From: awolfe@moo.princeton.edu (Andrew Wolfe)
Subject: Submission - Color Monitor Review
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 14:49:01 GMT
The following review of large color monitors may be of some interest. I visually evaluated a number of 16"-21" Multisync monitors for the Quadra.
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What I did on my Spring Break....
(A wholly biased survey on Large Screen Monitors for the Mac)
Background:
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I was looking for a large (19-21") multisync monitor for my new Quadra 700.
After an initial look at the offerings in the traditional Mac World - I
decided that I would get a CAD-grade Multisync monitor directly from a
monitor manufacturer. I have worked with monitors on an OEM basis for many
years and am comfortable with the technology. I also know that the is
generally a way to get higher quality at the best prices.
Advantages:
The big advantage of a multisync is that I will be able to run it either
at 1152x870 in 8-bit mode or 832x624 in 24-bit mode from my Quadra. I can
also move the monitor to another system someday should I be so inclined.
Microprocessor controls are also nice - allowing adjustment of picture size,
distortion correction, etc.
Disadvantage:
Most of these OEM's deal with the PC world (Although they are becoming Mac
aware quickly) Many cannot supply a MAC cable. All use BNC inputs - so any
Mac 21" cable should work. I plan to make my own by changing the 15 pin
connector on a VGA cable. Note that many PC-oriented moinitors say that
they will display 1280x1024, but they have a maximum horizontal scan rate of
64KHz. The Mac wants 68.7KHz for 1152x870.
I went to the CEBIT show in Hannover, Germany during spring break and spent
a day evaluating monitors. These were European models - but almost all are
available in the U.S. Note that these may have been hand selected units for
display - but I saw several units of most brands. Many units were displayed
by users, not manufacturers. Also - be forewarned that German distributors
have very high quality standards and will not tolerate a great deal of
variation among units, thus they may not get as many duds as we do here.
A general observation: There is a great deal of variation among units that
would seem to be similar. Particularly - Trinitron monitors which use the
same tube can vary significantly in quality. The best Trinitron monitors
are among the best available - but for a better price - standard tube units
provide almost as good quality. The worst Trinitron units were definitely
worse than the best Shadow Mask Tube units.
This can actually be explained in a rational manner. The market for
standard tube CAD monitors is large, large enough to show some notable
economy of scale. Unlike the mass market for 14" units though - they are
used by professionals who are quite critical. As a result - there are
excellent units available. My overall recommendations follow my comments on
individual units. If you make it to the end, I'll tell you what I bought.
My Comments:
Apple 21" Color
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1152x870 resolution only. Flat/Square Tube. .26DP
I only noticed Apple itself using this monitor. Many were quite good but
several had serious convergence problems (color fringing). Some were out of
focus. No Multisync and mucho expensive. (My educational price ~$3k).
Apple 16" Color
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832x624 resolution only. Trinitron Tube. .25DP
Very bright. Good Colors. Not the sharpest trinitron - but OK. Very large
for a 16" screen. (16" tubes seem to vary quite a bit in size - the
Trinitrons are quite large). ADB Ports. Quite a nice unit - but not enough
resolution for me. (My educational price $1040).
NEC Multisync 5FG, 6FG
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640x480 -> 1280x1024 Flat/Square Tube. .28DP
resolution including all Mac Modes
These are the flattest units I have ever seen - but it may be an illusion
caused by the bezel. They can display all the way to the bezel edge for a
large viewing area. Colors are quite good and brightness is good - but not
as good as the Apple 16". I saw over 20 of each of these. I found all of
the 17" units (5FG) to be critically sharp, but almost all of the 21" units
(6FG) have some misconvergence or lack of sharp focus. The 5FG is an
excellect choice if you want to run 1152x870 mode on a smaller screen.
Nanou Flexscan T560 (Eido? in Europe)
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640x480 -> 1280x1024 16" Trinitron Tube. .25DP
resolution including all Mac Modes (Maybe 1600x1280 as well)
This guy is spectacular. The Sony 16" tube with perfect display quality. I
only saw the manufacturer's units - but I saw 10 of them. These work on PC,
Mac, Sun, SGI, etc. The bad news... The price. About $1800 mail order in
the U.S.
Nanou Flexscan T660 (Eido? in Europe)
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640x480 -> 1280x1024 20" Trinitron Tube. .30DP
resolution including all Mac Modes (Maybe 1600x1280 as well)
As good as the T560. Spectacular 20" Trinitron. About $2800 Mail order.
