Dealer Focus ? Monitors: Stars of the Big Screen

The big news is the 17in monitor is now the most popular model for upgrading; users are turning their backs on the traditional 14in and 15in units and proving that big is best. We?ve rounded up 15 high-end monitors capable of displaying a resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels

Before we go any further, it is important to remember that the 17in label refers to the internal tube dimensions, and not what you can actually see and use on-screen, which is always about 10 per cent less. An average 17in monitor may only have a viewable diagonal of 15.5in. Interestingly, thanks to recent legal action in the US, all monitor manufacturers are beginning to rename their products to avoid using the numbers 14, 15, 17, 20 and 21.

As graphical user interfaces such as Windows become increasingly dominant, users have realised the benefits of using higher display resolutions. You simply fit more on the screen, which not only increases productivity, but is a much more pleasant way to work. But the higher the resolution, the smaller the details, hence the need for a physically larger screen.

The humble 14in VGA monitor has finally been toppled from its number one sales spot by 15in models, while 17in monitors are becoming increasingly popular.

High-end graphics, design, pre-press and Cad users frequently go one step further to 20 or 21in displays, where A4 and sometimes even A3 documents can be displayed life-size. Some companies have developed rotating 17in monitors which allow you to display an A4 portrait document life-size, without the cost or size of a 21in model.

A 21in monitor may seem large to a single user, but if you?re making a presentation to several, or even hundreds of people, you?ll need something bigger. Beyond 37in CRTs you enter the realm of projection systems.

A video projector works very much like a film projector. You darken a room and project a large image on to a distant screen. Video projectors allow you to do this using computer or video signals, which are perfect for the huge presentation, or home cinema experience.

If space is at a premium, a flat LCD panel display could be the answer. A 15in 1024 x 768 panel display has an image similar in size to a 17in CRT, but costs about four to five times the price. On the plus side, they?re only an inch or so thick, consume much less power and emit far less nastiness. These size, weight and low power/interference advantages have made panels a big hit in scientific, space or military applications.

Save your energy

A 17in CRT monitor typically consumes at least 100W of power. Vesa?s DPMS system allows a compliant video card and monitor to automatically power down to around 25W on standby, then below 8W in suspend mode. EPA?s Energy Star system powers down to below 30W. Both systems are in wide circulation, and automatically act on user-definable periods of inactivity.

On-screen display (OSD) adjustment controls are becoming increasingly common. These are superimposed graphics which appear on the screen, similar to modern TV sets superimposing, say, a bar when you?re adjusting the volume. There are no OSD standards, so style, facilities and ease of use varies considerably.

Vesa has come up with several standards for plug-and-play monitors. Known under the banner of DDC (display data channel), they should in theory allow your system to figure out and select the ideal settings, but in practice this very much depends on the combination of hardware.

Users under fire

We all spend hours in front of a computer without giving a second thought to our safety. Just consider for a moment the monitor, which consists of extremely high voltage electron guns, firing streams of electrons sufficiently hard at a target of phosphors, that they glow brightly enough to produce an image. Those same guns are pointed directly at your face for several hours a day, and are understandably of great concern.

Over the past few years monitor manufacturers have conformed to a whole range of safety standards. First is the now ubiquitous Swedish MPR-II of the early 90s, which reduces electrostatic emissions. Stricter is the Swedish TCO 1992, which demands stiffer levels for emissions, as well as compliance with the EN60950 international standard for electrical and fire safety. The most recent and strictest of all, TCO 1995, also addresses environmental and recycling concerns. Each system adds more to the cost of a display.

Conclusions

We were stunned at the superb quality and value offered by most of the 17in monitors we tested. Virtually all models will give change from #500 plus VAT, and offer excellent performance, well worth your strongest consideration either as a first purchase or an upgrade.

Several trends other than low price were quite apparent. First is that almost all manufacturers have adopted on-screen controls, and many have added sophisticated options to eliminate undesirable moire patterns and adjust colour temperature, all in one of several languages.

