I have had a "Mid-2009" 15" MacBook Pro for about a year now, and had never connected an external monitor. I got a DVI mini display port adapter, a DVI-D extension cable, and this monitor.
Bam! Right out of the gate - the monitor came up to the max resolution of 1920 x 1080 and looked fantastic.
I will be the first to admit that I have used it very little so far, but those with a MacBook will be interested to know that connectivity is not an issue. Apple apparently has an allergy to HDMI, so I did not buy the Mini-display to HDMI adapter, even though the monitor came with an HDMI cable. I think as long as you stick with a DVI connection on Apple's in general, you will have success.
Text, images, movies - everything I tried so far has me very pleased with my purchase. That comes from surfing with Safari, working on HD iMovie projects and manipulating images in iPhoto.
I have yet to connect cable to it and see how the TV tuner works, but that is not really why I got it. I hear the tuner is decent. I will likely get something like a Roku box soon, and then I will see how the HDMI connection turns out.
Does not look great out of the box. Took me about an hour and half to configure settings and some research.
If you are using as a monitor be sure to select the correct type such as DVI-PC if using HDMI cable to connect computer, otherwise you will see ghosting. I am also using it as a TV, but have no HD content being streamed to it, so I can not comment on that.
Was initially unhappy and dissatisfied with this display. My first response was to get a refund, but I decided to tweak the settings and now it looks great. Settings are very easy to navigate. I would not recommend this monitor to someone who does not have the patience to configure. Awesome monitor for the money if you don't mind taking the time to configure. I purchased an open box model and found it for $281 with the full manufacturer warranty. Shop around. You can definitely find Tech For Less. :)
I purchased this as a simple living room TV (and occassional monitor) on my wifes demand that I "buy something pretty". And this is a very handsome unit. It's hard to do justice in ink or even in pictures but this monitor is stunning. I know that sounds subjective, but trust me, go look at one in real life and you'll understand what I mean. Picture quality is good out of the box and it is a versatile monitor handling the display duties for the 5 devices (2 Windows 7, linux eeepc, ipad, psp) that regularly wonder through the living room. Price was reasonable.
I got rid of my 32" bravia 1080p 120hz for this and am very glad. colors are better than anything ive seen There is no cons at all, am a videophile and I have to say, the picture this reproduces even with 1080i from my hd/dvr from comcast is exceptional. I will never switch brands again. Samsung takes the cake in every category, the only thing they could have added are widgets such as netflix or blockbuster, but I have my xbox/playstation and computer all hooked up to this so it doesn't really matter. the only TV besides the Samsung LED 2010 series that beats this is the sharp aquos with quad pixel technology. but thats 1500 and this was under 400, less the size. But I use this in my bedroom anyway, I always watch TV in my bedroom, I have this hooked up with xbox 360 elite, playstation 3, and for sound I run a yamaha reciever with all components hooked up with toslink going to polk audio speakers. I would rather watch a movie in 1080/24p on this TV with my sound system than go to the movies to see it, that is how amazing this product is. Buy it now.
During the past month (Jan/Feb 2011), I purchased 2 HD TV/ PC monitors from Legend Micro, who provided good service:
Samsung P2570HD 25in LCD TV HDTV 1080p
Samsung P2770HD 27in LCD TV HDTV 1080p
I was looking for a monitor that had a DVI port (digital) for my PC, plus has 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080). These are hard to find. I finally tracked down one at Legend Micro. It was the 25" Samsung, refurbished, with 90 day warranty. It arrived within a week as promised, and was nicely packaged, as new. It works great - good TV reception (I use only an antenna), good sound, and very good PC display on DVI. It also has an analog (15 pin) PC connector which works OK but has slightly poorer resolution, as is typically the case. Both give 1920x1080 with my PC. The antenna works even when placed in my basement window, which is at ground level, although here I can get only PBS 9.1, 9.2 (my two favorite channels) and a couple of others. Using the other antenna (in our attic) I can get about 20 + channels, all free. This antenna is a $20 unpowered version from Radio Shack. It probably helps that we are on 45th St in Wallingford, Seattle, which is up about 250 ft above the lake. We face but can't see the city
I liked the 25" unit so much that I ordered a second one. This time Legend Micro had a 27" unit also refurbished. Arrived just like the previous one. I like this even better, as it is larger. Both have brighter displays than my (2) 21" Samsung LCD monitors (1600x1200) (Models 214T), but have to be tilted correctly, using the built-in tilt mechanism, as the viewing range is not as good as on the LCD monitors. Not an issue with me. It is easy to switch from PC to TV, using either remote. These are simple to use (uncluttered).
I measured the power usage on the TVs, using a wattmeter : 45-50 W (25"), 50-55W (27"). Both use < 1W in Standby mode, which is unusual. (They aren't actually off, just awaiting the PC to wake up).
I really wished I could have mounted this TV on the wall but...
This monitor is a high quality product when used correctly. Many of the reviews and comments on other sites list the monitor as "faulty" or "bad quality" when it is usually an lower quality input to blame. I ran my 2010 17" MacBook Pro into it via VGA and was confused when the quality was less than acceptable. I then switched over to DVI, which (of course) gave me the full 1080p HD resolution I was looking for. I've also used the monitor to play Xbox 360 and watch cable tv, both of which work perfectly. I couldn't have been happier with this monitor.
The only downside I can find is the lack of an audio in when using PC inputs (DVI, VGA). When running media server software to watch movies and tv, I am forced to continue to run the audio through my MacBook's speakers. It isn't bad, but it would be more convenient if I could use the monitor's internal speakers.
Overall, I don't see why this shouldn't be an option for anyone
It really does what it is supposed to do and more. I've only had it a day and am using it as our temporary main TV in the living room until I can get the new Sony TVs that are coming out soon. Really there is nothing more that I want or need from this monitor. I think the 27" version would be too big for my desk. I have my PS3 connected via HDMI, Computer through DVI-D and 3.5 mini jack, 4 different composite (RCA cable) devices through a switcher to the one composite input, audio out to my Sony Speaker system via 3.5 mini jack. I will be buying the component cable for PS2 to plug that in for higher quality PS2 picture. Seriously, for what I currently own I do not need any more inputs at all! Maybe one more HDMI would be nice? It's an amazing MONITOR/TV!!!