So I took a chance and decided to buy it from TigerDirect.ca. It was delivered within 4-5 business days which was part of a free shipping promo they had last week during the holidays.
Anyways, it had the features I wanted (24" display, HDMI, on paper a good viewing angle 176(H) and 170 (V) degrees, built-in speakers) all at a price that was pretty much unbeatable.
It also has a nice glossy look, a 4-year warranty (wow), and SmartTouch controls (which means no physical buttons on the front, just sensors that detect your touch). I think this is my first Philips purchase...But, so far it's all that I hoped it to be and I'm glad I picked this monitor up.
Update: After having this monitor for a couple more weeks I'm still happy with it. But, I also decided to add a few more comments after seeing how many people have stumbled on this post—It seems that there is quite some interest in this monitor.
Not a single dead pixel that I've noticed yet, however one corner (bottom left) of the screen seems to be slightly brighter than the rest—as if it has a hard time blocking out the backlight. This is noticeable when the screen shows anything dark in that part of the monitor. Maybe it's just my unit.
Also, the speakers are better than I expected them to be...But perhaps it's because I had really low expectations (they're not great, but waaaay better than the speakers on my old Thinkpad laptop)
Update 2: Product leaflet is here just for convenience; if anyone wants to look up some specs for this model.
Official picture from Philips...
And my pics of the monitor...
Some higher rez pictures of the Philips monitor (including one of the back)...HDMI cable on the right, power cord on the left...Click to enlarge...
A commenter also posted some of his own pictures, if people want another look...
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
ReplyDeleteI've been considering some of the Philips monitors.
The cheapest one is 241E1SB (24"), and next the exact same model, only 23". (weird huh?) Then it's this monitor, 244E1SB which costs about 10% more than 241E1SB. I think the only difference is that the last one has HDMI. And I'm willing to pay 10% more for that.
I have an 24" already with 1920x1200 resolution, when it is set to 1920x1080, the picture looks stretched. Is the picture optimal on this monitor? I guess it is, as it's full HD, and I therefore guess the monitor is optimized for full HD.
Sorry if my comments has a lot of details and questions, but I just want to know, you know? ;)
Just for completeness, I'm using the HDMI connection for my PC (video and audio). It is a 1080p monitor and I have to assume it's optimized for that.
ReplyDeleteI have Windows 7 set at 1080p resolution and it looks perfectly fine. The thought of the picture being stretched has never crossed my mind while using this monitor.
Nice!
ReplyDeleteI'm really considering buying this monitor...
Is there any possibility that you can take some pictures of it in use? F.ex. with Windows desktop, games, or other applications.
A co-worker is also considering this monitor (I didn't even hype it...Just said that I was satisfied with it)...Looks like it almost sells itself...
ReplyDeleteI'll try to remember to post a pic or two tonight...If I don't you can blame Mass Effect 2 ;)
Hehe, I can understand that one ;)
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering if I should buy, or wait for LED-monitors to get cheaper. I know Benq has one for the same price as this Philips, but NO HDMI!! - So, nope, I will not buy that.
Maybe I should just go for the Philips?
Looking forward to some pictures. The local electronic shops don't have it on display yet.
I would have liked an LED monitor but I needed one right away...Anyways I posted some quick pics for everyone who stumbles on here...
ReplyDeleteOoooh, want it SO bad...
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can hold it until a LED comes out... Thanks for the pics!
I am also considering "ACER S243HL". It's 20 % more expencive, but has LEDs and a very clear picture. However it has a MTBF of 15.000 hours! That's 5 years if you use it for 8 hours a day.
ReplyDeleteThis Philips you own, has a MTBF of 50.000!! That's about 20 years with 8 hours a day. So the lifetime of the Philips, and the lower price is more attractive for a buyer.
5 years on a $200 monitor is not much.. Not in my eyes.
Is there no headphone jack on the screen??? Thanx
ReplyDeleteKrona, I never thought of checking until you asked, but yes I can confirm that there is a headphone jack on my monitor.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I also was looking for a review everywhere :D
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for the Philips 3D monitor with an integrated ambiance feature. I also can't wait to get my hands on one of the 3D screens, so I can test out the Hi-Def PS3 gaming quality that is so positively anticipated.
ReplyDeleteRyan, thanks for sharing this
ReplyDeleteyou dunno how you helped me out dude
Regards
I'm glad so many people have found this Philips monitor post to be helpful...I had no idea it would be so useful to so many people :)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeletethis review has been very useful for me! Could you post some other pics (with more resolution) of the monitor? I can't find anyone on the net, expecially of the back side!
