Want to buy Samsung T260HD Where to buy?

[SavageNorseman]

Hey guys,

I'm in a bit of a jam hopefully someone can help me out:

I have a Samsung T260HD monitor that my friends just put a nice new "ding" in the middle of the screen, so I am looking to buy a new one to replace it with but the item has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

Now I know the new "P" series monitors are out and the replacement for my unit is a 27" screen, but it also has 1920x1080 resolution and only 1 hdmi port vs 2 hdmi and 1920x1200 that my screen has. Not to mention I have grown attached to its bezel shape/design etc. etc. So I am really attached to this particular screen...

Does anyone know where I can stilll find one? I have looked in all the obvious places: Amazon, Newegg, TigerDirect...

I could kick myself because I saw the price go down to 330USD at Newegg just before the discontinue... So I am definitely not wanting to pay more than 400 bucks like some of these sites are asking (Amazon).

Is there someplace I might have missed that isn't too shady and is between 300-400 bucks?

I see an auction on ebay asking 420 bucks but even if I bite the bullet on the price the seller has way too many negative feedbacks (in 6 months even) for my liking...

 

[SavageNorseman]

Yeah, I figured everyone would be just as stumped as me and that's ok these things ARE discontinued after all.

I just wonder if I chance a factory refurb... is it possible that it will have a scratched screen too? I imagine the following scenario: Average user owns monitor for some time/years, during which the whole unit; bezel, screen etc take "normal" wear and tear i.e. scratches/dents then something catastrophic happens like the power unit inside the TV pops and it no longer turns on. Average Joe then sends it in to Samsung for warranty repair, they send him a nice new unit and the old one gets refurbished... In refurbishing Samsung replaces the blown power supply unit but everything else is left "as-is" and then resold as a "Refurbished" unit at a discounted price... Am i right? or do they replace everything with any cosmetic damage and make it "Like-New" again - sort of?


Next major question: who the hell thought it was a good idea to downgrade from 1200 vertical pixels to just 1080. I assume the reason to do this is because 1080 is a big buzzword these days and most people wouldn't notice. How long do you think this trend will last?

Man now I have to wait til' the 1080 craze is over (hopefully NEXT year's model) before I can get a new screen... >_<

F U Samsung! And LG too, they did the same thing.

 

[jaguarskx]

Typically only the part that no longer functions is replace.

Ultimately, it is the consumer who decides what products are successful and which aren't. Had not many 1920x1080 been sold, then it would have been a niche product and perhaps over time it would have been canceled.

 

[SavageNorseman]

Well the only benefit I see to 1920x1080 vs 1920x1200 is possibly higher FPS due to a slightly lower resolution.

Being that my single 8800GTS 640mb GFX card has a hard time pushing Crysis at 1200p on anything other than "low" settings where it ran on "high" settings on my 19" LCD before... I can see 1080 as a slight benefit, but I am still looking down the road when I upgrade, I intend to keep my monitor - especially such a nice huge 26" screen. The only thing that could replace that is an equivalent screen with 3D or a 30" at an affordable price.