Samsung SyncMaster 204T

If you’re in the market for a sleek, stylish LCD, the Samsung SyncMaster 204T is certainly worth a look. This solid, all-around 20-inch display features both analog and digital inputs, as well as a height-adjustable stand that can also tilt, swivel, and pivot into portrait mode. The display comes in silver or black and features a slim-bezel design.

When I attached the display to our test Mac using a DVI connection, the 204T automatically started up in its full, native 1600-by-1200-pixel resolution. Like many LCDs, the 204T’s default color settings looked a little too blue and bright. (Manufacturers do this to make sure that their displays stand out from the crowd at your local retailer.) Luckily, it’s a cinch to adjust these settings via Samsung’s easy-to-navigate, on-screen controls.

After calibrating the display, colors looked vibrant and accurate. Even at small point sizes, text was easy to read, and I found no dead or stuck pixels during my testing. However, I did see a noticeable color shift when moving from left to right across the screen. This shouldn’t be a big concern, though, unless you regularly have groups of people gathered around your monitor.

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Though the picture looked a touch blue out of the box, just a bit of tweaking helped this display earn high marks on both color and text-quality tests. If you’re looking for a highly adjustable, mid-sized LCD, you should definitely consider the SyncMaster 204T.

[ James Galbraith is Macworld ’s lab director. ]