Hitachi CM2087/CM2187
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640x480 -> 1600x1200 20" Spherical Tube .31DP or
21" Flat/Square Tube, .31DP
Supports all Mac Modes
These are real live CAD monitors from the old guard. They are designed for
people to stare at all day long. They are sharp and have reasonable colors.
For advertising, I would prefer the brighter Trinitron units, but for
everyday detail work such as DTP or CAD - these are excellent. Logitech
chose to use the CM2187 for their virtual reality demo. These have all the
features one would like to have on a non-Trinitron monitor, Invar shadow
mask, Dynamic Beam Focus, Anti-glare coating, microprocessor controls...
The CM2087 may be the bargain of the year. It pops up in Computer Shopper
for less than $2K. (Maybe even $1800). It is a quite good unit. Some
documentation says that the 20" cant do better than 1280x1024 - but it
doesn't match with other spect. I think it's just product differentiation.
The CM2187 adds a slightly larger Flat/Square tube and better anti-glare
coating - but at a price ($2500 or so). Hitachi monitors are distributed in
the U.S. by Nissei Sangyo America.
Hitachi America
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Hitachi America distributes another line of Hitachi monitors, the Accuvue
and Superscan series in 20 and 21" units. They seem to use the same tubes
as the NSA units and are close in quality - but the have a few less features
and cost about the same. I preferred the NSA units.
can't do any better in this class. Price - about $2800 discount.
Idek MF5321, MF5421
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640x480 -> 1600x1280 21" Flat/Square Tube. .26DP
All Mac Modes
The MF5321 is a .31DP and can only go to 1280x1024.
These are top quality units used by many CAD pros. They are consistantly
high quality. Very comparable to the Hitachi CM2187. $2400-$2800.
Ikegami CT-20V
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59-81KHz Hscan 20" Trinitron Tube. .30DP
Limited scan range - includes 1152x870 only
This unit was as good as the best of the Trinitrons. I was told (but not
shown) that the CT-20A was a full multiscan unit that was comparable. I was
warned that there were American units called CT-20 that were not up to the
same quality standards.
Mitsubishi Diamondscan 16L, 20L
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These were only mediocre units with traditional tubes. I was unable to
confirm that their scan rates were adequate for a Mac.
Sony CDP1604
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640x480 -> 1024x768 16" Trinitron Tube. .25DP
A reasonable 16" Trinitron. Low cost (I have seen it for $999).
Not quite as sharp as I would like - but close. Doesn't do 1152x870 mode.
Sony GVM1936
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640x480 -> 1280x1024 20" Trinitron Tube. .30DP
resolution including all Mac Modes
I was routinely disappointed by this unit. (note the 1604 is called the
1704 in Europe and the 1936 is the 2036). For some reason, this was not as
sharp as the Nanou, Taxan, or Ikegami. Many jittered as well. I saw a
number of the Sony units - including those shown by Sony - and none were
perfect.
Taxan UltraVision 1150
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640x480 -> 1600x1200 21" Flat/Square Tube. .31DP
This is an excellent unit - with one disability. It is not a true multisync
- but rather a sort of 'several sync'. It will work in 1152x870 mode or
640x480 mode or SVGA mode - but not 16" mode (832x624). Very sharp picture,
Very good colors, no pincushioning or other distortions. (Note: I only saw
one.)
Taxan UltraVision 1095LR
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640x480 -> 1600x1200 20" Trinitron Tube. .30DP
All Mac Modes
Spectacular! As good as the Nanou. Great controls with LCD display. You
Summary:
The very best units were the top Trinitrons. They were as sharp as the best
FST units and somewhat brighter with better colors. The Nanou T660 and the
Taxan 1095LR stand out as the best. The Ikegami is as good if you can figure
out what you are getting. The Sony does not measure up.
The Hitachi CM2187 and the Idek MF5421 are the next best in quality. They
provide slightly larger screens than the Trinitrons, Lower prices, and
better anti-glare protection. They are also somewhat easier to find due to
their popularity in the PC CAD market. The Hitachi CM2087 is not quite as
impressive but it may be the value leader.
The NEC 5FG and the Nanou T560 are the best 16/17" units. The NEC has a big
price advantage. The 6FG has a big display area - but it does not quite
match the 4 units above that I like better.
Sony - my favorite for public display use - got a thumbs down for the
desktop.
My choice - I ordered the CM2187 from Hitachi. My hope is that purchasing
can squeeze one out for less than $2400.
--
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Andrew Wolfe
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
Princeton University