Eizo FlexScan L671

Although still a luxury option, TFT screens are gradually becoming more widespread, and the range of screens featured in our 15in TFT Labs in issue 71 showed increasing competition in the industry, so we may have a reduction in price to look forward to. In contrast to the bland appearance of many monitor bezels, the Eizo FlexScan L671 is actually quite stylish. The 18.1in panel is housed in a thin frame with a subtle, curvaceous cut-out at the bottom, sporting the familiar Eizo corrugated motif.

But the L671 isn't just a pretty face - it's got some serious specifications to boot. These include two non-captive inputs comprising a standard analog D-SUB and a digital DVI. You can also easily switch between inputs from the front panel. With the power supply built-in it can be easily arm-mounted, and there's also a built-in USB hub with one upstream and four downstream ports. There are no integrated speakers as standard, but you can attach an optional i-Sound LCD amplified speaker for £99.

To test it to its full extent, we connected the L671 to a Hercules 3D Prophet DDR-DVI, utilising nVIDIA's GeForce chipset with both D-SUB and DVI interfaces. First tests were with the analog D-SUB connection at the monitor's native resolution of 1,280 « 1,024, and the results were impressive. Pressing the Auto button on the front panel prompted a short delay while the screen configured itself, resulting in a very sharp image. However, putting the panel through its paces in DisplayMate Multimedia Edition showed that the automatic setting hadn't quite set up the phase and timing perfectly. Adjusting the phase using the OSD corrected the problem, although this reduced focus slightly. Overall, the automatic setting provided the best picture, as the phase misalignment had very little effect.

Switching to DVI took everything up a notch though, and without any conversion processes to muddy the signal, the Eizo really showed it's true colours. The screen simply couldn't be shaken, even under the most rigorous tests DisplayMate could throw at it. At its native resolution the Eizo is pin sharp and responsive, with no obvious ghosting, and video playback is stunning. The image quality almost matches CRTs, with fast scrolling, razor-sharp detail and vibrant colours. Viewing at the interpolated resolution of 1,024 « 768 was also impressive. The anti-aliasing becomes more noticeable at 800 « 600 and below, although it still retains impressive accuracy.

Eizo quotes 140 degrees horizontal and vertical viewing angles, although in practice these were closer to 120 degrees. This will make group presentations difficult, although the handy 45-degree swivel-base should help things along.

The main benefit of flat-panels is their pixel-perfect image, and even using the D-SUB input the L671 easily rivals our A-Listed ADI MicroScan 9L (reviewed issue 62, p198). At £1,999 the Eizo may cost the same as a high-spec PC system, but for the money you get a feature-rich TFT that comes closer than any to the image quality of high-end CRTs. The L671 is the best 18in TFT we've seen, and you'll struggle to find better.

Author: Gareth Ogden