When you power on the display, it will perform a quick self-test and check whether or not a cable is connected. By default, the 226BW will automatically switch the display to analog or digital mode, depending on the video cable used and signal detected—a feature not found in some displays that cost nearly twice as much. This can be a real convenience for gamers who are using both video connections on the 226BW—the DVI for their PC and the VGA for their Xbox console. It can also be turned off through the OSD if you wish, so you can use the buttons to switch between modes—a necessity if you have both your PC and console up and running at the same time, and want to switch between the two.

The majority of the 226BW's features and adjustments are accessible through the OSD, which I found easier and quicker to navigate with the buttons located underneath the bezel, rather than some displays with smaller buttons jammed together on the front. Of course, SAMSUNG's intuitive and uncluttered design of the OSD also helps. Certain OSD options that are exclusive to using the display in analog mode—particularly the ones that allow horizontal and vertical screen adjustments and adjusting image sharpness—are not available in digital mode. But that's par for the course for any LCD display. For the best visual quality, you should always use the digital DVI connection for your PC if your video card has one.

One particularly interesting setting in the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 226BW's OSD, is RTA—Response Time Accelerator. RTA speeds up, or in PC Enthusiast vernacular, overclocks the display panel's response time. Enabled by default, this is how SAMSUNG achieves the 2ms gray-to-gray response time of the 226BW. When RTA is turned off, the 226BW's panel operates at its normal response time. Although SAMSUNG has not published what that is, it’s reportedly somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 or 6ms—which should still be more than fast enough for games and movies without shadowing, ghosting or other visual anomalies.

Everything from the firm but smooth way the screen tilts and the base rotates, to the solid feel of bezel’s plastic and buttons when you push them, projects a sense of quality about the 226BW. Other displays may be cheaper, but they also feel cheaper when you use them. Overall, the assembly and finish of the SyncMaster 226BW is what you would come to expect from SAMSUNG—first class.

The Software

The CD contains monitor drivers for Windows, SAMSUNG's MagicTune and Natural Color utilities, and the browser-based User's Guide (which is also available on the CD in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format). As always, it's a good idea to check the manufacturer's website for the latest driver and utility revisions. MagicTune has gotten a major face-lift since my review of the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 244T display last year, and is now MagicTune Premium with a Windows Vista-style Aero interface for whichever version of Windows you're running. MagicTune is SAMSUNG's software version of the OSD, which allows point-and-click access to more commonly used OSD settings (brightness, contrast, color balance), and are arranged in easy-to-understand presets—Text, Game, Internet, Movies, etc. Of course if you're not happy with SAMSUNG's presets, MagicTune allows you to easily tweak the settings to suit your personal preferences whether you're a novice or experienced user.

MagicTune also has a Calibration routine that you can use to fine-tune the image quality of your 226BW. The MagicColor function which allows you to enhance color saturation selectively—either the entire image or everything in the image except skin tones—mirrors the MagicColor function in the OSD. By default, MagicTune loads with Windows and runs in the System Tray. You can configure it not to do so, but none of your specific MagicTune settings will load unless MagicTune is running. Also note that the OSD will not display settings and information while the MagicTune window is active. Rather it will display “MagicTune” instead, until the MagicTune window is minimized back to the System Tray.

SAMSUNG's proprietary Dynamic Contrast technology enhances the SyncMaster 226BW's contrast by automatically detecting the characteristics of the displayed image's contrast level based on its input signals. The Dynamic Contrast setting is easier to access through MagicTune than the OSD which requires that you press the Contrast and Brightness buttons simultaneously, to bring up the MagicBright portion of the OSD; then scroll through the list of modes till you reach Dynamic Contrast at the end. Sounds easy, but it can be a bit awkward in practice. OSD settings that effect brightness, contrast and color, are automatically disabled when Dynamic Contrast is active. With Dynamic Contrast turned off, the 226BW's actual contrast ratio is a more down-to-earth 700:1.

Natural Color Pro allows you to calibrate your 226BW and create a monitor profile file for it that will automatically load whenever you launch Windows. It's a slightly more involved process than using MagicTune's calibration option, but no more difficult. In fact, some users may find it quicker and easier to use than MagicTune, thanks to the wizard-driven interface. Probably the most difficult part for the novice user will be finding the correct folder to store the custom profile and selecting it as the Windows default. Monitor profile files have an .ICM extension, and are typically stored in the Windows\System32\Drivers\Spool\Color folder. From there, you can select the custom profile under Display Panel Properties, and you're all set. You can also create a custom monitor profile by tweaking the separate Red, Blue and Green gamma channels individually, or simultaneously.