Safety and the environment have seen a much stronger look-in this year, with many models meeting the strict TCO 92 and the even stricter TCO 95 specifications on emissions and packaging. All models supported power saving, while Vesa DDC plug-and-play was considered standard.

We expected to see several monitors offering the universal serial bus (USB) and acting as the system?s hub, but all the manufacturers said they were waiting to see how the market develops. Philips and Samsung have recently demonstrated new monitors with optional USB support, but neither could get any to us in time.

LCD panel displays are certainly arriving en masse, and despite high cost, are already finding comfortable niches.

It was the monitors featuring aperture grille tubes from either Sony or Mitsubishi that most impressed in terms of image quality. Some people cannot overcome the two fine but visible damping wires running horizontally across the screen, but we rate the overall image very highly.

Testing a monitor often takes specialised software and several hours of hard work. If you have to test one in a hurry here is the PC Dealer quick monitor testing guide.

By the way, this works best using Windows 95. First stand about half a metre (about 2ft) from the monitor making sure you have a clear view of the screen?s edges and corners.

Geometry The first test is designed to determine the monitor?s geometric quality. Optimise the Windows desktop but leave a few millimetres of free space all around. Determine if the edges of the desktop are straight using a sheet of paper. Adjust the screen if necessary. Bent edges and a less-then-optimal screen fill suggest poor monitor geometry.

Colour fastness Right-click an empty area on the desktop and select ?properties? from the pop-up menu. Disable any background graphics and select the ?appearance? tab. Select pure blue, red, green and white as a background colour. In each case check the screen for spots of a deviating colour. Pay particularly close attention to the screen corners.

Next start the Windows Paint program (start ? programs ? accessories) and draw a black circle on a white background. Turn the monitor?s brightness and contrast levels to a minimum and check if the screen is truly black. Then turn the levels to a maximum and see if the circle is still black instead of a bright sort of grey.

Focus The simplest way of testing focus is by starting Wordpad (start ? programs ? accessories) and completely filling the screen with black lowercase e?s on a white background. Check the white space in the top half of the letter and see if it is equally big all over the desktop. Pay close attention to differences between the e?s in the centre and e?s near the edges; e?s that hardly show any opening at all suggest a poor focus.

Linearity Linearity is hard to measure on a standard system. If a spreadsheet (such as Excel) has been installed, you can use that. If not, you have to find another way of filling the screen with uniform rectangles. Drawing and copying them using Paint is one way of solving the problem. Once the screen is filled with rectangles check that they are all the same size, both horizontally and vertically. Usually the bottom row will be smaller and the rightmost column wider then the rest. Big differences suggest a poor linearity.

Drawing a circle (using Paint) and checking its roundness can also be used as a linearity test.

Convergence Convergence can be checked by looking at the edges of the desktop. Thin red, green or blue lines ? most likely to be found in the corners ? suggest the electron beams that make up the three primary colours do not converge completely.

Moire Moire patterns are not easy to find. The simplest way of finding them is to experiment with differently striped background patterns that can be constructed from within desktop ? properties ? background. When you see a distortion of the pattern while looking at it from a distance you are probably seeing a moire pattern.

Moire resistance is usually the enemy of a good focus and the latter is considered to be more important.

Standards Ever since governments started to concern themselves with computer monitors (mainly as a health risk) the number of standards (both industrial and otherwise) has risen dramatically. So much so that nowadays the average consumer can make heads nor tails of the matter. That?s a pity since an understanding of the standards can give a clear picture (pun intended) of the quality of monitors.

MPR I & II One of the most widely known monitor standards is MPR, maintained by Swedish bureau SWEDAC. Obviously the more recent a standard, the stricter it is. MPR deals mainly with magnetic, electrostatic and electric fields. A monitor that complies with the MPR II standard hardly gives off any harmful radiation.

TCO 92/95 Much more comprehensive is the TCO standard which is also Swedish. Apart from radiation this standard deals with energy consumption, ergonomics, linearity and brightness. TCO 95 is one of the most uncompromising standards to date.

ISO The International Standard Organisation has developed ISO 9241 for monitors. It puts demands on design, manufacturing and quality.

