Samsung SyncMaster T27A950 – comes with a lot of features but pricey too

Samsung SyncMaster T27A950 is a 27 inches computer monitor and it simply unique and gorgeous. The stand of this unit is different from others; it is a flat stand which spans the entire length of this panel. Panel is 24.5 inches in width, 7.3 inches in depth, and 20.3 inches in width. Display is attached to right side of footstand and distance from screen’s bottom to desktop is about 3.6 inches. The bezel is razor thin and it is 0.4 inch in width on sides. This makes the bezel the thinnest ever we have seen on a computer monitor. The panel is quite thin at just 0.25 inch and this also makes it a very thin panel.

Samsung SyncMaster T27A950 tilts back by 20 degrees and there isn’t any ergonomic option other than that. Look of this display is all metallic chrome on the panel’s back and it accentuates the smooth finish of the monitor. There aren’t any connections, ports or screw holes for VESA and hence the aesthetics aren’t ruined at all.

Base stand of the Samsung SyncMaster T27A950 has all the connections and port. On the back, there are 2 USB ports, audio optical port, and connection for include component/composite dongle. All are back facing and quite easy to access. I was disappointed to see that this monitor doesn’t have any DVI ports included but the manufacturer has attempted to make up for this by giving two ports of HDMI. You can switch the each of the HDMI port to graphics optimization or video through OSD or on screen display.

Samsung SyncMaster T27A950 has a quite comprehensive remote and through this, the access to OSD functions is much easier as compared to actual array of OSD. Apart from the inclusion of the Smart Hub, OSD here comes with a lot of features that the Samsung HDTV users are used to. Backlight control, contrast, sharpness, and brightness controls can be accessed through the picture options. There is access to the RGB gain and the offset settings along with other picture settings. The sound options run from the settings of equalization to the auto volume to the 3D sound for speakers that are built in. The design here is quite unique and I guess a lot of other manufacturers will start following it.

Smart Hub gives access to streaming video, apps, and games and you get Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, Netflix, etc. Video can also be streamed through AllShare enabled device like Samsung smartphones directly to T27A950D. There is the Ethernet port on the monitor along with CPU built in for this. Connection to any wireless router is done through USB Samsung wireless adapter but there isn’t any Wi-Fi included.

Smart Hub here is quite similar to the one which Samsung has put in their HDTVs. I reviewed SmartHub some time ago and found that it was quite easy to navigate. Apps were getting downloaded pretty quickly and I didn’t have any problems in installation either. But I couldn’t get Netflix to work here.