Thank you again!!!
I've added a picture of the back for people to see...Not much to see, but how the plugs fit in there...
ReplyDeleteI also just noticed that it's an Energy Star model; so the fact that it's energy efficient is another plus...
Hi Ryan, I'm thinking of buying a Philips monitor, too. Image quality is the main thing I'm looking for. Does this 244E1SB have a better image quality, do you think, than other brands you've seen or tried?
ReplyDeleteThanks. I really appreciate your feedback. Looks like all of us who are trying to get info about this monitor are finding your blog!
Image quality is such a subjective thing...It's tough to make a judgement for other people since everyone sees things differently.
ReplyDeleteI will however compare it to two monitors I have had a lot of use with...A Dell and an older IBM monitor at work (not really fair since these monitors are older...) but the Philips does appear to have a better image...To my eyes at least.
For my own personal/home use, I have no complaints about the overall image quality. However, I did calibrate the monitor using Windows 7 (and not just use the factory settings).
Thank you very much for the photos, I bought the monitor online and it should be here next week :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like Ryan's "Chronicles of Montreal" is Alive and Kickin' can you give me good insight on where I can buy some good cold-cuts; Citterio brand? All the supermarkets around here are an expensive joke!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I need to buy a 1080p LCD HD TV like tomorrow and was doing some research over the weekend, found this forum, kudos to you for starting it.
I wanted to buy a 32" inch for $350.oo or under, read the Dynex models are total junk and die after 1 year of use. I have to down-scale size in order for a good quality unit.
Found this Philips very interesting along with this Samsung: http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5256652&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs and this AOC: http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4633272&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs but I've never heard of AOC before so.
Philips, highly-reputable as most people might not be aware of. Some people think, if it's not Japanese, it's no good! Samsung very good as well. All 3 of these units are similarly priced, but wondering which is best.
Philips has a high 25,000:1 Dynamic Contrast compared to 10,000:1 for the other 2. But it's down on the cd/m brightness which I'm hoping the higher Dynamic Contrast makes up for? How's your brightness?
All of them the same 5 ms response, refresh ranges, viewing angles, (although some spec information is lacking on the AOC link). So my main concern was the amount of / and what kind of inputs does the TV have in it's backside. There are no images, and few descriptions on the net that I could find.
There is only 1 HDMI Port, yes? a DVI and a VGA port I seen. I have to assume an ANT IN ofcourse. But what are we looking at for Components? The Audio In, Audio/Visual Jacks, any USB port, Optical/Digital Jack, where do I plug a speaker system into? Headphone jack...I think a girl asked before me?
What accessories comes in the box? Do you get an HDMI cable with it, this wasn't too clear? Remote ofcourse...and have you had any problems whatsoever with it from having it for 6 months already?
Another great factor is the factory 4 year warranty that crushes any other manufacturers warranty. Thanks for your input. I plan on buying a unit tomorrow.
Cheers...
-Gord
Thanks for your review! Have just ordered one based only on specs of many comparable monitors but decided on Philips as I remembered my Grandad's old Philips radio (3 short wave bands and 1 MW band!) with it's 'Magic Eye' and also the fact that Philips were in the forefront of Cathode Ray Tube technology! But... I digress... your review is just what I was looking for (to confirm that I had made a good choice)! Thanks very much and thanks also for all the comments... so much more info than official information alone!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments everyone...Sorry, for the late reply...I was on vacation in Miami Beach...I just wrote a quick micro-review (I seem to like doing that)...
ReplyDelete@Gord I heard recently that dynamic contrast ratios and all that stuff is pure marketing-speak used by manufacturers...There's no real standard behind those numbers and cannot really be used to judge...I used to loook at those numbers too, but now I tend to believe that the numbers have less meaning these days...
Gord, I think you may be confused...This is NOT a television...It's a PC monitor. No ANT IN, no USB ports, no optical jack, no HDMI cable, no remote control...Again, this is not a television.
If my monitor breaks down in any way you can be sure I will write about it right here.
Is the TFT panel itself glossy or matt ?? I see the frame is glossy ?? thx Gerhard
ReplyDelete@Gerhard The front of the LCD frame is indeed glossy as pictured.