Trinitron vs Chromaclear Trinitron has been around for several years in ordinary TV sets. Chromaclear has been developed by NEC as an alternative. Both technologies are aimed at improving image sharpness -? especially at higher resolutions -? without introducing moire patterns.

Trinitron, developed by Sony, solves the problem by using an ultra-thin metal wire mesh as a shadow mask. It is kept in place by two horizontal wires. Those wires cause two fine dark lines that can be seen against a white background on all monitors equipped with a Trinitron tube.

With Chromaclear the dots remain a rectangular shape but the three colours are moved closer together horizontally. The holes in the shadow mask are elongated and placed in a slightly random pattern. This guarantees a sharp picture without introducing distortion.

The Reviews

Eizo Flex Scan F56

Eizo has always been associated with high-end displays and this model is no different. The F56 includes TCO 95 certification, has probably the best on-screen display we?ve yet seen, and a case which has some slightly unusual details.

The OSD is dead easy to operate, with a large square button. The graphics are high resolution, intuitively detailed, and even animated to ensure you know what?s going to happen if selected.

The enormous array of functions includes six languages, moire and convergence adjustments, and the best colour control out of all the monitors: colour temperature can be adjusted in 500K increments.

The tube is excellent, boasting a bright, clean and sharp image which suffers from no misconvergence and only the very slightest ghosting.

The F56 has a maximum HSF of 86KHz which will support 1280 x 1024 n/i at 80Hz.

It may be possible to find the F56 cheaper than the price quoted, but at #599 plus VAT, it?s only a tad cheaper than our most expensive monitor, the Viewsonic PT775, which at #615 plus VAT may only be TCO 92, but offers a Diamondtron tube with a maximum HSF of 96KHz.

ADI Microscan 5G

It really is remarkable what you can get for your money these days. This brand new ADI Microscan 5G boasts an impressive maximum HSF of 94KHz, TCO 95 compliance and a picture that would delight most people, all for the bargain street price of #429 plus VAT. Yes, that?s right, for that money you can get a 17in monitor which can display 1280 x 1024 n/i at high refresh rates, even have a fair stab at 1600 x 1200, and not pollute the environment.

Like Iiyama, ADI has become a well-known name by getting its monitors sold by a large proportion of PC manufacturers, and more importantly, by producing decent goods. The 5G represents the top of the range, although you wouldn?t think it from the price.

The case is plain, with the controls located under a fold-out panel. There?s no adjustment for moire or convergence, but everything else, including three-colour temperatures, is present.

The picture is unblemished, suffers from no streaking, and while not the absolute cleanest, is certainly extremely usable. The convergence is slightly out in the extreme corners.

True, the more expensive models offer an ultimately crisper and cleaner image, but you?d be hard pushed to notice unless side by side, and besides, a 94KHz TCO 95 17in monitor for #429 plus VAT is simply unbeatable.

Iiyama Vision Master Pro17

There can?t be many company names which begin with a double I, but we say thank goodness for Iiyama for getting so many of its decent monitors sold as standard with up-market systems from clued-up PC manufacturers. All the better if you can choose a top monitor when you buy your PC, so full marks to companies like Iiyama for getting its quality products out there.

The plain Vision Master is a fine monitor using an FST, but it?s the TCO 92 Diamondtron-based Vision Master Pro model we?re looking at, which is well worth the extra pennies.

The maximum HSF of 92KHz can display 1280 x 1024 at higher refresh rates than our test signal, and if you?re feeling ambitious, the Pro17 can just about handle 1600 x 1200 n/i at 69Hz, although at this setting on a 17in everything is really getting a bit too small. A disk with specs for Windows 95 is supplied.

At the back are a choice of BNCs or a DSUB, and Iiyama generously includes cables for both ? video connection with separate BNCs offer a better image. At the front are a mere three buttons used to navigate the informative OSD.

The Vision Master Pro17 boasts all the usual Diamondtron traits of a bright, vibrant, clean and crisp image, although remember the two damping wires across the screen.

The Pro17 has recently been reduced in price and should be strongly considered.

