November 2000

TEST DRIVE:

Flat Screens Pump Up the CRT Market

By Maria Medina

If you can't wait for large-screen LCDs to come down in price, you can get a sharp image and glare-free viewing with a flat screen CRT. Flat-screen designs are taking over the 21-inch monitor market, pumping a few more years into a passe technology.

"There are some advantages to LCDs that you can get with CRTs, without paying four times the price," says Herb Berkwits, senior product manager for ViewSonic, Walnut, CA. "Flat screens have injected new life into CRTs."

Flat-screen CRTs reflect ambient light downward, not into the user's eyes as do traditional CRT models. As a result you get a clear crisp image with reduced glare, much like a flat-panel LCD.

"Flat screens offer a much more natural, realistic viewing experience," says Andres Maldonado, product line manager for NEC-Mitsubishi, Itasca, IL. "Your eyes don't have to focus on curves and different distances."

Five out of seven monitors in this review feature flat-screen designs. The CM813 Plus from Hitachi America, Westwood, MA, and the GS815 from ViewSonic, use an Invar Shadow Mask.

Most experts agree that the transition to LCDs won't happen until they're more affordable, but Stephanie Wang of CTX, City of Industry, CA, says it's only a matter of time. "Making a tube is much harder than making a panel," says Wang, "but prices [for LCDs] are high because there aren't enough factories, compared to the number manufacturing CRTs. By 2005, LCD manufacturing facilities will have increased tenfold."

According to Rob Enderle, vice president of desktop and mobile technology at Giga Information Group, Cambridge, MA, the transition to LCDs won't even take that long. "We think the big move to LCDs will come in 2001," says Enderle. "Prices should come down like a rock in 2002."

Even if prices do come down, LCDs are still likely to cost more than CRTs.

Large-screen 18-inch LCDs currently cost anywhere from $2,399 to $3,495 (see "The Bigger Picture for LCDs," October 2000). In contrast, most of the 21-inch CRT monitors in this review cost less than $1,200.

Maldonado of NEC-Mitsubishi says there will be some erosion in price for CRTs, but not to the extent expected for LCDs. "Prices have stabilized for CRTs because manufacturers are adding these cutting-edge technologies," he explains. "You're getting a lot more for your money."

Another feature still attracting some attention in the CRT market is short-depth or "short-neck" design. In some cases, the depth on these 21-inch monitors is equivalent to that of a conventional 17-inch CRT. The design places the electron guns closer to the screen, relying on 100-degree rather than 90-degree deflection. With this approach, manufacturers have to pay special attention to the corners of the screen, which may be affected by incorrect beam deflection. Some manufacturers are altering internal components to minimize bulk while still deflecting the beam in the standard 90-degree angle.

CRT manufacturers continue to make advances in picture quality, delivering "near phenomenal" resolution, according to Enderle of Giga. For example, the PR 1400F from CTX boasts a maximum resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 at 77 Hz, while the SyncMaster 1200NF from Samsung, San Jose, CA, offers the same resolution at 79 Hz.

Another feature that is increasingly integrated is USB (universal serial bus). Four out of these seven monitors offer USB interfaces. With USB connectivity, you gain simple, low-cost, plug-and-play connectivity and you can control the onscreen display menu with your mouse rather than those annoying menu buttons found on most monitors. Not all manufacturers offer USB connectivity or a USB hub, which lets you hook up other USB peripherals. For example, the DP 2040u has both, while the MultiSync FP1350X does not include a hub. Maldonado of NEC-Mitsubishi says this trend will be accelerated with the adoption of Windows 2000, because it has much better support for USB peripherals.

According to Cahners In-Stat Group, a market research firm in Newton, MA, USB is already present in 99 percent of PCs shipping today. Furthermore, shipments of USB-enabled peripherals will grow an estimated 141 percent by the end of 2001 and an additional 55 percent per year through 2004.

Despite this evidence, not all manufacturers are convinced that their customers recognize the value of USB. "They're not willing to purchase it at an extra cost," says Wang of CTX, adding that removing USB cuts costs by $50 to $70. In this review, for example, the USB-connectable PR 1400F from CTX is priced at $999, while the non-USB-supporting AV-21TF from KDS, Garden Grove, CA, is priced at $899. Wang says that CTX may remove USB from certain future models to remain competitive.

Yet another wrinkle on the USB front will be the introduction of USB 2.0, which is expected by the end of this year. We're supporting 1.1, and we will support every version of USB that comes along," says Berkwits of ViewSonic. USB 2.0 is expected to be 40 times faster than the current 1.1 version. Enderle of Giga says USB 2.0 may beat out IEEE 1394 (sometimes known as Firewire) as the reigning connectivity standard of the future, but it may orphan equipment supporting the older standard.

"USB 2.0 may make a monitor hub a liability," says Enderle. "A USB 1.1 hub will most likely not work with any upcoming 2.0 devices, but 1.1 devices will work on USB 2.0."

All the monitors in this review performed acceptably and are capable of handling typical desktop business applications. All the monitors had accurate screen geometry, but they also all suffered slight screen regulation errors, which can impact image stability on the sides of the screen. CAD and graphics professionals should note our color results.

ViewSonic's GS815 was a top performer in our color tests. Priced at $819, this monitor was an overall solid performer, and we chose it for our Best Buy award.