ReplyDeleteI just got myself this one today. I already have a Philips screen for my PC (220CW, a slightly outdated 22" model) but as that one didn't work with my network TV receiver (HDMI->DVI, no success) I decided to get me the 244E1SB for several reasons:
ReplyDelete- HDMI Input, perfectly works with my receiver ("Telekom Mediacenter")
- Native 1080p HD resolution
- internal speakers - and Headphone plug
- DVI Input too, for dual use with PC and receiver
I already liked Philips' screen quality and therefore dismissed LC/Acer and the other offers of my local electronics megastore.
Right now I only use it as my TV set as I yet have to rearrange my room for this monitor's intended dual use. But the picture already is as satisfying as I expected it to be.
The speakers sound pretty flat, but that's nothing I didn't expect. For me, that's fair enough for TV usage, and my PC has its own dedicated speakers anyway (though you can connect your PC's speaker output to the Philips using the supplied chord). There's a headphone jack so if better sound is required, I have that option.
For this unit's price you really get a nice monitor/TV (HDMI receiver required), for me the option you get for this value.
@Stefan You're not the only one to pick this monitor up recently...I got a tweet from someone who just bought it too...Philips clearly has a hot monitor on their hands...
ReplyDeleteDoes you monitor exhibit something that looks like backlight bleeding *in the middle of the screen*?
ReplyDeleteI have some sort of vertical line in the middle of the screen that looks a lot like backlight bleeding.
Thanks!
Nick
No "line-like" backlight bleeding in the middle of my monitor...
ReplyDeleteIf you look closely at my first pic (Call of Duty game in progress) in the bottom left corner of the monitor you could kind of see some backlight bleeding happening, but that's it for my unit...
Thanks Ryan, looks like its RMA time...
ReplyDeleteNick
Hi , thanks alot for the review, it was very helpful as I am considering this monitor, and also till now I havent seen a review anywhere!
ReplyDeletehow is the brightness/contrast? any issues with reading or watching movies? thanks so much!
As far as reading (I surf a lot on the web) no issues at all for me. However, I watch most movies on my Sony LCD television, and I do personally think movies look better on my TV (I suspect it has better contrast than the monitor; but keep in mind that comparing this monitor to a LCD TV that costs a lot more is unfair). Having said that, (at least to me) movies still look good on the monitor. I never once thought "Oh this movie looks horrible on the monitor"...But everyone is different, and I guess it depends on how sensitive you are to these things...
ReplyDeleteGreetings Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI'm a senior and a writer, so I need good sized, clear text. Will this monitor do it ?
Also is it glossy or anti-glare screen?
Finally, TN screens use dithering to achieve full color which can be irritating. Can you turn it off and when you do does it affect picture quality at all ?
Thanks
Well, if you are looking to increase the font size that's a Windows issue (just select a font setting) and not a monitor one. Any monitor will show "whatever" font size you want.
ReplyDeleteThe screen itself looks anti-glare to me, the frame is glossy.
I'm not familiar with turning off dithering on an LCD, and cannot comment on that...
nice review i'm really close to buying this monitor but i am really worried about the headphone jack
ReplyDeletei can't see it on any of the specifications and screens
Marko, all I can say is that I have a headphone jack on my monitor...
ReplyDeleteJust purchased this monitor from TigerDirect.ca. The monitor goes dark after 30 seconds or so of use and then is unresponsive. This happens no matter what input device is plugged in (VGA, HDMI, DVI). The only way to bring it back is to unplug and replug the power cord. Trying to get a refund now from Philips.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in this monitor. I work on a Mac and want to connect my 15" MacBook Pro. I assume there will be no connection problem with this.
Do you think the quality and color management will be disappointing after using only Apple Monitors? Would you recommend this monitor for graphics work?
Thank you for pointing out that the monitor is anti-glare. I hate the shiny screen on my laptop.
To the previous comment with the power problem... were you able to resolve? I hope this would just be a one-off thing that is possible with any product you buy. Sometimes you just get a lemon. Hopefully Phillips was good to work with.
Lori
I've never worked on a Mac before so I cannot comment, sorry...But, I assume that it would not compare favourably to the latest (and way more expensive) Apple LED Cinema monitor currently on their website...
ReplyDeleteThe Apple LED Cinema monitor uses a more expensive/superior technology, so you cannot have the same expectations. You get what you pay for in this case.
Having said that, I would've been able to buy five 24" Philips 244E1SB LCD monitors for the price of one 27" Apple LED Cinema display. I don't need that image quality to play games and surf the web. It really depends on your needs and what you are looking for.