CTX 1785XE

At a typical street price of around #429 plus VAT, the CTX 1785XE is joint cheapest with ADI?s 5G in this high-end category. Its maximum HSF of 85KHz could easily handle our test signal, and the tube is compliant with TCO 92 in terms of safety and emissions.

It features a slightly unusual case, with the lower right corner dominated by a large circular power button, and an even larger analogue brightness dial. The rest of the digital controls lie in a flip-out panel, and cover all geometry aspects, four colour temperatures, selection between the DSUB or BNC video inputs, and contrast adjustments; no moire reduction or convergence alignment controls though. The clear OSD is a refreshing change, however, being much more colourful and higher resolution than most.

If you?re being picky, convergence is slightly out, and overall the picture is a little soft. The tube is also slightly more curved than average. So saying, the well-focused image and decent spec are certainly very good for the price, and will satisfy most users who can?t compare it side-by-side with one of the higher performing models. The CTX 1785XE would normally receive a high recommendation but for the ADI 5G, which offers similar quality, with a maximum HSF of 94KHz and TCO 95 for the same price.

Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 87TXM

Mitsubishi is the only manufacturer to come up with its own aperture grille tube technology based around the original Sony Trinitron principles. Its Diamondtron tube design has been refined over the years and now offers excellent performance at a decent price, also forcing Sony to become more competitive. Remember that all aperture grille tubes employ two fine but visible horizontal wires across the screen to dampen shocks or vibrations.

The Diamond Pro 87TXM uses the same specified 86KHz tube, controls and OSD as the Taxan Ergo Vision 750 TCO95, but Mitsubishi has left the 87TXM meeting TCO 92 regulations, while Taxan has gone the whole hog to TCO 95. TCO 95 adds environmental and recycling requirements to the already strict controls on emissions and power saving set by TCO 92.

The image on the 87TXM is identical to that of the Taxan 750, with bright, vibrant colours, good convergence, but ever-so-slightly ghosted shadows when pushed to its limits.

Controls are under a discreet panel, away from prying fingers. Inside are four selection and two adjustment buttons, which cover the wide range of corrections. The moire reduction facility is effective, and like the Taxan 750, the power supply and regulator are extremely stable.

The 87TXM and Taxan 750 are likely to carry similar low street prices, which leaves the decision down to case design, brand loyalty, and of course the bonus of TCO 95 compliance from Taxan.

Hitachi CM611ET

Hitachi is one of biggest names in monitor manufacturing, and it has recently demonstrated a 19in model for those who yearn for something larger than 17in, but can?t afford the money or the space for a 21in. In the meantime, however, this is its higher-end 17in model, with a maximum HSF of 92KHz and TCO 92 compliance. At 92KHz you?ll be able to display a resolution of 1280 x 1024 n/i at a high refresh rate of 85Hz.

Somewhat unusually for a higher-end model, particularly with an above average maximum HSF, the 611 is fitted with a captive DSUB video cable only. The bright and chunky OSD is easy to use with a set of six function and adjustment keys. The range of controls is fairly basic, but includes a choice of three colour temperatures ? two preset, and one user defined.

The image suffers from no convergence and minimal moire problems, which is fortunate since there are no controls to sort these out. Where the image disappoints is in its overall softness, a slight blur and lack of focus all over, particularly in the corners.

LG Electronics Studioworks 78T

LG Electronics, formally known as Goldstar, has decided to stick with the LG name across its product range.

The 78T is its higher-end 17in model, offering a maximum HSF of 85KHz, and some interesting design features. The case is much narrower at the back than many, which could be an important consideration for those with little space.

The most unique aspect of the 78T is its OSD and control system. The brightness and contrast controls ? rocker switches ? are recessed under the case on the right side and should be held either to the left or right to adjust the settings, which appear on-screen. On the left side, equally recessed, is a dial which is used to activate and cycle through the OSD options ? the large oval button on the front bezel at the left is used to confirm.

The image is OK, but nothing overly special at our test settings. There was a little streaking, misconvergence and moire, without controls to adjust, and a slight striped effect resulting in not the cleanest of pictures. The 78T is a fair, reasonably priced monitor, but cannot compete with the several superb models we?ve tested this year.

