Eizo FlexScan L34

Although the pricing for freestanding TFT monitors is still regrettably high, more and more are appearing on the market. Presumably this is because manufacturers believe that if TFT is ever to become a mainstream technology then it has to start somewhere, even if that means right at the top, cost-wise.

There's no doubt that active-matrix monitors are reaching the point where they can match a 17in cathode ray tube in most important respects. The Eizo L34 illustrates this well enough with its 15in image diagonal, which is about an inch shy of that produced by a good 17in CRT. In a direct comparison, the greater clarity of the TFT screen more than compensated for its slightly smaller size, and it was sharper and more easily readable than the decent 17in Diamondtron-based unit stood next to it.

The Eizo follows the pattern of most current production TFT monitors, with an integral power supply and the ability to handle analog output directly from a standard video card, eliminating the need for a special board to drive it. Setup is consequently very simple, although a few extra seconds are needed to press-fit a couple of plastic covers onto the back of the stand to hide the signal cable once it's connected.

When an image has appeared on the screen you can finish the installation process with an OSD-type setup menu that lets you size and centre the picture, and, if necessary, fine-tune the analog-to-digital conversion process going on within the monitor to eliminate any screen distortions.

You can also select from one of three preset colour temperatures, each of which can then be fine-tuned by individual RGB intensity adjustments. The unit supports both Nutek and VESA DPMS power management - again selectable and configurable from the OSD.

With its 15in screen/image diagonal, the Eizo is slightly larger than a number of its competitors, which might go some way to explaining why it's expensive, even by TFT monitor standards. As I mentioned earlier, the large diagonal and superlative clarity are great assets where readability is concerned, but the Eizo scored well in all other aspects of image quality, too

The image was bright - again on a par with a quality CRT - and there was a good range in the contrast control, so the standard Windows grey wasn't washed out when the rest of the screen was at optimum brightness. The background white was pure and untinted straight out of the box, and the viewing angle, although not as wide as that of a CRT, was nevertheless wide enough to cope with any normal orientation between user and screen.

Although looks are less important than image quality, they still count, especially on an expensive status product like this, so it was encouraging to see that they hadn't been neglected. The base of the monitor stand has been kept nice and small, which along with the concealed signal cable connections and overall cabinet styling gives the unit a sharp technocratic look that should appeal to those with the money to buy it.

Author: Dominic Bucknall