Modest price cuts for sub-$600 monitors from Iiyama, Mitsubishi, and Televideo shuffle rankings on the chart.
Saturday, May 23, 1998 12:00 AM PDT
Our best buys
trade places this month. Shedding $60, Iiyama's VisionMaster Pro 17 hops up
to numero uno. With a more modest $26 price cut, Mitsubishi's Diamond Pro
slips to second. A great $171 price cut vaults TeleVideo's SVP270 from tenth
to fourth place. Of the eight new monitors we tested, only Dell's UltraScan
grabs a spot, at number eight; a higher-than-average price and a short warranty
keep it from ranking higher.
Top
10 Monitors (chart)
Capsule Reviews
SUMMARY
Iiyama VisionMaster Pro 17 PRO: $49 price drop, great graphics, ultracrisp text, easy-to-use controls.
CON: Two faint lines visible across screen. 15.9-inch viewable area, .25mm stripe pitch Diamondtron tube,
up to 85-Hz refresh rate at 1024-by-768 resolution, Plug and Play ready, three-year
warranty, 12-hour weekday toll-free support.
Iiyama 800/394-4335 www.Iiyama.com
Aggressive pricing, a super sharp picture, and a terrific
set of adjustments is the winning combination that's kept the VisionMaster
Pro 17 at the top of our chart for a year now. This Best Buy monitor proves
that you don't have to pay a fortune to get image quality that matches the
best professional monitors. And now Iiyama has made its VisionMaster Pro 17
even more affordable, reducing its price this month by $49 to $649.
Whether you're browsing Web pages, sifting through market data, or designing
a newsletter, this display is up to the task. Tiny digits in our worksheet
test screen were sharp, and subtle highlights and shadows in our scanned photos
were clearer than on other monitors. For instance, we displayed a picture
of a shady waterway with a beam of sunlight touching a grassy bank; most displays
turn the grass a fluorescent green, but the Iiyama's colors were true to life.
As with all 17-inch stripe pitch monitors, two very faint horizontal lines
(caused by wires used to secure the internal aperture grill) are visible against
white backgrounds.
The only thing you get with our other Best Buys
that the Iiyama lacks is TCO compliance. (TCO requires reducing electromagnetic
field emissions beyond even the strong MPR-II standard the VisionMaster Pro
17 and most other monitors today adhere to.) The Iiyama has a full suite of
19 advanced on-screen controls, including trapezoid, pincushion, and image
tilt--and they're all accessible through three simple buttons just beneath
the screen. When you activate a menu item, up pops a gauge that indicates
its adjustment level. One quibble: Iiyama could have made this feature even
better by adding numbers next to the gauge so settings are easier to remember.
SUMMARY
Mitsubishi Diamond Pro
87TXM PRO: $30 price drop, sharp picture,
great controls, color-correction utility. CON: Two faint
lines visible across screen. 15.7-inch viewable
area, .25mm stripe pitch Diamondtron tube, up to 107-Hz refresh rate at 1024-by-768
resolution, Plug and Play ready, TCO '95 compliant, three-year warranty, 12-hour
weekday toll-free support. Mitsubishi 800/843-2515 www.mitsubishi-display.com
The Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 87TXM dropped $30 this month to $719--enough
to let it hang on to its Best Buy, despite a powerful challenge from ViewSonic's
PT775, which got an even bigger price cut. This monitor didn't quite equal
the number-one Iiyama in image quality, and it costs $70 more. To its credit,
however, it has even better controls, and it comes with utilities for fine-tuning
the image.
Its sharp text matches the Iiyama's, and its graphics
are almost as good. For example, small details--such as beads of sweat on
a sprinter's brow--jumped out, and even the small numerals on a high-resolution
spreadsheet were sharply focused.
The 87TXM is well designed, and
graphic artists and business professionals who need to display complex images
or lots of information at once will find it very attractive. There's an elegantly
designed drop-down panel for quick adjustments to the contrast and brightness.
More advanced controls, such as those that let you demagnetize the display
and shape the image, are a snap to find and use.
Just to make sure
you can tune your settings to the nth degree, Mitsubishi's image-correction
utility combines shapes, colors, and patterns to help with the adjustments.
And when you're done, you can close the panel and get the buttons out of the
way. And the 87TXM adds something that the number-one Iiyama lacks: TCO '95
compliance.
SUMMARY
ViewSonic PT775 PRO: $100 price drop, crisp text, stunning graphics, color-correction
software. CON: Two faint lines visible across screen.
