Review on Samsung P2370HD 23-inch Full HD Monitor by Shane Manzer

Yes that is correct. I saw 1080p for $250 and jumped at it. I NEVER use this "monitor" as a monitor, so I can't account for that aspect of the P2370HD. There are few professional reviews for this product; The most notable of these are CNET's horrific reviews and silly YouTube video screenings and unzips. Don't pay attention to this crap. Read on so you don't have to read 500 more customer reviews on Google. Let me start with a true analysis of what everyone is saying, good or bad, about this monitor/HDTV. A lot of people complain about the sound. Well, it sounds a bit dull at first, but only slightly. There is an HD surround option in the sound menu. Although I don't have an external speaker set, for some reason it sounds noticeably better. It also gives me a feeling that wealthy audiophiles were trying to find SOMETHING to hack on (plus they usually say "kitchen TVs!" in their reviews) with an extra $600 for Bose speakers. I personally like the sound of this TV. The next complaint I hear from MANY people makes absolutely NO MATTER. "This product is more like a monitor than an HDTV." NONSENSE. The picture of this HDTV is beautiful. I use this exclusively as an HDTV for my cable box and my PS3 via HDMI. PS3 Blu-Ray and games look great. Uncharted 2 and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue look so incredibly beautiful that sometimes I lose/die just because I want to see beautiful graphics. As for the cable box, it looks great too. Especially cartoons. Cartoons look amazing in HD. Some movies look better than others (all in HD but some look below HD. It depends on the broadcaster. Trust me I know what NON HD looks like). But the movies on Blu-Ray (PS3) are AMAZING. The colors are better than any TV I've ever seen. The only downside is that every time I want to switch from the PS3 to the TV I have to switch HDMI cables because there is only one port. Just one complaint that I can partially agree with is the following. "Viewing angles are extremely limited." That's right. I'm lucky that my bed is high enough and at such an angle that I can be RIGHT in front of the screen and not down, up, or left, right. The TV does not tilt forward so do not purchase one if you have a tall shelf/stand designed for use with this HDTV. I would recommend using a small computer desk (since most people use it as a computer, it goes without saying). The purpose of my review was to convince anyone who is skeptical about this product not to be afraid to take advantage of this opportunity. I didn't have the dreaded problem "switching off and on by itself". THIS IS A SMART PURCHASE IF YOU WANT TO USE IT SIMPLY HDTV LIKE ME. I saved $100 by getting a better, larger product instead of sticking with Samsung's standard 720p 22-inch HDTVs, which cost $350 for some odd reason. I've been waiting for this TV for half a year and after reading COUNTLESS ad reviews over and over and thinking about buying a Samsung 2333HD or T220hd I just picked the best one and won a big WINNER. Rating is from a Sony PlayStation fan who prefers quality in games and movies. I assure you it can do EVERYTHING any other HDTV of this size can, plus the capabilities of a computer. The only drawback are the viewing angles. BUY IT (unless you buy a Samsung 2333HD with DMC 10000:1 and annoying blue light on the front lol) (or T220hd with odd shaped screen). *****IMPORTANT UPDATE**** *Yes, today is May 12th, 2011 and my TV is having a problem. My HDMI port is broken. If you are considering buying this TV, READ THIS MORE. As I said, there is only 1 HDMI port. Every day, twice a day, I change HDMI cables to watch TV or play PS3. Little did I know that HDMI connectors aren't meant to be used all the time, meaning constant unplugging and plugging would kill the connector. I lift weights and am lumbering so I'm surprised it took so long but if I had known about this I would have bought an HDMI splitter along with the TV right away. I now understand that this monitor works like a TV, not the other way around, which is why it only has 1 HDMI port. Too bad I had to learn all this the hard way and the icing on the cake is that if I'm writing and I don't have money and a TV, my Xbox will be delivered! I have 5 Xbox game guides that I read over and over again. Big. Just great. I wish someone would have warned me like I warned you lol. I promise to report the situation as soon as I have the money to go to Geek Squad HQ. ***** UPDATE May 15, 2011 ***** Okay so I decided to use PS3 component cables to play some games. Sony cables in particular, as wall mounted components tend to crappy unless it's HDMI. I'm happy to report that I see ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE between HDMI and a component on this TV. Yes, sharpness and colors are EXACTLY the same, so such a small HD set has its perks. BELIEVE ME. I was scared to death that my photo would look a bit blurry or out of focus. Just max your PS3 settings to 1080i and you're good to go. Don't let anyone tell you that the components of THIS TV look substandard. They lie. In fact, I'm so pleased that I've decided to forego an HDMI port. FOREVER. I will update when I can purchase my Xbox VGA cables and DVI to HDMI adapter port. I will be covering both at once so it might take a couple of weeks. I am very happy to be able to test and use every HD-capable connection on my HDTV/monitor! ***** Update May 17, 2011 ***** I just got a DVI to HDMI adapter so I can use the DVI port on my TV but use the HDMI cable from my cable box can. Apparently DVI also disappears when the HDMI port dies (at least on this monitor). I tried the adapter from my computer and PS3 and it doesn't work. Even with no signal showing, I actually have the dreaded "it turns itself off and back on" problem that has happened to many people with this monitor. When I switch back to component everything is fine. Luckily, VGA works fine. After my HDMI port died, I wanted to hook up my PS3 via component (which is great, and totally worth it by the way), my cable box via an HDMI/DVI adapter, and my Xbox via VGA. The point is, I wouldn't have to keep switching cables and end up smashing the connector with my heavy hand like I did with the HDMI connector. The fact that my DVI port is also dead changes everything now. I have 2 choices, both suck. I either buy an Xbox VGA but I have to keep changing 10 component cables (TV and PS3). Another option is to get one of those expensive switches that toggle between 3 or more components and pray that none of the images lose quality. I have now deducted a star. It is too much. I will update as I pay more money for things that will hopefully get full use of my monitor again. GET YOUR WARRANTY IMMEDIATELY. ***** UPDATE March 16, 2012 ***** This is embarrassing. It's pretty obvious that I completely forgot about this Revain review and was completely distraught. In short, save the box. As it is a monitor it is covered by a 2 year warranty (regular TVs). I sent it to Samsung after they paid the shipping label on Friday and I got it back promptly the following Friday. I packed it myself because I didn't want to pay UPS $45 for it. I use it ONLY AS A MONITOR FOR MY PC now, contrary to the name. As a monitor over VGA it looks nice but I have to admit that like a TV it's showing its age. He was so small! I bought a new Samsung 32" LED and also reviewed it if you're interested. I would NOT recommend ANY TV smaller than 32". The kitchen possibly. It's funny I was shocked that people saw this used as "Kitchen TV". Now I know why. As a monitor it is quite big, nice and clear.