Eizo FlexScan L567

The last couple of Eizo monitors we've reviewed - the ColorEdge CG18 and the FlexScan L695 - have been application-specific affairs. With its colour-matching abilities, the CG18 was aimed squarely at graphics professionals, while the L695 was designed with trading floors in mind.

The L567 comes from Eizo's MultiEdge series and is aimed at a wider corporate crowd. Its predecessor, the FlexScan L565, was our A List 17in TFT for an entire year, so we were interested to see how its successor held up. We were immediately impressed with the styling, although it's also available in beige: this allows TCO 03 certification, while the black colour limits this variant to TCO 99.

The two integral speakers are capable enough for Windows alerts, and nine control buttons provide comprehensive and intuitive control over most display functions. The thin 12mm bezel lends itself to tiling and its ArcSwing stand provides an impressive degree of movement. Vertical tilt angles are generous, but you'll have to move the base to swivel sideways. The screen can be lowered to desk level, then raised by up to 165mm. The Anglepoise-style parallel motion arrangement also allows the screen to be moved forward and back relative to the base in the manner of an iMac. In addition, it's the first TFT we've seen to offer 90-degree rotation to portrait mode in both directions.

Using DisplayMate Multimedia Edition 2.1 to give the screen a thorough workout, some problems began to show. While its focus was sharp throughout, there was noticeable interference in the pixel-tracking test, where a fine mesh of white dots should have been displayed immaculately. We expect to see problems of this ilk on cheaper monitors with analog connections, but not when using the DVI-D input on an Eizo.

The colour purity tests showed the panel to be uniformly well lit. In the colour and greyscale ramps, blending was superb with little banding in evidence. However, we were slightly disappointed to see darker shades coming out black. While the colour blending in the spectrum test was passable, it wasn't of the calibre we've come to expect from Eizo.

Our real-world tests were another mixed bag. The viewing angles, both horizontal and vertical, were typically excellent, as we'd hope from the Super-IPS panel. The Desktop was clear and ghosting undetectable, but we did find the screen to be rather reflective. The relatively poor 35ms response time created some eye-straining lag for games, but DVDs proved watchable. These last two tests may be irrelevant for Eizo's intended corporate market, but they still highlight weaknesses. Similar can be said of the price, which will be negotiable for bulk buyers.

A significant sea change has occurred. As last month's TFT Labs indicated, the competition has caught up with Eizo. For individual users, there are several better-value choices to be made, including the A-Listed LG Flatron L1800PK (see issue 108, p135). For £10 less, this offers noticeably superior performance as well as an extra inch of viewable diagonal.

But the L567 will still appeal to corporations. Its low emissions and low power consumption matter on a large scale, and compatibility with the huge variety of Eizo extras will also prove tempting.

Author: Nick Ross