Product Reviews

The ColorEdge CG220 from Eizo is a 22in, wide ratio, professional colour LCD monitor. The specifications are excellent with a native resolution of 1900 x 1200 and 170- viewing angle on both horizontal and vertical planes. There's a USB 2 hub with two ports available and a novel cable management system attached to the swivel base. The monitor can be height adjusted and tilted for more comfortable viewing angles, while two DVI ports allow for dual digital inputs. There's no VGA, but adaptors can be used. It also supports ADC input with the appropriate adaptor. The CG220 is supplied with a hood to keep out light and it does a good job of keeping the image constant.

The CG220 is not the most attractive of monitors; its large black bezel and grooved top give it the appearance of a cheap, 1980s television. Across the bottom of the bezel are the controls, a selection of monitor features can be reached through a bank of nine touch-sensitive buttons and the menu system follows the patter of many LCDs with icons guiding the way. Once you've found what you need it's easy to follow. Gamma, colour temperature and saturation can be

As expected from a panel in this price range, colour performance was flawless. In our colour gradient test there was no evidence of stepping from any angle. Colours remained strong and accurate if a little dark, yet the range of set-up options soon fixed that problem. High-contrast motion tests showed that pixel response was a little sluggish, which isn't much of a problem in a repro situation, but if you're paying this much for a monitor, you need it to perform in every situation. It's not terrible, but it should be better. This problem is more apparent when watching action movies, with some obvious smearing, but the sheer size of the panel is impressive. Not that you'll be watching movies on it at work, obviously.

Text is crisp and clear with strong definition even at smaller point sizes. After extended use, the ColorEdge is still easy on the eye. Sharpness and contrast were good even before we'd begun to calibrate the monitor.

The CG220 is supplied with Eizo's Colournavigator software for use with the GretagMacbeth colour calibration hardware. Also, the installation CD contains some custom colour profiles.

At £3750 this monitor isn't for the general user. If your work is colour critical though, and you want to make the jump from CRT-based technology this could be the panel for you. The accuracy of the LCD and the adjustments possible through the calibration software mean that it can be customised to your exact needs. The price might make you think twice, but the quality of the panel will impress from the outset.