Samsung SyncMaster 243T

Samsung's 24-inch SyncMaster 243t has no desire to be a TV; it just wants to be a great monitor. It's one of the few wide screens we've tested that offers no component, composite, or S-Video inputs. When we initially tested the 243t (for our November 2004 issue), it earned an Editor's Pick for its superb image quality. When we retested the now-$1699 monitor under our revised protocols, our jury judged its text display and graphics the best of any of the 23-inch-and-up models tested. (We put the 243T up against 23-inch LCDs at the same 1920-by-1200-pixel native resolution; most testers did not notice the size difference.) The 243T made an especially strong showing on our test screens of a color scale and of fonts in different sizes.

Unlike most other wide screens, the 243T supports a full range of adjustments--including pivot-- enhancing its bona fides as an excellent business display. Its height adjustment feature is an awkward affair that requires you to push a button in the back of the base, but its tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments are smooth.

A slow, 25-millisecond response time makes the 243t ill-suited for video playback. When we watched a scene from our test movie on the display, we saw distracting motion artifacts. In what may be a bid to leave those artifacts behind, Samsung now offers the $1879 SyncMaster 242mp, a 24-inch model with a rated 16ms response time and with composite, S-Video, and component inputs; we haven't yet tested the 242mp, however.

Outstanding image quality and full adjustability options make the Samsung SyncMaster 243t an excellent pick for business applications.

Laura Blackwell