Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung Dynaflat Syncmaster 955DF 19" CRT Monitor

When shopping for a new monitor, I resisted buying this Samsung because of my pre-conceived notions of the company: I remember when Samsung stood for flimsy electronics. No more. This 19 inch monitor has a sharp, flicker-free display that competes with the best - for an affordable price, too. The controls on the latest 955DF are no longer inside a flip open box on the console, but are in plain view. Some people might find the less-sleek look disappointing, but I appreciate the easy access. I also like how easy it is to swivel the screen from side to side to position it for better viewing.

My last monitor was a 17 inch Sony Triniton. One week after its warranty expired, the screen turned blue, proving that price does not buy you longevity. I was not about to drop a bundle again for a piece of equipment that might not last long. Side by side, the Samsung, even with its bigger screen size, is much crisper, with an even flatter, distortion free display. (Obviously, I can't compare color reproduction.) Plus, it doesn't have the characteristic Triniton line on the screen.

For Mac users like me, you can be assured that it is compatible, with no extra hardware needed to hook it up.

Since I just bought this monitor, I can't attest to its long-range performance, but I could not be happier with right now. I highly recommend it.

I finally got my new Samsung 955DF monitor from Amazon and hooked it up in less than 10 minutes. With its "plug and play" convenience, the monitor was up and running in no time. With the arrival of the new hotrod LCD panels, the stakes have been raised for CRT monitors, especially large sized models in the 19" category, so my expectations were high.

I must say, the Samsung surpasses all my expectations. This is a WONDERFUL monitor with bright, saturated colors. Image and contrast quality are SUPERB. Unlike some other 19" monitors, "blacks" appear solid and dark, not washed out. My one pet peeve for any monitor is when dark colors appear "washed out"; on the Samsung 955, that is not the case. Its image quality gives this monitor the look of a $1,000 bucks. Even small fonts appear legible and crisp.

Of course with its unbelievably low price, there are a few minor tradeoffs. As other buyers have alluded to (for some, it is a major issue), most noticeable is the somewhat visible geometric distortion for straight lines. Again, this would depend how "finicky" your eyes are. What this means is that a straight line going across your screen may "dip" in the middle of the screen. On mine the visual appearance is there if you look at the screen long and hard enough, but it does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the images. Of course for any budget-priced monitor, there is a tradeoff expected. But on the Samsung, they are few and quite tolerable for the fussy-minded consumer.

All in all, this Samsung 955 flat screen 19" is a GREAT buy, and yes, it meets and SURPASSES all my expectations what a 19" CRT monitor is and should be, and it does not break the bank. Its best virtues being a SHARP image and GORGEOUS colors with NICE contrasts. Text quality is top notch with even tiny fonts being very legible. For the student, homemaker, or web surfer, this monitor will satisfy your needs immensely and I consider myself a fussy consumer.

Unless you have the $$$ to plunck down $700-$800 for a 17" LCD flat panel, this Samsung monitor is the next best thing. For your money, this monitor would be $$$ well spent and makes a great investment. You may even find yourself reluctant to log off the screen----you see, the Samsung can become quite addicting!

Samsung seems to be telling consumers just because a product is budget-priced doesn't mean it has to look and work like one. Get the Samsung 955----you'll LOVE it!!

P.S.---Their customer service is also Excellent. I was able to reach a live person within 2 to 3 minutes on the two occasions I called. Their 3-year warranty should keep you well covered.

I have found that if you do some very in-depth research and price watching for monitors, you can find a really good deal... and this is not one of them. I've owned this monitor for about 2 years now, and while it's better than a lot of monitors out there for the same price, I have since realized I could have done a little more research and gotten away with a much better monitor for just a few bucks more, if not less.

As a graphic designer who works exclusively on Macs using OS X, I need a lot of screen real-estate. Even though OS X offers a great color calibration tool within itself, an additional third party color calibration tool would be nice, and Samsung neglects the Mac community in that respect. But the color is not my main complaint regarding this monitor...

My main complaints regarding this monitor are resolution and blur. First of all, any 19" CRT monitor should be able to get to 1280x1024 at 85Hz. 1280x1024 at 75Hz leaves much to be desired in refresh rate. I can see significant flicker at that rate. I should be able to get to 1600 and maintain a 75Hz refresh rate.
Secondly, there's a lot of blur with this monitor. When I get on other monitors of the same size (and nearly the same price) from the likes of Sony or NEC, everything is SIGNIFICANTLY sharper. I get on my 955DF and try to fix the blur, only to find that once it looks crisp and sharp in the center of the screen, the edges and corners are so blurry I can hardly read text... and vice versa. The blur is really my main gripe. It has gotten to the point where it drives me crazy now everytime I look at it. And no, it's not defective and I don't have any magnetic objects near the monitor. I've tried everything to no avail.

Really... you get what you pay for and this is a perfect example. If you want to just surf the web and check email, this is the monitor for you. The color is quite good, and the flat screen is great... But if you're in design at all, or make videos or fix photos, or want to play games or watch movies, seriously consider investing in a better monitor. There's a lot of numbers to concentrate on when researching, but it pays off. Paying $50 more for a monitor will put you into a new realm of displays that are well worth the extra cost... believe me.

This monitor has vivid colors. The lack of the infamous Trinitron horizontal lines are a welcome relief for someone that looks at a lot of text. Convergence is not too much of a problem, except at the far edges of the screen. The price is very good for a 19" flat screen. Unfortunately, I can not recommend this monitor due to poor quality control on Samsung's part. The first monitor had a light green stripe down the left side for the screen, the second had yellow splotches all over the viewing area, and the third monitor had the same problem as the first. Three strikes and you're out!

To be fair, I used the monitors on three different systems and experienced similar results. A call and e-mail to Samsung resulted in the following statements, "...the monitor is probably defective..." and "...19-inch monitors are very sensitive to magnetic fields..." Several trips to the local Samsung authorized service center disproved the "magnetic field" theory.

If you are mainly into gaming and don't see a lot of white area, the monitor should be fine. If the converse is true, be prepared for some defects.

When I originally started looking for a new perfect-flat CRT monitor, I wanted a unit that would both deliver a quality image and not be overly expensive. After conducting research by reading reviews, articles and the like, I narrowed my search to the Samsung 955DF and the Viewsonic A90F. I chose the Samsung because it had slightly better specifications than the Viewsonic.

For the price, the Samsung has met and passed all of the expectations I had for my monitor. The image quality is, for the most part, superb with a little distortion in the extreme corners. Many people complain about the brightness of the Samsung monitor but I have yet to notice any problems with the brightness on mine. However, if a part of the screen is too dark, the 955DF includes a nifty feature that can "highlight" a part of the screen, making it much brighter than the rest. This is great for watching dark movies or combating glare.

Unlike the picture shown, the 955DF does not have the pop-out tray for the on-screen controls. Instead, it uses a similar interface on the front of the monitor. While this adds convenience and security (I was always afraid the tray was going to break off when I move it! :-) ), it no longer has that unique little feature that can be used for bragging points.

Overall I feel that for an inexpensive 19" monitor, the Samsung 955DF provides a quality picture, great reliability and the looks of a [price] monitor without spending the [money] to get one.