Samsung SyncMaster XL2370

Like with recent televisions, LED backlighting is beginning to make progress in the world of computer monitors, bringing with it a whole host of advantages.  It allows for an extremely thin monitor (just 19 mm thick), and also means the XL2370 gains Energy Star certification, which, according to Samsung, is because of the 33% reduction in energy use this monitor benefits from. 

Above all, it's the contrast ratio of 5 000 000:1 (yes, five million to one) that's garnered the most attention.  One last point on its looks: this is the latest monitor to go for touchscreen controls that are more discreet and elegant than their physical predecessors.

Although it has the same design as the P2370, the XL2370 comes off better in terms of inputs and outputs: not only does it include the trio of VGA, DVI and HDMI, it also as an optical audio out and a headphone jack.  Unfortunately though, the stand remains fixed, which is a shame, as we would have preferred one like that found on the F2380. 

Edge LED Technology
There are several different ways of using LEDs for backlighting.  On this monitor, and Samsung's B7000 series of TVs, the technology in question is Edge LED.  As the name suggests, rather than spreading the LEDs out behind the screen, they are placed in strips along the edge, as you can see in the picture above.  The light produced is then reflected across the whole area of the screen.

Colours

Default Colours

Ideal Colours

So far, the P2370 is the only monitor to have scored the maximum of five stars for the accuracy of its colours using its default settings; or, to put it another way, it sets a very high standard for this new LED version to beat.  Unfortunately, Samsung hasn't managed to repeat the success.  By default, the XL2370 suffers from a minor blue dominance, which produced a colour temperature that was too high in our tests.  Another problem was that the brightness of different shades of grey, or gamma, wasn't right, as you can see in the test card above.

Using the menu though, it's easy to correct for the gamma problem.  All you have to do is change gamma from 'Mode 1' to 'Mode 2', and the display quality improves immediately, although it's still not perfect.  Still, the delta falls from 3.1 to 2.4 when you make this change.  That might not quite be good enough for professional use, but for retouching family photos, it'll be perfect.

Gaming

Coloured    Transparent
Average ghosting over ten frames

There's no doubt about it: this is a good 2 ms screen, with, as an added bonus, not the slightest hint of reverse ghosting.  Gaming on this monitor will be a piece of cake, and office use and surfing the net won't prove a problem either.

But there's even more good news for gamers.  As well as being very responsive, this monitor has almost no input lag whatsoever.  With less than a single frame behind on average, you certainly won't be able to notice it with your eyes.

Films

Whether it's LED or not, nothing has changed in this department.  The high contrast ratio prevents too much blurriness, but upscaling is still a weak spot for monitors.  Choosing a quality video source remains the best way of enjoying movies on your monitor.