That Syncing feeling...
First and foremost the
SyncMaster CA750 has an awesome name. Seriously, SyncMaster? Wow,
Samsung. Just wow.
Secondly, it is a widescreen monitor. Yes, it offers a host of additional features, but its primary utility, for the majority of consumers will be its 27”, 1920 x 1080p display. You may have grown up ogling such a screen in your living room. But up close, on a desk, eight inches from your face, it’s a different story!
Netbook users will rightly regard the
CA750 as a monster, a sleek, shiny black monster. Working on top of the device, one can truly appreciate the 250cd/m2 Brightness, 2ms (GTG) Response Time, 16.7 million Colour Support and its Mega Dynamic Contrast ratio, whatever the hell that means!
Basically, it looks crisp, vivid and, best of all, expensive (Probably because it is, with a price tag north of €490!)
Attempt, however, to employ the
CA750 as anything other than a widescreen medium for images and video, and the problems begin to pile...
As a cabled monitor, it performs admirably, conveniently packaged with VGA and USB cables. A HDMI lead is not included, which comes as a massive shock to approximately no-one. But should you have one lying about, the physical hook-up is simpler still.
Unfortunately its software drivers are not written onto the wireless hub (or dongle) but instead must be installed via CD. This is both old school and accomplishedly foolish for a number of reasons...
1. Many Netbooks, and some Notebooks, don’t house CD trays. Good thing they’re not the target market right?...
2. This procedure adds yet another layer of hassle to a product billed as one of convenience.
3. Installations errors and absent drivers are frustratingly common. I thought it was just my disc, but a quick peek online proved the issue more widespread.
Yes the
CA750 is a pain in the rump to set-up! It could well prove overly taxing to the layman or the occasional *ahem* Tech Journalist. Perhaps with a faultless installation CD and impeccable wireless the
SyncMaster could have lived up to its lofty moniker.
But these are factors beyond most of our control.
As a wireless hub, the
CA750 allows for a far from seamless experience. There are seams all over the shop! A limited receiver range (70cms, without obstacles or barriers) hinders basic functionality. God forbid you lounge in an armchair while checking your email. Also, the decision to go wireless (though assuredly a niche for
Samsung) prevents the monstrous 2540 x 1440 resolution of comparable monitors. And worst of all, blotchy connections result in crippling lag or loss of connection.
These errors can effortlessly transform the most mundane tasks i.e. typing up a review in word... into arduous tasks.
Problems compound when you burn your fingers on the awkward wireless dongle, suddenly realise you’ll need to drop more green on a set of speakers or gently brush against the monitor, prompting it to wobble like a bobble-head!
Indeed, the
CA750 is a wobbly, precariously balanced slice of hardware. The Central Station is slim and svelte and makes for a tidy under carriage. However wish the slightest accidental jolt, our
CA750 shook, rattled and rolled like it was on a Vegas strip!
In its defence, the Central Station concept, a hub replete with HDMI, USB 2.0 and 3.0, VGA, Ethernet and Stereo, is a good one. As mentioned, the SyncMaster
CA750 is a new direction for
Samsung, and carving themselves an identity in the wireless monitor market is an excellent strategy.
As a novelty however, it works better in concept than in practice. All those extra ports certainly come in handy, however without a PC robust enough to keep pace, the
CA750 is little more than a stylish paperweight.
And considering it was developed with Note PCs in mind, older models perhaps lacking USB 3.0, HDMI or even a CD tray, consumers should think long and hard on whether the wireless benefits outweigh the convenience of a bigger, higher resolution monitor with inbuilt speakers and a lengthy HDMI cable...