@Stefan I also intend to get this monitor and use it as both TV (via HDMI) and PC monitor. Tell me please, does it switch automatically between the input signals? eg, when there's no PC input, does it switch to HDMI and the other way around, or do you need to go in the OSD settings to make the change? Thanks in advance.
ReplyDelete@Ryan Thank you for this post. It helps a lot!
Hi, I am looking to buy this or Samsung P2450H for 20€ more.
ReplyDeleteDoes Philips have 1:1 pixel mapping, I need that for games?
Is there a DVI?
And can you tilt, pivot and move higher/lower?
A far as I can tell, it does not automatically switch between input signals.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a DVI input. You cannot adjust the position of the monitor at all: no height, tilt or pivot. I don't know how to verify if it has 1:1 pixel mapping or not, so I cannot comment on that.
Well, mine can tilt in all ways. 244E from TigerDirect. So far so good except couldn't find a way to keep the front LED control lights always on.
ReplyDeleteI looked again and mine does not appear to tilt...I would've had to use excessive force if I really wanted to try to tilt it...
ReplyDeleteIt could be that some people are now buying this year's newer model: Philips 244E2SB (which does tilt). The previous 244E1SB model does not appear on their "Top Sellers" chart anymore (used to be their #1 seller for a long time).
The biggest difference I can see between them is the use of LED lighting (which likely means it's also a bit more lightweight). It's also slightly less expensive than the old model.
Could be a good one to get, whenever I want to buy a 2nd monitor for a dual monitor setup...But that won't be for a while...
I'm also considering to buy this monitor.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to ask how bright can this monitor go?
How bright can it go? That's an interesting question...I never gave it much thought before, but the specs sheet says this:
ReplyDeleteBrightness: 300 cd/m²
I personally like my monitors not too bright, so it's not something I'm concerned with to be honest.
hei man,nice review.I have one question.I'm waiting fot his monitor to arrive,i've order it after an ACER h235hl dissapointed me.About the jack connection.Is there a jack in and a jack out ?I mean,cand i connect my laptop audio out to monitor?I dont have a hdmi on my laptop so i;m going to connect iot with vga and audio separately if i cand do thi.Sorry about my english :D
ReplyDeleteMy monitor is currently connected by VGA and audio jack from my PC. I do not use the HDMI connection anymore, since my video card (only one HDMI out) is now connected to my TV.
ReplyDeleteso u can connect it independently,10x a lot.it's arriving today,i'm goin to review it after i hooked it up to my laptop and ps3.keept in touch.any problems so far with the monitor beside the lighter corner that i read?
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful,the colours,image,design,touch buttons,the speakers.It's better than acer h235hl wich has led backlight and wich dissapointed me,after 3 weeks a black spot appeared on my screen.
ReplyDeleteIt has a dvi,vga,hdmi,an audio in and an audio out for headphones or other speakers.
There is no audio out on this model but it's possible to tilt the screen.
ReplyDelete//F
dude it has an audio out for headphones or if u want conenct to other speakers.i've got my 5.1 audio system connected with the jack out from the monitor.wtF?do u want a picture?
ReplyDeleteNo it hasn't any audio out only an PC audio in. You can look in the user manual: http://download.p4c.philips.com/files/2/244e1sb_00/244e1sb_00_dfu_eng.pdf
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't need any picture, I have the screen in front of me. If you have an audio output you don't have 244E1SB!!! The other model 244E2SB has an HDMI audio out.
WTF DUDE!!!!
//F
i have the 244E1SB/00 i just checked this on the back of my monitor.come on dude.....
ReplyDeleteeven ryan said in a comment that has an audio out
ReplyDeleteYou can also compare the product information from Philips, more convincing than random dude on internet.
ReplyDeletehttp://download.p4c.philips.com/files/2/244e1sb_00/244e1sb_00_pss_eng.pdf
http://download.p4c.philips.com/files/2/244e2sb_00/244e2sb_00_pss_aen.pdf
Read under Connectivity!
//F
I triple-checked my monitor and it says:
ReplyDeleteModel ID: 244E1SB/27
Now does that /27 at the end make a difference (instead of a /00)? I don't know...Maybe it does.
All I can say is that on my monitor, right now--for testing purposes--I have the audio in (from PC) AND audio out (headphones) plugged in at the same time. So I can confirm that mine has an audio out.
