terrible and therefore English is used in the pictures in the article.
Nevertheless, it performs its function (changing brightness / contrast / sharpness / resolution / refresh rate, etc.) and here are a few settings screens:
Nice design of the device itself. In the spirit of modernity
Large matte display with a fairly high-quality image An
abundance of modern interfaces, an interesting concept of the hub itself
USB ports support, including charging devices.
It is an adequate price tag.
✘ Marked frame around the screen
✘ Some hemorrhages with pre-setting software
By a quite adequate price tag, I meant 15,000 rubles. If you wish, you can pay another 5 thousand and take a model with a diagonal of 27 inches. Here are the technical specifications of the models:
» Full technical specifications of the monitor
» Additional information: Rus | Eng
» Interactive presentation
» Gallery
In general, I expected more - that I would only open the box, only turn on the laptop, as soon as I OXY and OXAH. Unfortunately, Samsung did not provide such an expanse - I had to tinker with either the software or the monitor settings. But on the other hand, everything rests on the abnormal functionality of the Windows operating system, so it was naive to believe that everything would work without unnecessary gestures.
But in general, the monitor as such turned out to be very good - in terms of image quality it is better than many of those monitors that I have ever seen. And given its communicative capabilities and the availability of promising interfaces, the output is a very good device. There would be a higher resolution ...
ps: The review does not pretend to be complete and professional - it spoke only about its experience and impressions of the device.
Both models are presented in two versions - with a screen diagonal of 23 inches (C23A750X and C23A550U) and 27 inches (C27A750X and C27A550U), respectively. The device combines a low response time (2 ms), FullHD-resolution (1920x1080), high contrast (1,000,000: 1) and large (170 ° / 160 °) viewing angles. Today we will talk in more detail about the Samsung C23A750X , which I managed to get for the test.
The monitor is sold in a small box - it is quite light, despite the diagonal of the device inside. But it is not surprising - the weight of the monitor is a little more than 4 kilograms!
The package includes the monitor itself, power supply, HDMI-cable and a special wireless USB adapter for external devices. The instruction hints that initially the kit also included (or may be optional) USB 3.0 and D-Sub cables, a USB charging connector and a cloth for wiping the screen.
▌Exterior
Immediately after the announcement of the product, a lot of renderings with images of new items appeared on the network - they could be found everywhere, even on the official website. In reality, the device looks a little different (for example, a different frame around the display), but in general, the percentage of similarity is very, very high. Here are some pictures for a clear comparison:
On the front panel there are several touch buttons, which, depending on the situation, are visible or not. The first three buttons are located at the bottom right - power (power), HUB (for hub settings) and the on-screen menu.
The remaining buttons (in the amount of five pieces) are slightly higher - four “arrows” for navigating the menu and one (central) - for confirming the choice of source.
On the left side of the “legs” of the device are four interfaces: two USB ports (3.0), one HDMI and one audio jack (minijack 3.5 mm).
On the right, there are only 2 USB ports (already version 2.0).
On the back there is a VGA connector, Ethernet and USB ports (“square") and a hole for power from the DC adapter.
-
Leg movable - allows you to increase the "clearance" of the monitor (from 3 to 10 centimeters) and the angle of inclination (from 90 degrees to ~ 50). To complete the picture, there is not enough ability to rotate the screen to the right and left, but what is not in this model is not.
I repeat that the monitor is unusually light - on the one hand, the extra weight would only add “solidity”, on the other hand, the available weight is not at the expense of stability. The case itself is assembled more than soundly, although the front plastic will be quite easy to scratch - make it a rule to always handle the equipment carefully.
In general, the monitor looks pretty nice: a practical matte screen, a thin frame, a multifunctional “leg” - such a device will harmoniously fit into any situation, whether it is an office desk or an IKEA bedside table in the living room.
▌Inner World
It is worth connecting the power cable, as the status LED lights up on the top of the docking station - everything works, you only need to choose a video source.
There are several connection options (D-Sub / DVI-HDMI / HDMI), but I think everyone is interested in learning about the wireless capabilities of this device.