15.9-inch viewable area, .25mm-stripe pitch
Diamondtron tube, up to 119-Hz refresh rate at 1024-by-768 resolution, Plug
and Play ready, TCO '92 compliant, three-year warranty, 11-hour weekday toll-free
support. ViewSonic
800/888-8583 www.viewsonic.com
The ViewSonic
PT775 got a steep $100 price cut this month to $749. That puts this high-end
professional-class monitor on equal footing with the Mitsubishi Diamond Pro
87TXM, making it a Best Buy despite its slightly higher price. Its text is
equal to the Mitsubishi's, and its graphics are a virtual match for the number-one
Iiyama's: The flesh tones looked lifelike on the photo of Olympic sprinters,
and we noticed subtle details in the fabric of each uniform. And our screen
of a bowl of fresh fruit looked vibrant and ready to eat.
The ViewSonic's
controls are reasonably good, although they aren't as well designed as the
Mitsubishi's or as easy to use as the Iiyama's. Like Mitsubishi, ViewSonic
provides an image-correction utility with geometric shapes, patterns, and
standardized colors to aid you in getting your picture just right. And also
like the Mitsubishi, this monitor comes with certification of TCO compliance
(TCO '92). If you can live with its higher price and controls that aren't
as easy to use as our other Best Buys', the ViewSonic is a great buy--especially
if you work with photographs and graphics.
SUMMARY
Samsung SyncMaster
700b PRO: $170 price drop, attractive
design, fine and balanced display of text and graphics, basic controls very
easy to adjust CON: Cryptic menu icons. 15.7-inch viewable area, .28mm dot pitch tube, up to 100-Hz
refresh rate at 1024-by-768 resolution, Plug and Play ready, three-year warranty,
24-hour toll-free support. Samsung 800/933-4110 www.sosimple.com
You don't often see a company cut the price on a product by more than 20
percent, but that's exactly what Samsung did with its SyncMaster 700b this
month. This fine business monitor now costs only $529, which makes it a temptingly
affordable alternative to the more polished--and significantly more expensive--Best
Buys.
The SyncMaster 700b is targeted at small- and home-office users
who need a crisp all-purpose display for everything from balancing the books
to preparing presentations. In our tests the SyncMaster lived up to its billing,
rendering our spreadsheet, newsletter, and sample Web page with equal sharpness
and clarity. Although it could not match the Iiyama, Mitsubishi, and ViewSonic
at displaying scanned photos, the Samsung still did a very good job at the
task.
The look of Samsung monitors is distinctive, and the SyncMaster
has a truly eye-catching design, with angles and planes arranged to present
an attractive appearance when viewed from any angle. The look and feel of
most of its on-screen controls is intuitive--adjusting contrast and brightness
require just one button click each. However, the icons for advanced controls
aren't always clear, and they're crudely reminiscent of early DOS graphics.
SUMMARY
Samsung SyncMaster 700p PRO: Sharp styling, well-focused picture, easily adjustable plain-language
menus. CON: Cryptic menu icons, small viewable area, expensive.
15.3-inch viewable area, .26mm dot pitch tube,
up to 105-Hz refresh rate at 1024-by-768 resolution, Plug and Play ready,
TCO '95 compliant, three-year warranty, 24-hour toll-free support. Samsung 800/933-4110
www.sosimple.com
Samsung's $789 SyncMaster 700p is the professional
of the SyncMaster family. This is a very nice monitor, but unless you really
need its extra capabilities, the much less expensive number-four SyncMaster
700b business model is a better value. Compared to the 700b, the 700p has
slightly sharper text and noticeably better graphics.
The professional
model's general legibility was better on our Web page, and the 3D qualities
of the page's graphics were more apparent. You also get higher refresh rates
and capacity for higher resolutions--1600 by 1200 compared to the 700b's 1280-by-1024
maximum. While we doubt that most users will want to use even a 1280-by-1024
resolution with a 17-inch monitor, the 700p will allow you to go that high
while retaining an ergonomic 75-Hz refresh rate (compared to a flickery 60
Hz with the 700b).
Like its sibling, the SyncMaster has Samsung's
unique and handsome styling. The look, feel, and assortment of controls matches
the 700b--as do its crude, DOS-like menu icons. But Samsung throws in a color-correction
utility with the 700p. While some buyers will find the 700p's extra capabilities
worth its higher price, most people will be happier saving $260 by buying
the 700b.
SUMMARY
Panasonic PanaFlat PF70 PRO: Impeccable focus, flat screen reduces reflection
of ambient light CON: Expensive, initially appears to
display bowed lines (goes away in a few days).
