Iiyama 3813

The compact size of TFT screens compared to CRTs, not to mention their rather more manageable weight, are both good reasons to consider opting for one on your desk. But for all their desirability, the number of TFT screens in use as PC monitors remains relatively low. The reason for this is, of course, price. While you can pick up a serviceable 17in monitor for about £250 or so, the cost of TFT panels is still significantly higher, with even relatively unambitious kit like this Iiyama 3813 commanding a price of £655.

A decent 15in TFT panel provides a view of the Windows Desktop which isn't significantly different to what you get from a conventional 17in CRT monitor. The sharpness of the TFT screen more than compensates in terms of readability for the slightly larger viewable diagonal afforded by most 17in CRTs. And with XGA the ideal resolution for both screen sizes, there's no significant advantage over using the CRT.

If you have the budget, something similar to the Iiyama is likely to be what you'll be looking for instead of a 17in monitor. When you take the integral tilt stand into account the unit is about 211mm deep, half the depth of a compact 17in CRT, and it weighs in at a correspondingly light 6.1kg. The panel itself has a 15.1in diagonal and operates at the expected XGA resolution, although higher resolution panels of this diameter are now starting to appear.

The 3813 model is a pretty basic affair, with no extras such as USB or integrated speakers. Iiyama offers a more featured model, the 3822, with a one up/four downstream powered USB hub in its stand and twin 1W stereo speakers for £835. The non-captive signal cable is preferable to a captive cable just in case it develops a fault and the D-SUB socket is the only interface present.

Setting up was easy - I just plugged in, powered on and selected the auto-setup option on the OSD menu. I didn't need the INF file diskette, as Windows treated the monitor as a basic plug-and-play device, but for complete accuracy the INF was installed. The auto-setup sequence managed to rectify some slight vertical banding from incorrectly adjusted clock and phase settings, with the image correctly sized filling the available area. The result was a crisp, bright image with no dull areas and no flicker or blurring. Colour reproduction was good, with both a pure background white and vivid, saturated colours which compared well against a reference 17in Diamondtron CRT.

CRTs still handle fast-moving action in video or games better than TFTs, which are prone to slight latency leading to ghosting as objects move around on screen. This isn't likely to be a problem in a business context, though.

The only problem that remains is price - £655 is a lot to spend on a basic monitor and I suspect that most people have more urgent calls on their budgets. Perhaps the time has come for some market-making price cuts in the industry - a strategy successfully employed by chip manufacturers - where volume is stimulated by selling for a while at a loss until the economies of scale kick in and the operation returns to profitability. In the meantime, those that can afford such a luxury won't go far wrong with the Iiyama 3813 which, although basic in features, is certainly a good-quality TFT.

Author: Dominic Bucknall