Eizo T550

Cathode ray tube monitors may be based on a technology over 100 years old, but they're still going strong, and recent LCD price rises have given the industry a much-needed boost. The latest development is ultra-flat screens, with no visible glass curvature. This results in a less distorted image, and a wider viewing angle.

With its fearsome reputation for producing quality monitors, I had high expectations of Eizo's first implementation of the new technology, the 17in T550. At first glance, it's pretty impressive. Coupled with a Matrox Millennium graphics card, the T550 produces vivid, eye-catching images using 32-bit colour at a resolution of 1,024 « 768. This is partially thanks to the Mitsubishi Diamondtron technology it uses, but also due to Eizo's patented digital signal processing unit tucked away inside the machine. If your eyesight is keen enough, the T550 can even cope with 1,280 « 1,024 at a refresh rate of 76Hz.

Unfortunately, despite its advanced electronics, the T550 does suffer from some basic faults. Bowing at the top and bottom of the screen is one and, unlike bowing at the side, this can't be altered using the geometric controls on the OSD. Another problem, at least with the sample sent for review, was an inconsistent focus around the screen. Although the top corners and the centre of the screen were pin-sharp, the left-bottom corner deteriorated to levels we'd associate with cheaper monitors, and other areas of the screen were similarly poor.

Some of these criticisms are allayed by the amount of thought Eizo has put into the T550's design. The company is keenly aware of the ergonomic problems facing long-term users of VDUs, and has done all it can to help. This means meeting the stringent TCO 99 recommendations on radiation, as well as designing the body of the monitor so that it can be tilted to the correct angle for viewing when it's sitting flush against a wall (the current advice on monitor position is that the top of the screen should be level with the viewer's eyes). The on-screen controls are also comprehensive, including an auto-sizing button and all the geometric and colour controls you'd expect. A handy bonus is the ability to disable the more advanced features, leaving just the brightness and contrast controls available.

For an extra £49 you can add built-in sound via Eizo's i-Sound unit, which blends into the fascia via a powered slot in the base of the monitor. This is slightly fiddly to set up, especially as the instructions aren't that helpful, but the sound quality suffices as long as you aren't intending to play rave music at full volume. If you have any USB peripherals - a printer or video conferencing unit, for example - you can use the slot to fit the £89 Eizo i-Station which adds four USB ports, but this requires an external power supply.

Despite my criticisms of the T550, you'll be amazed by the flat, bright image the Eizo T550 recreates if you've been staring at a goldfish bowl-like 15in monitor until now. It's just that when examined closely it falls short of our expectations. You should demand only the best when paying nearly £400 for a 17in monitor, and the A Listed CTX Futura 1795UA (reviewed issue 42, p127 ) remains a better bet.

Author: Tim Danton