15.6-inch viewable area, .24mm slot pitch tube, up to 106-Hz refresh rate
at 1024-by-768 resolution, Plug and Play ready, TCO '92 compliant, three-year
warranty, 24-hour toll-free support. Panasonic
800/742-8086 www.panasonic.com/alive
Want a flat monitor but can't afford to spend thousands
for a flat-panel LCD? Check out Panasonic's new PanaFlat PF70 17-inch cathode
ray tube monitor. It costs $849--$50 higher than any other monitor on our
chart but more than $2000 less than an LCD with a similar-size display.
Keep in mind that this is not the graceful, wafer-thin display you'll
find on the desks of Wall Street stock traders and executives with six-figure
salaries. The PanaFlat is as big and heavy as any 17-inch CRT. But Panasonic
uses its new Pure-Flat tube to accommodate a completely flat screen. Panasonic
says its tube uses an improved "shadow mask," with slots rather than dots
to improve color purity. Indeed, the focus on our test monitor was among the
best we've seen--razor sharp from corner to corner. Graphics looked fantastic--as
vibrant as on the Best Buy Iiyama and Viewsonic and even a bit sharper. On
our screen of a shaded waterway, for example, small leaves that tend to fade
into the shadows on other monitors stood out crisp and clear on the PanaFlat.
The four button controls on the light-gray PanaFlat are simple enough:
You use one to activate the menu, two to scroll up and down the menu list,
and a fourth to complete the selection. Only one other thing besides the PanaFlat's
high price vexed us: When you first look at lines or rows of text, they appear
slightly curved, as if the screen were concave. In fact, if you hold up a
straight-edge as a reference, lines are straight as an arrow on the PanaFlat--but
slightly curved on conventional tubes. We concluded that the PanaFlat's seemingly
curved lines are an optical illusion caused by years of staring at conventional,
curved monitor tubes. Sure enough, after a few days, the problem goes away.
SUMMARY
Dell UltraScan 1000HS PRO: Good price; spreadsheets and scanned images are very sharp; easy-to-use
and comprehensive on-screen gauges CON: Brief warranty;
two faint lines visible across screen 15.9-inch
viewable screen size; .25mm Trinitron tube; up to 105-Hz refresh rate at 1024
by 768; Level 2b Plug and Play ready, TCO-92 approved; one-year warranty;
24-hour toll-free technical support Dell
800/289-3355 www.dell.com
Can't decide which monitor to get with a new Dell system? For as
little as $165 more than Dell's cheapest intermediate-sized monitor, we would
urge you to opt for Dell's brand-new UltraScan 1000HS. The $649 price is also
reasonable if you want to buy the monitor as an upgrade to a system you already
have. Based on Trinitron technology--which tends to provide a brighter display--the
UltraScan 1000HS presented our business letters and scanned photographic screens
with surprisingly clear detail for a value-priced product. The 8-point serif
fonts in our spreadsheet were easy to read, and our photograph of glazed fruit
looked good enough to eat.
Adjusting the 1000HS is easy. An on-screen
menu selection lets you tweak every imaginable image aspect, from picture
tilt to trapezoid screen-shaping. And unlike many monitors, navigating through
the on-screen menus isn't tedious. Just touch a button on the monitor bezel,
and the appropriate gauge appears on-screen so you can make precise adjustments.
What blocks the 1000HS from climbing higher is Dell's short one-year
warranty. Aside from that, this is an excellent monitor. Whether you're designing
Web pages or drafting a financial plan, it's worth a look.
Beyond the Top 10
We evaluated
these systems along with the others, but they didn't score high enough to
reach the Top 10 Monitors chart.
Nokia Multigraph
447Xpro
SUMMARY
PRO: Bright,
realistic colors; extensive, easy-to-use adjustments; cool-looking design.
CON: Expensive, blurred text.
$729; 15.5-inch viewable area, .25mm stripe pitch Trinitron tube, up to
120 Hz refresh rate at 1024 by 768 resolution, Plug and Play ready, TCO'95
compliant, three-year warranty, 12-hour weekday toll-free support. Nokia 800/296-6542
www.nokia.com
The Multigraph 447Xpro has a lot going for
it, but a higher-than-average street price and less-than-perfect text kept
it from landing a spot on our chart. Dark--but blurry--text characterized
the 447Xpro's overall performance on our spreadsheet and newsletter tests.
On the upside, colors had a true-to-life quality. We also liked the monitor's
sleekly styled, faux-modern fifties look. It's easy to navigate on-screen
controls smoothly; you can adjust a wide array of controls by turning knobs
located on the monitor's front. The 447Xpro includes a control that permits
you to lock and password-protect your settings--a very good feature.
MaxTech XT-7861
SUMMARY
PRO:
Inexpensive. CON: Bland image quality, no toll-free support.