NEC Multisync XV17+

Innovative NEC invented the technology which allows a monitor to automatically lock on to any signal within a set range of frequencies, a capability now taken for granted. Last year, it came up with a new display technology for computer monitors. Called Chromaclear, the tubes featured slotted masks with vertically aligned, elliptically shaped phosphors (see CRT technology box). In simple terms, Chromaclear is said to offer the brightness and vibrancy of an aperture grille tube, but without the wires or instability.

In reality, Chromaclear is certainly a lot brighter than a standard shadow mask FST, and while still sensitive to shocks, it is much more resilient than an aperture grille, although the grilles still win in terms of ultimate vibrancy.

The XV17+ is NEC?s entry-level 17in monitor, and has just been upgraded to feature a Chromaclear tube. The image is bright and clean, shows almost no streaking or misconvergence, and is almost eerily paper-like. It?s not quite as in-your-face as an aperture grille and the power regulator lets the side down a little.

NEC has fitted its high resolution, colourful OSD, although there are no controls for moire, convergence, rotation or colour temperature ? but it has to be said that none needed adjustment. The case is simple but attractive, and the system TCO 95 compliant.

Panasonic Panasync/Pro 5G

Panasonic?s Panasync/Pro 5G is its highest end 17in monitor, sporting a maximum HSF of 86KHz, two sets of video inputs and TCO 92 compliance. The case is a very neat design, with a slimmer than average bezel around the screen itself, and a simple row of four buttons which operate the controls.

The OSD features blocky, but colourful and recognisable icons, which cover a wide range of adjustments, including user definable colour temperature, signal level selection, and separate vertical and horizontal moire, which successfully eliminated our undesirable test patterns. You can also select between on-screen languages of English, German, French, Spanish or Italian.

The image is clean, crisp and free from any problematic artefacts. Very close inspection reveals very slight ghosting and streaking, but nothing to worry about. Convergence and focus were fine, which along with a decent power regulator, make for a decent picture overall. It?s not as in-your-face as the aperture grille models, but bright and sharp enough to compete.

The Panasync/Pro 5G is a good monitor but even at a reasonable street price of #499 plus VAT, it?s up against tough competition from the likes of Sony, Mitsubishi and Taxan. It all boils down to personal preference, as to whether you plump for the virtues of a shadow mask or an aperture grille tube. The Pro 5G is a fine representative of the former technology.

Nokia 447Xi

Nokia?s 447Xi is based around a Sony Trinitron tube, with a maximum HSF of 92KHz and TCO 95 compliance. With 92KHz you can display a resolution of 1280 x 1204 n/I at an impressive refresh rate of 85Hz, a whole 10Hz higher than our 80KHz test signal.

While the Trinitron tube is, of course, immediately captivating, the Nokia case grabs you first. The surrounding bezel is enormous (the same as that used on Nokia?s multimedia monitors). And we?re not just talking speakers and microphones either, as Nokia offers a version of this monitor with a built-in video camera ? those electronic conferences await. Somewhat curiously however, there are no BNCs on the 447Xi, just a captive DSUB video cable.

Nokia?s OSD is more impressive than the standard Sony offerings, with clear graphics and tons of options, including convergence, but sadly no moire control. There is a choice of seven languages, seven preset colour temperatures and two user definable ones as well. Nokia supplies a disk with Windows 95 details and a CD to help the user get the most from the monitor.

The picture is extremely bright, vibrant and clean.

Smile CA-1706

At an estimated street price of #449 plus VAT, Smile?s CA-1706 is one of the cheaper models to be featured in this high-end category. It certainly has more than a few physical differences with its competitors. It is the only monitor in this entire feature not to use an on-screen display, instead opting for a backlit LCD panel in the lower left corner. Round the back are BNC connectors only, although fortunately Smile supplies a suitable cable.

Like the Sony 200SFT, Smile?s 1706 features a maximum HSF of 80KHz, only just being able to lock on to our test signal of 1280 x 1024 n/i at 75Hz. The overall picture is fairly bright and clean. However, unlike the Sony, the image at this setting lacks resolving power and suffers from quite noticeable streaking.

