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Samsung 172X Flat Panel DisplayReview Date: April 7, 2004 Reviewed by: Cory Zerkee Sponsored by: Samsung Samsung is known for producing loads of technological gadgets that make our lives easier, from microwaves to cell phones. In the computer area alone, they supply many different peripherals such as drives and displays. I have said it before, and I will say it again. I have owned countless gadgets stamped with the Samsung logo over the years, and overall am very happy with what they offer. I have used and reviewed many displays; both CRT monitors and LCD’s. Recently I have been on a roll, reviewing LCD after LCD. Call me spoiled, but I will NEVER voluntarily go back to a large, bulky CRT display again. LCD’s are dropping in price and rising in technology, making them more and more inviting to the home user. There was a time when LCD’s were so expensive that only business’s could justify the expense and the luxury of owning one. Not so anymore, they are quickly becoming mainstream as the technology grows in leaps and bounds. I have the pleasure of reviewing yet another LCD from Samsung, the 172X. Boasting a whopping 12ms pixel response time and a sexy package, it is the fastest LCD I have seen to date. Enough of the yammering, let’s get on with the show. Here are the specifications of the 172X as listed on the Samsung website. I will explain the more pertinent ones as we go along.
The 172X is a 17” flat panel TFT active matrix display. The actual display area is 337.92mm (H) x 270.336mm (V), if you prefer to look at it that way. The pixel pitch is 0.294mm which is larger than normal for a Samsung LCD, but I assume it is due to the 12ms panel technology being too new. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next generation comes in at 0.264mm. Pixel pitch I find to be not that important when dealing with an LCD versus a CRT. My eyes could barely discern the larger pixel size on the 172X, whereas you would definitely notice it on a CRT. The 172X is capable of displaying over 16 million colors; 16,194,277 to be exact. This puts it just shy of the 24 bit mark. True 24 bit color is 16.7 million, not 16.2. The native resolution is 1280x1024 which is the norm for most LCD’s on the market today. LCD displays will do just about any resolution that a CRT will, but they look best at the native resolution, with image quality dropping as you go further away from it. Even that though isn’t too bad on most decent modern LCD’s today; the drop in image quality is all but nonexistent. The rated pixel response time for this display is 12ms and I am eager to see if it actually is, being I have read around the net of companies (not insinuating Samsung) misleading buyers with their ‘rated’ response times. The 172X sports a contrast ratio of 500:1 and a brightness of 270cd/m2, or candelas per square meter. The viewing angle is rated at 160° horizontal, and 140° vertical. This is also lower than the norm for Samsung’s 17” displays; I would suspect this is due to the new panel technology also. Now that I have that out of the way, time to take the 172X for a spin.
The 172X arrived in a small cardboard suitcase shaped box that Samsung uses for their LCD’s. It comes equipped with a handle for toting it around like a briefcase, albeit a slightly heavy one. The box comes adorned with the usual Samsung logos as well as a picture of the LCD and some basic information. For once, the box didn’t arrive looking like the courier had used it to block the wheels on his truck.
 Click for larger view. 
 Click for larger view. Cracking it open, we can see what comes packaged with the LCD itself. Samsung has included not only a DVI cable but also an analog VGA cable for those that prefer or don’t have a DVI compatible video card. Also included is the VESA wall mount which can be attached to the underside of the base of the stand for mounting the LCD to the wall. Also packaged is the power inverter – or power brick as I so lovingly refer to it as – and the A/C cable for the wall outlet. Samsung has also packed a baggie containing the warranty card, paper instructions and CD containing the drivers and an excellent HTML instruction guide.
 Click for larger view. Pulling out the LCD itself, we can see that it is packed in the normal scratch protection bag to keep it safe during shipping. As is the norm with all of Samsungs latest LCD offerings, the screen is surrounded by an ultra slim bezel to create a sleek appearance. The bezel is approximately 1cm wide and silver in color. It is completely devoid of anything, save a small power switch logo on the bottom center. Even the Samsung logo and model number that is normally found on their LCD’s is not present on the bezel. They can be found on the front of the base of the stand, just like on the 173P I reviewed last.
 Click for larger view. The control buttons for the 172X are mounted UNDER the bottom bezel adding to the sleek, simplistic look of the display. The buttons are labeled (starting from the left), “auto”, “exit”, “menu”, “power” (designated only by the green LED above), “-“, “+”, and “MagicBright”. MagicBright is a well known Samsung feature than can be found on almost all of their mid-to-high end LCD’s. It allows quick access to preset brightness and contrast levels for text, internet, and entertain modes. The buttons themselves are click type and not the touch sensitive thermal one’s that Samsung has started to use. They require a firm press to activate, so I can’t see anyone accidentally turning the display off for example. The labeling for the buttons is recessed into the housing for the button assembly and very hard to see. I could not see them at all in my room and had to fiddle around until I finally learned what button does what. The power LED is located at the bottom center of the panel just above the power button. It glows green when the display is powered up and flashes when in standby mode. Turning the display to the side reveals how thin the display is. The 172X is 2cm thick around the edges and approx 3cm where the stand attaches to the rear. Over all; it is quite a thin display. This can be achieved by using the external power inverter versus the internal design. This has other advantages such as keeping a source of heat away from the display itself. Although I don’t really like the external ‘power brick’, this one is quite light and not too obtrusive. The rear of the LCD is smooth and contains the Samsung logo along the center as well as stickers containing the panel information and the ‘dual hinge’ designation. The stand for the 172X is relatively small, but weighty enough to support the LCD, preventing excess wobble. The Dual hinge designation refers to the design of the stand, as it literally uses dual hinges; one at the rear where the stand attaches to the panel, and another at the rear of the base. The stand allows for a 15° downward tilt of the panel as well as a 90° upward tilt. You can also raise and lower the display approx 45mm. I found the stand to be too low even at the maximum height, I had to sit the LCD on a thick book to raise it to eye level The entire stand assembly can be folded up against the rear of the panel to allow for the attachment of the wall mount - which as I said earlier - is included. The inputs for the display are located on the rear of the base, these being VGA, DVI, and the power input for the panel.
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