However, the audio out signal is VERY weak to the point of being useless...The weird thing is that I'm sure it sounded just fine when I was using HDMI in from my PC. Maybe this is another fault in my unit (even though I never use headphones through my monitor).
i have the same audio ports as Ryan .I don't know what the /00 or
ReplyDelete/27 means but the model is the same :24'',those 2 ports for audio,a dvi and a hdmi an the setting buttons are touch butons on the bottom left of the monitor that are iluminated white led.
The 244e2sb doesn't even have build in speakers like 244e1sb wich i have.I don't know what monitor do u have but me an Ryan and other guys who posted here we have and we where talking about the 244e1sb version.
I didn't know that the newer 244E2SB does not have built-in speakers (actually it makes me glad that I have the older 244E1SB model)...In any case, that's probably the easiest way to tell the difference between the two monitors.
ReplyDeletein the specification i didnt find any speker but in some reviews on other sites the people talk about how are the speakers so i guess that modle have them to.A huge different on the 2 models are the setting buttons wich in the 244e2sb ar in the bottom middle not like 244e1sb in the bottom left.A third different is the shape and the back is different.
ReplyDeleteGood point, I won't comment on the newer monitor since I don't have it. Physically, they are different, so that's the best way to tell them apart.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've seen is that you cannot always trust manuals 100%...We've seen that things may be omitted sometimes.
in other word i'm very happy with my monitor 244e1sb(i have it for 3 days) and hell ya PHILIPS have a good monitor in their hands :D
ReplyDeleteare u keeping your smart contrast or on off? i'm keeping it on and i notice a difference that is looking better with it turned ON.I dont think that affect in a negative way since they put it to setting.In the default setting it was set on off.
ReplyDeleteOmg this is confusing. I have for sure 244E1SB/00 and my buttons are on bottom right, and I have no audio out. 244E2 don't have built in speakers and is not a newer one, just a different model. Regarding smart contrast I keep it off, since it gives me the best result. I have connected the monitor with VGA cable. My PC don't support digital connections.
ReplyDelete//F
I uploades some photos to this link with the monitor and the connection ports.Hope they help others who want to buy this awesome monitor
ReplyDeletehttp://img262.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=1003265y.jpg
Thanks for the pictures! You can clearly see the two audio wires at the back too. I updated my post to include a link to them at the end.
ReplyDeleteI don't use Smart Contrast, seems to make the screen too bright for my taste. Still looks good either way :)
Thanks for the review, it helped me make up my mind.
ReplyDeleteHi, this monitar has a jack output for external HP or not ?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to plug my xbox 360 and the internal HP are not so good for me!
Thanks :-)
Woops, my question was already asked... sorry ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review, was also looking for one in English, as I am going to get this monitor as part of my new rig I am building. Reason I chose this monitor, is that I currently have a 107E5, and it hasn't given me a day of grief, compared to some of my other components.
ReplyDeletehey ryan, thanks for the review.
ReplyDeletecan you tell me If the monitor does PIP (picture-in-picture)?
Because I want to be on the computer (VGA) and at the same tame have a little square where I could see TV at the same time (via HDMI).
Is this possible?
Max, that's a good question...I actually do not know if it supports picture in picture, sorry
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it and never heard about that feature...Maybe someone who has the monitor can comment.
Hi Ryan,
ReplyDeleteQuick question for you please.
I'm looking to get this monitor for a small meeting room.
I think 1920 x 1080 resolution may be a little too high for people viewing the screen from a distance. Does the monitor support a lower widescreen res such as 1366 x 768? Thanks for your help
Hmm I'm not sure if it can specifically do 1366 x 768.
ReplyDeleteWhen I go to screen resolutions in Windows 7, I can see the resolutions go from 1920 x 1080 down to 800 x 600 (and several in between) but not 1366 x 768.
Hi Man,
ReplyDeleteYour post still helping people! Thanks!
@Koray, Cool I cannot believe this post is still helping people for this long :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review, it helps me to decide go for this monitor
ReplyDeletehey, is it possible to adjust the height of the screen? or is it stuck in one position?
ReplyDeletenice review :D
The monitor is stuck in one position. You cannot adjust the height unfortunately. Thanks for the comment :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing,
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me how it works for 1080p resolution videos....
It is brighter?
tell me about monitor colors also?
1080p videos work fine for me. I'm not an expert, but colors and brightness are fine for my home uses (which is mostly web surfing and some games).
ReplyDelete