Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung Touch Of Color T240HD 24-Inch LCD HDTV Monitor

As a lot of reviewers have already stated, this unit is better suited for HDTV viewing than actually using it as a computer monitor.

As a TV:

Pro - great picture quality with good colors/contrast. awesome with blu-ray @ 1080p

con - if you are using this mainly for a tv, the 16:10 aspect ratio will always give you bars. the picture has a bluish tint to it but you can improve it slightly by setting the color temperature to warm (switch to "movie" setting first).

as a computer monitor:

pro - great resolution for large desktop and high def gaming. when properly calibrated (i used the system preferences for display>color on OSX, not the menu on the display) the colors are really awesome. uncalibrated, or if you just use the standard settings from the menu the colors are horrible.

con - smaller text does not appear very crisp. it appears similar to using the PC input on a consumer TV or using a non-native resolution setting (even though 1920x1200 is native). this can be improved by lowering the sharpness to about 50-55 or so.



overall:

pro - good for the price ([...]), and especially useful for people who are low on space but need a multi-functional monitor/tv (like me, hooking up a computer-DVI, PS3-HDMI, and xbox-HDMI all on one set, with even room to hook up an old ps2-component).

con - my biggest gripe is that you really need to be facing the screen dead on at eye level because even moving your head to the left/right/up/down by 12 inches or more will start to drastically affect the color/brightness. and even at dead center the corners appear slightly vignetted. and it sucks not having height adjust, so you need to find a stand that is exactly the right height.

a smaller gripe is that there is no analog stereo line level out. there is a digital optical out (which is awesome if you are like me and use 5.1 surround headphones) but if you want to hook it up to a stereo system or external speakers you need to use the headphone jack (not the greatest). when i tested this setup through the headphone jack the signal was noticeably noisy so i only use the digital out.



last words:

this set is good for people on a budget who NEED the functionality of a multi-use monitor/tv. if you just need a monitor this would be a waste and there are other monitors that perform better at comparable prices. if you are a professional (video/photo/graphics), this obviously wouldnt be the right one for you. but even just as a HDTV, its not a bad deal if you can stand the bars on top and bottom.

I am very pleased with this TV. Mostly because there are virtually no 24" LCD TV's out there. Also, most TV's this size come with 720 dp....this one has the 1080 like the big sets. Very pleased with picture and sound....and value.

I own two other Samsung 24" monitors, (245T) & (245BW) plus a new Sony 52" XBR6 HDTV.
Comparing the Samsung T240HD to my other monitors and my XBR6, I am very impressed with the overall PQ and performance of this set.

For the Price, Performance and Features, you can't beat it, IMO.

Granted it has a few shortcomings, no height adjustment for stand, obscure power on-off button, & wimpy sounding speakers.
My biggest complaint has to do with the sound, as they have no bass and do sound tinny.
The Sharp LC22SB24U 22-Inch has much better sound, as does the ViewSonic VT2430 24" HDTV.
If you don't use the TV speakers then this is not an issue.

Where this set really shines and excels is in picture quality and performance.
This is what I consider MOST IMPORTANT when judging displays.

The Samsung T240HD with a good HD feed via OTA HDTV antenna, satellite, or blu-ray 1080p, produces a sharp, bright, colorful, detailed picture.

I TRUELY wasn't expecting anything near this for $400!!

BOTTOM LINE: You can't go wrong with the performance and features this set offers, and for the price it is a great value as well.

Picture:10/10
Audio: 6/10
Inputs: 5/10

Summary: You get what you pay for.
Pros: Order came quickly, picture looks absolutely fantastic as both a secondary PC monitor and a HDTV.
Cons: No VESA mount, no composite or s-video inputs at all (!?), tinny speakers, extremely touchy power cord input. Wouldn't suggest for design pros/color matching.

Note: Persistent vertical yellow line on right side of screen after less than a week, online Service Request refused to go through, had to call tech support. "No replacements available", have to send it out prepaid UPS to be refurbished at the Far East Service Corporation, a five-man repair facility in NJ...up to two weeks! Multiple forums show similar problems with this model :(
[...]

I bought this Samsung 24" LCD HDTV 6 months ago to replace an old Magnavox 20" CRT in the bedroom that finally went out after 20yrs of usage. I intend to use this as a "tide-me-over" until I can afford a bigger/nicer LCD for the living room and can re-purpose this guy as a regular computer monitor. Is this Samsung perfect? No. Does it fill the void I needed it to? Absolutely. Would I buy it again? Definitely.

Pros:
- price (6mo ago I paid $299 through Amazon - which was a great deal at the time)
- no dead pixels (the last time I bought an LCD for my computer this was a problem, so I was nervous about this)
- easy HDMI hookup for peripherals (like a PS3 - which looks great on this display for gaming or BluRay watching)
- seamlessly picks up local HDTV signals
- picture clarity
- you can opt to turn off the obnoxious orange power light

Cons:
- low-light scenes are bad (i.e. you can't always tell what's going on because the screen is too black)
- on-screen menus aren't designed for standard TV usage (i.e. they're waaaay too small to read from across the room)
- sound is just "okay"