First of all, I took the supplied wireless adapter, inserted it into a free USB port of the laptop and started to “click” the buttons in anticipation of a miracle. I really wanted to see the image from the laptop on the monitor screen, but alas, the fakir was drunk, the focus failed. The software is put on all kinds of netbooks, laptops, so that, as you might guess, the HUB Monitor hub function, perhaps the main feature of the monitor, is working in them. It lies in the fact that various devices can be connected directly to the monitor, bypassing the computer. Imagine, for example, that you have a “helpless” netbook, the number of connectors (yes the same USB) in which is very limited. We connect its small diagonal to the 23-inch MONITOR, then we connect, for example, a digital camera and, voila, we look at the contents of the camera on the monitor, controlling it from a netbook. That is, this function allows you to control simultaneously multiple connected devices from the laptop when they are not connected to the laptop itself. If necessary, plug-in USB devices will be charged - including then,
Exactly the same thing can be done with a netbook without resorting to using wires - just insert the wireless module into a free USB port and lay on the sofa (within a radius of a meter). We connect the speaker system to the monitor and watch a full-fledged movie on a rather large screen (all in my understanding, for TV sets for cinema, the diagonal should be more than 2 times).
Well, or insert the network cable into the Ethernet-connector of the monitor and have Internet on the connected computer. Well, or ... yes, a lot of things can still be connected here - well, is it convenient ?! Conveniently.
In general, everything worked only after dancing with a tambourine, albeit not for long - now the necessary signal source (wireless) is selected on the monitor and happiness becomes complete. If you wish, you can make this connection automatic so that the priority of the connected computer is higher than other signal sources.
The photo (albeit bad) shows that a movie is being played on the laptop, which is duplicated wirelessly to a monitor on the windowsill - pay attention to the absence of any connecting wires between the devices. Unfortunately, among other things, the photo captures the maximum distance at which the film was shown “wirelessly” without artifacts - jerks, delays and other troubles began. Ideally, in general, the receiver and transmitter should be at the same level (and look at each other kindly), but I have not recreated such conditions - maybe some additional centimeters are won there.
Speaking about image quality, many of the company's developments, which were described earlier, have gathered in this monitor. For example, Samsung Magic Angle, Magic Bright and Magic Color technologies - maybe someone no longer believes in the power of all these “magic cards”, but sometimes you click on the settings and you realize that you lost a lot before =) By the way, Magic Angle on In fact, it turned out to be a very useful technology - in comparison with many other monitors, it allows you to display comfortable regardless of where you are (relative to the screen - from the bottom, side, top, or somewhere else).
All settings are made through the on-screen menu, which, unfortunately, does not withstand any criticism - compared to what I tested recentlyis a step back. If my memory serves me, there are 14 languages available in the menu, but Russification is terrible and therefore English is used in the pictures in the article.
Nevertheless, it performs its function (changing brightness / contrast / sharpness / resolution / refresh rate, etc.) and here are a few settings screens:
▌ Pros and Cons
Nice design of the device itself. In the spirit of modernity
Large matte display with a fairly high-quality image An
abundance of modern interfaces, an interesting concept of the hub itself
USB ports support, including charging devices.
It is an adequate price tag.
✘ Marked frame around the screen
✘ Some hemorrhages with pre-setting software
By a quite adequate price tag, I meant 15,000 rubles. If you wish, you can pay another 5 thousand and take a model with a diagonal of 27 inches. Here are the technical specifications of the models:
| Model | S23A750 | C27A750 | C23A550 | C27A550 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagonal | 23 ”(16: 9) | 27 ”(16: 9) | 23 ”(16: 9) | 27 ”(16: 9) |
| Permission | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Response time | 2 ms | 2 ms | 2 ms | 2 ms |
| Brightness | 300 cd / sq.m | 300 cd / sq.m | 250 cd / sq.m | 250 cd / sq.m |
| Viewing angles | 170 ° / 160 ° | 170 ° / 160 ° | 170 ° / 160 ° | 170 ° / 160 ° |
| Number of colors | 16.7M | 16.7M | 16.7M | 16.7M |
| Dimensions | 550x434x233 | 638x485x233 | 550x434x233 | 638x485x233 |
» Full technical specifications of the monitor
» Additional information: Rus | Eng
» Interactive presentation
» Gallery
▌ Conclusion
In general, I expected more - that I would only open the box, only turn on the laptop, as soon as I OXY and OXAH. Unfortunately, Samsung did not provide such an expanse - I had to tinker with either the software or the monitor settings. But on the other hand, everything rests on the abnormal functionality of the Windows operating system, so it was naive to believe that everything would work without unnecessary gestures.
But in general, the monitor as such turned out to be very good - in terms of image quality it is better than many of those monitors that I have ever seen. And given its communicative capabilities and the availability of promising interfaces, the output is a very good device. There would be a higher resolution ...
ps: The review does not pretend to be complete and professional - it spoke only about its experience and impressions of the device.