The Samsung SyncMaster 957DF is the only monitor in the tests without a perfectly flat screen. It has a Dynaflat tube which does not use DiamondTron or Trinitron technologies. The Dynaflat is actually better than a conventional shadow mask because it results in much less distortion. Furthermore, the SyncMaster 959DF uses Highlight Zone, a technology also used by Philips, which can be used to set brightness parameters for a zone of the screen. This is done by pressing the relevant button on the facing to display a lighter and brighter zone, which can also be extended to fill the screen entirely, a bit like Mitsubishi Super Bright tubes. The SyncMaster 957DF screen has a display zone of 18" with a single pitch of 0.24 mm. It is not very rich in connections, just an RGB 15-pin wired-in cable. The refresh rate is 96 kHz and the bandwidth 250 MHz; the manufacturer claims a maximum resolution of 1920x1440 at 64 Hz, which is not a lot. Instead, recommended resolutions are 1280x1024 at 85 Hz, or failing that, 1600x1200, but only in 75 Hz.

There is no special problem with SyncMaster 957DF geometry. A few adjustments will resolve a slight trapezoid effect in 1280x1024. Verticality and horizontality are fine in their respective predefined resolutions. Beyond this, adjustments are needed to obtain a regular rectangular image over the entire screen, which, as we said, is not as flat as a Trinitron, for instance. So there is always a slight curvature round the edges. The OSD is controlled by four direction pad buttons, and two 'Exit' and 'Menu' buttons for validation. There is a fairly good range of options with precise moiré adjustment and heat values for colors. The Highlight Zone function notwithstanding, brightness on the SyncMaster 959DF does not compete with the leading products in this test, such as the Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 and the ViewSonic P95f. When the function is applied full screen, the image loses precision and stability, which is not very pleasant. That said, this monitor fits into the middle range and has no other special failing. We should add that this may not be Trinitron technology, but it does have the advantage of being the cheapest in the test.