Product Reviews

With TFT panel yields improving all the time it was inevitable that prices would eventually start to fall, even for the larger screens. Diamond's XEN1810F is a prime example of this, featuring an 18.1in viewable diagonal while also integrating a USB hub and a TV tuner all for the remarkable price of £699.

Diamond Technology is a Hong Kong-based supplier of computer peripherals, particularly memory upgrades. The company has branched out into producing TFT monitors using proprietary electronics and LG-Philips panels. The XEN1810F slots into the increasingly popular 18.1in category and, with its attractive silver styling and built-in TV tuner and video connection options, it has serious designer office appeal.

The first thing that struck me about the XEN1810F was the number of input options. Neatly hidden at the rear of the base is an S-Video input, composite video with stereo RCA inputs, a headphone jack plus 3.5mm jacks for audio, a TV aerial input and a USB hub. Despite this mass of ports, the only PC connection was D-SUB VGA, with no DVI input. I find that 18in TFTs benefit from DVI, and it's a shame that Diamond hasn't included it. It's also disappointing that the power supply isn't integrated into the base.

In terms of basic image quality, the XEN1810F was an average performer.

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While general sharpness and resolution were hard to fault, it fell down on colour tests. First, poor high-end greyscale and colour extension meant that bright shades weren't clearly distinguished, reducing the dynamic range. Low-end greyscale extension was better, meaning that dark areas and shadows could be picked out - particularly useful for video and TV. There was also some mild stepping in colour fades, and colour blends weren't the smoothest we've seen.

The overall colour balance was slightly warm and, although there are preset options in the OSD, the lack of an RGB adjustment meant I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted. Overall, though, the XEN1810F is sufficient for general office work, but not suitable for graphics or colour-critical applications. It's also not the most responsive panel, lacking the pace for applications such as fast 3D.

One plus point, though, were viewing angles. This makes the TV option more usable, and full-screen TV playback was good. All the TV electronics are integrated into the chassis and automatic channel selection worked very well. Diamond also includes a remote control, making it a complete TV solution. One disappointment was the lack of a picture-in-picture option, although this may be included in future models. As well as TV playback, the S-Video and composite video inputs make the XEN1810F a tempting prospect for video editors or for conferencing applications.

The Diamond XEN1810F isn't the best 18.1in TFT we've seen, with general image quality rating as merely average. However, taking other factors into account, such as the TV tuner, video connection options and USB hub as well as the excellent price of £699, the package is more appealing. As a multimedia TFT it's certainly worth a look but, if your primary concern is a top-quality 18in TFT, then plump up the extra cash for NEC's MultiSync LCD 1810X (see Labs, issue 80).