Review: Samsung's Dazzling 32-Inch Ultra High-Definition Monitor
When we reported on Sept. 3 that Samsung unveiled its first 32-inch ultra high definition monitor, the CRN Test Center asserted the UD970 had set a high bar for competitors in the nascent display market segment. After reviewing the 32-inch class UHD display up close, our opinion remains unchanged; Samsung's is the monitor to which others will be compared.
Firstly, the unit arrives with the stand attached; there are no parts to misplace or damage. A sturdy pedestal permits movement in four different directions: 30 degrees of left-right swivel, 25 degrees of up-down tilt, 90 degrees of pivot and an up-down range of about five inches.
In landscape mode, the monitor is between 19 and 24.5 inches high and 28.7 inches wide. The rectangular base is 11 inches deep.
The UD970 has four digital inputs: HDMI 1.4, DVI-D and two for DisplayPort 1.2. The DVI port also supports analog (RGB) input; no adapter or cable is supplied. The unit can be driven through the HDMI port at 30 Hz and at 60 Hz by the DVI and DisplayPort inputs. Maximum (and its native) resolution is 3820 x 2160 pixels, which doubles the horizontal and doubles the vertical resolution of today's 1920 x 1080 HD monitors.
It's therefore no coincidence that one of its four split-screen modes can display all four of inputs, each driving 1920 x 1080. Two-input modes include side-by-side and any-corner; all feature automatic input detection and manual sound selection. Split screens can display two different color spaces. The corner modes can be fixed or automatically sized. Samsung includes three data cables: one each for HDMI and DisplayPort, plus an HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapter cable.
There's also a direct AC input and a C15 power cord, a USB 3.0 host cable and four USB 3.0 ports. Two of these are super-charging outputs. There's also a headphone jack. Inputs all face downward, which simplifies wall-mounted installations and maintenance. The stand attaches to the monitor via VESA 100 mounting holes. An included adapter uses the same four screws to convert to VESA 400 for wall mounting.
Using CRN's standard LCD test images, black-level tests showed levels one through five that were indistinguishable from each other; levels six through 255 were perfect. With the same settings, white saturation tests also were perfect except for level 254, which appeared washed out. Gradient tests displayed no banding or dithering, contrast tests clearly showed all levels using factory adjustment.
The UD970 employs PLS technology, Samsung's version of IPS. When viewed at an angle, the 31.5-inch panel continued to display colors accurately. The panel's 10-bit color depth is capable of displaying 1.07 billion colors, 100 percent of the sRGB color spectrum and 99.5 percent of Adobe RGB. There are eight factory calibration settings and three user-programmable modes. All tests were performed at its maximum resolution of 3,840 x 2,160.
The on-screen display is controlled by physical buttons under the bezel on the lower right-hand side, with functions that correspond to icons etched on the bezel's front. In addition to menu navigation, dedicated buttons include those for input selection, sound and brightness. On-screen indicators describe navigation and other button functions as they change.
The Samsung UD970 is intended for digital designers, engineers, CAD/CAM workers, medical imagers, surveillance applications and anyone in need of a versatile monitor with state-of-the-art resolution and accurate color. Drivers are provided for Mac OS X and Windows. Listing at $1,999, the Samsung UD970 is a recommended product by the CRN Test Center.
Samsung also offers the UD590, a 28-inch version that lists for $599.
PUBLISHED OCT. 22, 2014