Product Reviews

Envision Peripherals, formerly AOC International, is one of the world's largest producers of CRTs, with close to ten per cent of the overall world market share. AOC as a brand name, however, is probably better known in the low-cost OEM market. With the release of its latest 19in Spectrum 9KLR, AOC is now aiming at the higher-end user, yet retaining a low price point of just £225.

It's surprising to see a flat-screen CRT at such a low price, and squared up against the 19in CRTs in our recent group test (see Labs, issue 80, p102) it would have been the cheapest by £24. However, this isn't achieved without sacrifices: the 9KLR features just one captive D-SUB. The OSD is also very basic, featuring simple geometry controls such as pincushion and pin balance, with no corner-hooking, convergence or corner-purity options. Other OSD options are limited to colour temperature and horizontal and vertical moirÚ controls.

First impressions of the 9KLR weren't good - the dull picture lacked sharp focus at the test resolution of 1,024 « 768 in 32-bit colour. Geometry was fine, although it wasn't uniform across the entire screen area, particularly in the corners. The lack of corner geometry controls meant this couldn't be corrected, and there was also some mild barrel distortion

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that couldn't be fully rectified.

Focus was poor too, and with no convergence or focus controls this couldn't be addressed either. The degree of focus varied across the screen, producing an uneven image that could be distracting. Power regulation was reasonable though, and the slight movement of the screen borders during window resizing should be imperceptible in everyday use.

Colour performance was reasonable too, although compared to Hansol's 920D (see Labs, issue 80, p102) it was still poor. Greyscale and colour fades were handled well, with minimal truncation and smooth gradation. Much better was horizontal and vertical colour registration. However, even though colours were uniform, they lacked vitality, looking washed out.

Other concerns included visible interference patterns, which were probably due to insufficient shielding in the signal cable. MoirÚ interference was also a problem, despite the horizontal and vertical moirÚ adjustments.

The 9KLR has a maximum resolution of 1,600 « 1,200 at 75Hz, although the lack of fine focus makes it difficult to use in practice. Dropping to 1,280 « 1,024 made little difference, and it was uncomfortable to work at this resolution for extended periods.

Oddly, the focus improves noticeably as you lower the vertical refresh rate, with a visible improvement at 75Hz and a notable boost in quality at 60Hz across all resolutions. However, anything below 85Hz often results in visible flicker, and the 9KLR's poor performance at 85Hz and above is simply not good enough.

The AOC Spectrum 9KLR may be inexpensive, but its poor focus and visible interference are serious drawbacks. For professional use, it isn't in the same league as Iiyama's Labs-winning Vision Master Pro 451 (see Labs, issue 80, p102), and as a budget CRT it's eclipsed by Hansol's 920D, which costs just £24 more.