Samsung S27C750P

Responsiveness

Input lag

We used a similar method to that described in our other recent reviews. This is essentially a modified ‘camera and stopwatch method’, but rather than comparing input lag with just a single known entity (a CRT of zero input lag) we compare with an array of monitors where the input lag has been accurately measured. This gives a good set of baselines to work with and alongside taking 120 readings in total, gives a fairly accurate picture of the Samsung’s S27C750D’s input lag. We measured just over 4ms (1/4 of a frame) of input lag, which indicates a very short signal processing delay (latency) that shouldn’t worry gamers.

Pixel responsiveness

We used a tool called PixPerAn (Pixel Persistence Analyser) to help analyse the pixel response performance over a range of typical grey to grey transitions. A highly sensitive camera was used whilst the tool was set to the maximum tempo (fastest movement speed) to allow this to represent a worst case scenario as far as this test goes. Be aware that this test only looks at a snapshot of motion as seen by a camera and doesn’t accurately reflect the overall perceived blur that a human will see – which is why we subjectively assess this separately. PixPerAn is particularly good for highlighting differences between different grey to grey acceleration settings, of which there are three on the Samsung; ‘Normal’, ‘Faster’ and ‘Fastest’. The images below show the results using these three ‘Response Time’ settings, respectively.

Trailing Response Time 'Normal'

Trailing Response Time 'Faster'

Trailing Response Time 'Fastest'

Each setting is distinctly different. The ‘Normal’ setting essentially uses very little (if any) grey to grey acceleration. In the snapshot you can see the primary trail is very bold using this setting and there’s also a bit of a secondary trail. The ‘Faster’ setting increases the level of acceleration, reducing trailing as shown in the second picture. The ‘Fastest’ setting uses fairly aggressive grey to grey acceleration to speed up pixel responses as much as possible. In this snapshot some fairly obvious inverse ghosting artifacts (a trace-like halo trail) can be seen in place of conventional trailing. This is actually reasonably faint in practice and not too bad as far as such artifacts go. The snapshot exaggerates the effect. The ‘Fastest’ setting provided what we feel was the most pleasing gaming experience over a much broader range of pixel transitions than shown by PixPerAn. We therefore used this setting for the subjective testing below.

Responsiveness in games and movies

The last Samsung VA panels we reviewed were the C24B750X last year the and F2380 some years back. The gaming experience on these could be described as a smeary mess, leaving a lot to be desired. Things have come a long way for VA monitors since then, it would seem. In most instances on Battlefield 3 it was easy to forget you’re using a VA panel at all. Whilst on foot trailing was moderate, manifesting itself as a slight vibration around textures – particularly when strafing quickly. Picking up the pace and driving around in a jeep, for example, caused the trailing to intensify. In most circumstances the overriding ‘motion blur’ was actually quite comparable to any 60Hz IPS or TN monitor with moderate pixel overdrive. There was a degree of inverse ghosting in places – on the minor and less noticeable side, though. There are certain ‘high contrast’ transitions that can’t be accelerated effectively on any VA panel and have a more noticeable ‘smeary’ trailing associated with them. These were relatively rare on this title but did crop up here and there. The trailing wasn’t as extended and smoke-like as we’ve seen on some other VA panels, though, which is good.

Dirt 3 features a fairly broad range of pixel transitions of widely varying contrast levels. On the whole performance was decent and largely comparable to even much faster 60Hz LCDs. There was some minor inverse ghosting in places but nothing we found at all distracting or in-your-face. When driving at night the slower high contrast transitions kicked in. Again, these were not the ‘smoke-like’ trails that some VA panels display but did give a more blurred and smeary look to the racing environment. These slower transitions were also reasonably common on the Gymkhana mode, making the experience even more dizzying and blurred than usual. It was not exactly unplayable, though.

On our Blu-ray titles things looked as they often do on 60Hz monitors. The fluidity was limited by the frame rate of the movies (around 24fps) and there weren’t any obvious barriers imposed by pixel response times. There was no obvious smearing, inverse ghosting or otherwise distracting response behaviour.

So on the whole pixel responsiveness is decent and quite possibly the best we’ve seen on a VA panel. There are some niggling ‘high contrast’ transitions that the pixel overdrive can’t really accelerate as effectively. On games that are predominantly dark or feature bright and contrasting colours this can be an issue. Even these transitions seemed less obtrusive than on many other VA panels we’ve used, so as always it’s really down to the sensitivity of individual users.

Conclusion

VA panels are often the forgotten third option between the kings of colour (IPS/PLS) and highly responsive TN panels. They’ve always offered a relatively strong contrast performance and decent colour performance – but responsiveness has often been their downfall. On the S27C750P things weren’t ideal out of the box on our test sample but Samsung offered the right OSD options to get that sorted. Given the abundance of static contrast (with values far exceeding the 3000:1 specified for the panel) you are able to tweak such settings and still have those nice deep and inky blacks at the end of it all. The semi-glossy screen surface complimented this strong contrast performance nicely and gave the image a relatively crisp and clean appearance.

Colour gamut coverage was not quite as comprehensive as on some other modern WLED-backlit screens but the screen surface and panel performance meant that this was not a fatal flaw. Colours were nicely represented on the whole with good depth in places and a rich look overall. Bright neon colours on dark backgrounds were particularly impressive and really leapt off the screen. Responsiveness was pleasing overall, diverging from what you’d traditionally expect from a VA panel. Input lag was very low whilst most pixel transitions were fast sufficiently fast that it was refresh rate that really became the limiting factor in terms of perceived blur on the screen. To achieve these reasonably rapid pixel transitions fairly aggressive pixel overdrive was used. Using the ‘Fastest’ setting gave optimal results here, but did introduce some slight artifacts such as reasonably faint inverse ghosting at times. There were also some ‘troublesome’ high-contrast transitions that, like on all VA panels, can’t be sped up all that much by pixel overdrive. These were not anywhere near as bad as the traditional ‘smoky trails’ that some VA panels produce but certainly stood out as being noticeably slower than other transitions.

The design of the monitor is something of a style over substance affair that has become all too familiar on recent Samsung monitors. With its very slender bezels, slim screen and matte metal effect stand it will be quite a stylish monitor in many people’s eyes. But the fact that the screen is mounted rather high up on the (non-height-adjustable) stand and that there is no VESA-mounting flexibility may bother some users. Despite this, we still liked what we saw from the Samsung S27C750P. It showcased what modern VA panels are capable of by combining exceptional contrast with good vivid colours and very decent responsiveness.