Convergence is OK, which is a good job since there are no controls to adjust it, or moire for that matter ? however, no moire was seen in our tests, due to the 1706 simply not resolving the troublesome patterns at all. Power saving can be activated at preset times by the monitor itself if so desired.

The 1706 may be cheap, but it?s only a few pounds less than excellent models by Mitsubishi, Sony and Taxan.

Sony Multiscan 200sft

Sony?s new Multiscan 200sft only just squeezes into the high-end category with its maximum HSF of 80KHz; this means it?s capable of displaying our test signal of 1280 x 1024 n/i at 75Hz, but no higher. A floppy disk is supplied with details for Windows 95 systems. Equally curious is Sony?s choice of fitting a captive DSUB video cable rather than the choice of DSUB or BNC plugs more commonly found on this type of product.

Also slightly unusual considering the plethora of controls available these days, Sony has not bothered to offer trapezium, moire or convergence adjustments to its very basic OSD. It is a little annoying not being able to minimise the slight moire present on some patterns, but at least the convergence is perfect.

The 200sft boasts the crispest and cleanest image of any of the already highly capable aperture grille monitors on test here; even the edges are incredibly sharp, and bear in mind that this is it being pushed to its very limits. Sony?s Trinitron tube also offers unrivalled colour and brightness uniformity across the screen. There are absolutely no shadows or ghosting, and the power supply is perfectly happy; the 200sft is TCO 92 compliant. Remember that all aperture grille tubes have two fine but visible wires running horizontally across the image.

Even with basic controls, a captive video cable and a maximum HSF of 80KHz, it?s hard not to get enthusiastic about the 200sft as soon as it?s switched on.

Taxan Ergovision 750 TCO 95

At a street price of #493 plus VAT, Taxan?s Ergovision 750 TCO95 is one of the cheaper higher specified 17in monitors we have tested in this feature. Impressive for a Mitsubishi Diamondtron tube running up to an 86KHz HSF, which meets TCO 1995 requirements. These not only include the stringent terms of TCO 1992 for low emissions and power saving, but also many environmental and recycling issues. Taxan has always been a big supporter of the latest standards and it?s nice to see it featuring them without the usual high price tag.

The Diamondtron tube is, as usual, very bright and vibrant, and like all aperture grille designs, has two very faint wires running horizontally to hold it steady.

The image is sharp, clean and suffers from no misconvergence, although the slightest ghosting could be seen in some circumstances. Power supply and regulator are excellent ? unfazed by our normally tricky tests.

The OSD is controlled by four selection and two adjusting keys on the front bezel. The myriad of image controls include horizontal and vertical convergence, three adjustable colour temperatures and an effective moire reduction facility.

The image may be ever-so-slightly lacking the ultimate sharpness of the highest-end models, but at its price, the 750 makes an excellent choice.

Viewsonic PT775

Viewsonic?s new PT775 Professional Series monitor boasts the highest video specification of all models on test here. Its maximum HSF of 96KHz is more than capable of displaying our 75Hz n/i test signal, and can cope with resolutions of 1280 x 1024 n/i at an impressive 85Hz. Its 200MHz video bandwidth and 0.25mm aperture pitch ensure that even at this highest resolution, all details are crisp, clear and well focused.

The TCO 92 Mitsubishi Diamondtron tube displays its typical high brightness and vibrancy, without compromising on resolved details; remember that all aperture grille tubes including this one, are held steady by two faint, but visible horizontal wires.

The incredibly clean and crisp image suffered from no misconvergence, streaking or ghosting. The PT775 also has a good power regulator, which was virtually unperturbed by our tests.

The case is very plain, with only four buttons on the front panel, operating the straightforward OSD. Among the usual controls are those for moire, horizontal and vertical convergence, three preset colour temperatures and a user defined setting. Round the back are a choice of a DSUB or BNCs for video connections.

The PT775 is the highest performing model here in terms of raw video specifications, although this is reflected in its above average price tag; the highest out of all on test.