Iiyama Vision Master Pro 514

It looks like the writing is on the wall for the poor old CRT, but it isn't dead just yet. As good as TFT panels are, there are still applications where the CRT is better suited, particularly when it comes to high-end graphics design. Two new monitors from NEC-Mitsubishi and Iiyama are vying for a slice of this market, both featuring the new 22in high-brightness Diamondtron U2 tube.

The main difference between this and previous Diamondtron tubes is the high-brightness mode. Both monitors feature a two-step mode: one for enhancing pictures and one for movies. This works well and is a nice feature, particularly if you plan to watch DVD movies or play games on your monitor.

Despite both monitors featuring the same tube, the Iiyama boasts a slightly higher maximum resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 at 85Hz compared with 1,920 x 1,440 at 76Hz for the NEC-Mitsubishi. The optimum resolution for both monitors, though, is 1,600 x 1,200, which the Iiyama managed at up to 100Hz, again just ahead of the NEC-Mitsubishi's maximum refresh of 91Hz.

The Iiyama also boasts a broader spread of features, with two non-captive D-SUB inputs, 1W stereo speakers and a USB hub with one upstream and four downstream ports. The NEC-Mitsubishi is fairly minimalist by comparison, featuring just a single D-SUB input, but at least it's non-captive, unlike its 19in cousin the 930SB.

However, the NEC-Mitsubishi wins back a few points thanks to its NaViSet compatibility, allowing all screen adjustments to be performed from the Display Properties panel instead of using the buttons on the bezel. This vastly simplifies the process of setting up the screen geometry and even includes a number of test patterns for perfecting other adjustments such as convergence. You'll need a DDC-CI-compatible graphics card for NaViSet to work, though. For more details, see NEC-Mitsubishi's website (www.necmitsubishi.com/naviset).

To test the monitors, we connected them to the D-SUB output of our test PC's Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card and set the resolution to 1,600 x 1,200 at 85Hz. We tested the monitors in turn using DisplayMate Multimedia Edition 2, allowing 30 minutes for them to warm up.

Thanks to NaViSet, setting up the NEC-Mitsubishi was simple. That said, we couldn't obtain perfect geometry. The screen suffered from some minor barrel distortion and a slight hooking at the top right of the screen, which couldn't be adjusted out using the corner hooking controls. This is a minor complaint, though, and overall the NEC-Mitsubishi's geometry was excellent and very linear.

The Iiyama also boasts solid geometry and exhibited similar defects to the NEC-Mitsubishi, particularly a slight hooking, this time at the bottom left. It lacks corner-hooking controls too, meaning this couldn't be corrected. The Iiyama was also slightly less linear, displaying more geometric distortion at the edges of the screen, although the effect is imperceptible in normal use. It has poorer power regulation too, and resizing windows to full screen causes a shift in the screen borders.

The gap between the two monitors widened when it came to the all-important sharpness and resolution tests. Vertical resolution was excellent on both monitors, but the Iiyama displayed noticeably finer horizontal resolution. Colour convergence was also more accurate on the 514, and both factors resulted in better focus across the screen. This was particularly noticeable when viewing 9pt white text on a black background, with the NEC-Mitsubishi slightly blurring characters and the Iiyama displaying sharper text.