$269; 15.7-inch viewable area, 0.28mm dot
pitch, up to 75 Hz refresh rate at 1024 by 768 resolution, Plug and Play ready,
TCO'92 compliant, three-year warranty, 8-hour weekday support (not toll free).
MaxTech 800/936-7629
www.maxtech.com
MaxTech is known for
its low-priced monitors, and its XT-7861 is one of the cheapest 17-inch models
we've seen. (Its price is comparable to many 15-inch monitors.) Too bad its
debut in the Top 10 Monitors proved so disappointing. With weak, washed-out
graphics and dull, fuzzy text, the XT-7861 got the lowest scores across the
board. Generic looking and putty colored, the XT-7861 isn't stylishly designed
like Nokia's device. On-screen controls weren't as extensive as those you'll
find on other 17-inch monitors. MaxTech's three-year warranty is industry
standard, but the lack of toll-free tech support is miserly.
Note: This review has been changed to correct some facts. --Ed.
CTX EX710
SUMMARY
PRO: Good price, good selection of on-screen controls. CON: Ho-hum picture. $555; 15.6-inch
viewable area, .26mm dot pitch, up to 110 Hz refresh rate at 1024 by 768 resolution,
Plug and Play ready, TCO'92 compliant, three-year limited warranty, 12-hour
weekday support. CTX International 800/289-8808 www.ctxintl.com
PRO:
Fair price, simple design. CON: Spreadsheet and newsletter
text is ghosted. $547; 15.8-inch viewable
area, .25mm stripe pitch Trinitron tube, up to 85 Hz refresh rate at 1024
by 768 resolution, Plug and Play ready, TCO'92 compliant, three-year warranty,
11-hour weekday toll-free support. KDS 800/283-1311 www.kdsusa.com
Even though the price is right, the Avitron AV-7T, KDS's first venture
into the 17-inch Trinitron market, is a bust. The AV-7T faltered on our screen
legibility tests, pulling its score down to one of the lowest among this month's
new contenders. On our Word document, for example, letters had a light, gauzy
look, and on our spreadsheet test corner fonts were not well defined. How
do the AV-7T's graphics compare to those of this month's competition? While
it rendered scanned photos better than either MaxTech's XT-7861 or CTX's EX710,
the AV-7T was barely average. Colors on test images were intense, but its
graphics quality landed the AV-7T almost in last place. The AV-7T has a no-frills
look. Likewise, the on-screen controls were straightforward and bare-bones
in design: four buttons access and adjust the on-screen controls, but adjustment
required more button-pressing than we like.
CLR VisionPro 17plus
SUMMARY
PRO: Inexpensive,
crisp text. CON: Lackluster colors, clunky on-screen controls.
$463; 15.5-inch viewable area, .26mm dot
pitch, up to 120 Hz refresh rate at 1024 by 768 resolution, Plug and Play
ready, TCO'95 compliant, three-year warranty, 12-hour weekday toll-free support.
CompuLink Research
800/611-1555 www.clrusa.com
If you spend
your workday poring over business documents such as letters created in Word
or Excel spreadsheets, the nicely priced CLR Vision Pro 17plus can handle
the workload, right down to smaller fonts. Of the new monitors we reviewed
this month, it did the second-best job of displaying text. But if your work
also involves intensive graphics, the VisionPro 17plus isn't your best bet.
Colors tended to be faded and washed-out. The flesh tones in our test photo
of marathon runners looked unnatural and bland. The VisionPro offers the full
range of on-screen controls typical of most 17-inch monitors; however, its
controls are clunky to use. Adjustments--even simple ones like brightness
and contrast--don't execute smoothly.
Note: This review was updated
in July 1998.
Panasonic PanaSync SL70
SUMMARY
PRO: Great support
plan, attractive price. CON: Text could be sharper. $545; 15.7-inch viewable area, .27mm dot pitch, up to 60
Hz at 1024 by 768 resolution, Plug and Play ready, TCO'92 compliant, three-year
warranty, 24-hour toll-free support. Panasonic
800/742-8086 www.panasonic.com/alive
Few monitor vendors offer support plans as generous as
the one Panasonic provides for the PanaSync SL70. If you have a monitor question
at 2 a.m.--and who's to say you won't someday?--an around-the-clock support
line could come in handy. Too bad the PanaSync's picture is so unimpressive.
In our tests, text was not as sharp as it could have been and images tended
to be too dark. (For instance, pinstripes in a suit weren't as clear as on
some other monitors.) The basic-looking, putty-colored SL70 has four narrow
buttons for adjusting controls. But we were a little put off by the extra
steps ordinary picture adjustments take. With brightness and contrast, for
example, you have to click three times through the on-screen menu before you
can save a setting.
