Product Reviews

TFT screens are becoming more abundant day by day, but despite improvements in the technology we rarely see them included with PC systems sent for review. High manufacturing costs and low yields mean they have a long way to go before they match the value offered by an aperture-grille CRT. However, genuine screen area measurements, saved desk space and a pixel-perfect digital picture are all areas where a CRT can't compete, and if money isn't an issue then a TFT is the luxurious option.

Mermaid's Ventura 170AT (reviewed issue 65, p170) showed how a 17in flat-panel monitor could win points for swish styling as well as its TFT screen, but its £2,894 asking price was even more stunning. While the Sharp's styling is far from the flash finish of the Mermaid, it still retains a professional look with a tidy stand that conceals the power and input cables, and a simple white bezel that isn't too much larger than the actual screen.

Sharp claims the screen has a 140-degree horizontal viewing angle, with 110 degrees vertically. This is above average, but far from the 160 degrees offered both horizontally and vertically on the ADI MicroScan 9L (reviewed issue 62, p198). While the picture is incredibly sharp, it suffers from a perceived variation in brightness across the surface of the screen. This is noticeable even if you sit straight in front of it, and is even more obvious if several people are looking at the screen

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from different angles.

There's also a distinct lack of the extra features normally associated with new TFT screens, with no USB or multimedia capabilities. While these features may be negligible to the professional, monitor-mounted USB ports are often useful, and the Belinea 10 18 10 (reviewed issue 67, p167) offers the same screen size with all the extra features for £68 less. That said, the Sharp comes fitted with an extra non-captive D-SUB input, so you could connect two computers to it simultaneously, and switching inputs is as simple as pushing the input button on the front.

Using the OSD control system is also simple enough, and is quick to navigate through. There's an Auto mode, which takes around five seconds to set up the optimal configuration for your system, but you may want to keep it in Manual mode. The pixel tracking and timing tests in DisplayMate Multimedia Edition were very unstable using the automatic settings, but manually adjusting the phase control produced an impressively solid display.

Using the screen at its native resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 produced an impressively sharp picture, and with the TFT's genuine viewable 18.1in screen area this resolution isn't only usable but also pleasurable. The anti-aliasing in other video modes was sufficient, but there were still quite noticeable jagged blocks, and dropping the resolution down to 1,024 x 768 produced a wide-screen image where the screen had been reduced in size vertically but not horizontally.

If you're looking for an 18in TFT and are prepared to pay the price, the T181A's sharp image won't disappoint you. The only issue is that Belinea is offering a similar specification with more features for significantly less money, while the ADI MicroScan 9L has vastly superior viewing angles. Another alternative is a high-quality aperture-grille CRT, like the 21in Natural Flat Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 200 (reviewed issue 66, p166). True, it won't look as neat and stylish, but it does cost £1,410 less.