NEC-Mitsubishi's MultiSync FP1350X, priced at $999, aced our tests with the best performance. The monitor delivered exceptional results in color and grayscale. It offers a nice overall design and the best menu navigation in the test, which is why we felt it deserved our Editors' Choice award.

PR 1400F

Vendor: CTX, City of Industry, CA, 626-581-2777
www.ctxintl.com
Street price: $999
Dimensions (W x H x D): 20.3" x 20.8" x 20.3"
Size: 21" (19.8" viewable)
Maximum resolution: 2,048 x 1,536 @ 77 Hz
USB: Yes
Video: 15-pin mini D-sub, BNC
Warranty: 3-year CRT, parts and labor
Performance: Accurate geometry. Good color uniformity. Good black-level and white-level saturation. Minor screen regulation error. Sharp text. Good grayscale gradations. Accurate color scales, but color brightness was marginal.
Design: Flat screen for low glare. Menu navigation was annoying; if you mistakenly press the Signal key, the monitor turns off.

AV-21TF

Vendor: KDS, Garden Grove, CA, 714-379-5599
www.kdsusa.com
Street price: $899
Dimensions (W x H x D): 20.3" x 19.5" x 21.1"
Size: 21" (20.1" viewable)
Maximum resolution: 1,600 x 1,200 @ 85 Hz
USB: Not available
Video: 15-pin D-sub, BNC
Warranty: 3-year CRT, parts and labor
Performance: Accurate geometry. Good color uniformity. Some image detail and contrast lost due to black-level and white-level saturation. Minor screen regulation error. Sharp text. Marginal grayscale distinction. Accurate color scales, but colors lacked brightness.
Design: Flat screen for low glare. Menu navigation was simple and user-friendly.

CM813 Plus

Vendor: Hitachi America, Westwood, MA, 781-461-8300
www.hitachidisplays.com
Street price: $959
Dimensions (W x H x D): 19.2" x 19" x 18.5"
Size: 21" (19.9" viewable)
Maximum resolution: 1,920 x 1440 @ 75 Hz
USB: Optional
Video: Dual 15-pin D-sub
Warranty: 3-year CRT, parts and labor
Performance: Accurate geometry. Good color uniformity. Good black-level and white-level saturation. Minor screen regulation error. Sharp text. Distinct grayscale gradations. Accurate color scales with bright colors and good contrast.
Design: Compact, short-depth design. User-friendly menu navigation.

DP 2040u

Vendor: NEC-Mitsubishi, Itasca, IL, 630-467-5000
www.necmitsubishi.com
Street price: $1,199
Dimensions (W x H x D): 19.7" x 19.7" x 19.0"
Size: 22" (20" viewable)
Maximum resolution: 1,600 x 1,200 @ 85 Hz
USB: Yes
Video: 15-pin mini D-sub, BNC
Warranty: 3-year CRT, parts and labor
Performance: Accurate geometry. Good color uniformity. Good black-level and white-level saturation. Minor screen regulation error. Sharp, focused text. Good grayscale gradation. Bright colors.
Design: Flat screen for low glare. Compact, short-depth design. User-friendly menu navigation.

MultiSync FP1350X

Vendor: NEC-Mitsubishi, Itasca, IL, 630-467-5000
www.necmitsubishi.com
Street price: $999
Dimensions (W x H x D): 19.0" x 19.7" x 18.6"
Size: 22" (20" viewable)
Maximum resolution: 1,600 x 1,200 @ 85 Hz
USB: Yes
Video: 15-pin mini D-sub, BNC
Warranty: 3-year CRT, parts and labor
Performance: Accurate geometry. Good black-level and white-level saturation. Minor screen regulation error. Sharp text and distinct grayscale gradation. Bright colors. Accurate color scales.
Design: Flat screen for low glare. Compact, short-depth design. Best menu navigation in this test.

GS815

Vendor: ViewSonic, Walnut, CA, 909-869-7976
www.viewsonic.com
Street price: $819
Dimensions (W x H x D): 20" x 19.7" x 17.8"
Size: 21" (20" viewable area)
Maximum resolution: 1,920 x 1,440 @ 80 Hz
USB: Optional
Video: 15-pin mini D-sub
Warranty: 3-year CRT, parts and labor
Performance: Accurate geometry. Good color uniformity. Rich black-level and good white-level saturation. Minor screen regulation error. Sharp text. Vivid colors. Accurate color scales and hues.
Design: Professional Graphics Series. Compact, shortest short-depth design in this test. Short-neck monitor using 100-degree beam deflection.

SyncMaster 1200NF

Vendor: Samsung, San Jose, CA, 408-544-4000
www.samsung.com
Street price: $899
Dimensions (W x H x D): 19.7" x 20.0" x 18.7"
Size: 22" (20" viewable)
Maximum resolution: 2,048 X 1,536 @ 79 Hz
USB: Yes
Video: 15-pin D-sub, BNC
Warranty: 3-year CRT, parts and labor
Performance: Accurate geometry. Minor tinting on screen. Good black-level and white-level saturation. Minor screen regulation error. Sharp text. Accurate color scales.
Design: Flat screen for low glare. Compact, short-depth design. Slick one-touch panel pops out for menu navigation.