CTX EX1300

Mitsubishi set a new precedent with the Diamond Plus 200 (reviewed issue 66, p166), offering a 22in Diamondtron NF tube for just £589. With this in mind, other monitors such as the ADI MicroScan G1000 (reviewed issue 68, p161) offer cheaper shadow-masks with a wider range of features such as USB functionality and BNC inputs. At £599, the CTX EX1300 is positioned happily above value shadow-masks with its features, but is also competing with high-end aperture-grille technology.

When flat-screen tubes were first introduced, it took a while to adjust to their concave appearance. However, now that they're becoming a standard, the old curvaceous shadow-mask tube is showing the test of time, and it's often difficult to get the geometry perfect on a curving screen. However, the CTX EX1300 excelled in this area and, although not perfect in the middle, it was fine at the edges and adequate for most purposes. The screen regulation tests were also incredible, with no detectable movement, all of which can be attributed to the high-quality electronics concealed beneath the enormous cabinet.

With a cabinet depth of 545mm, the EX1300 is above average in size, so it's certainly worth considering whether you have enough desk space to support it. Comparatively, the ADI MicroScan G1000 has a much shorter cabinet depth of 440mm. At the back, however, you'll notice a good set of features, including BNC inputs and a four-port USB hub, although their positioning on the back of such a deep cabinet isn't particularly convenient.

The monitor supports an impressive maximum resolution of 1,800x1,440 at 76Hz, but despite its 20in viewable diagonal this resolution is too small to use practically. Even when running at 1,600x1,200 at 85Hz, it showed a loss of clarity and focus, looking slightly fuzzy. Optimally the EX1300 runs at 1,280x1,024, giving you a fair amount of screen area without losing sharpness.

Where the EX1300 started to show its weakness, however, was in the colour convergence tests. The initial poor alignment at both the horizontal edges and vertically at the bottom of the screen couldn't be corrected with the controls provided. The overall image quality was also let down by the corners being slightly out of focus, with visible black and white streaking. MoirÚ interference made it difficult to look at for long periods, and it was impossible to resolve it over the whole screen with the correction controls.

The OSD control system itself is well thought out and can be easily navigated. However, it's slightly limited in geometry options, although this area wasn't an apparent issue for the monitor. Elsewhere the controls are well featured with both horizontal and vertical moirÚ and convergence options, as well as colour balance controls.

While £599 is reasonable for a well-featured 21in monitor, it's worth considering that the ADI MicroScan G1000 offers similar performance and higher resolutions for £535. Do you really need all the features that the EX1300 offers?

The Diamond Plus 200 comes with two D-SUB inputs, which are often more relevant to users than BNC, and the USB hub on the EX1300 is hardly positioned conveniently. At £589 the Mitsubishi also offers a Diamondtron NF tube, so if you don't think you'll use the additional features of the EX1300, the Diamond Plus 200 is certainly a better buy.

Author: Ben Hardwidge