Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 220

Maybe it's a sign of the times, but a good value, back-to-basics campaign seems to be the current trend in IT. Mitsubishi certainly seems to think so, with its Diamond Pro 730 (reviewed issue 79, p182) only sporting a single captive D-SUB, while ignoring frivolous extras like integrated speakers and a USB hub. The same can be said of the Diamond Plus 220 - Mitsubishi's new bare-bones 22in CRT monitor which comes in at £569.

There may be only one input, but it's thankfully non-captive. So, unlike the Diamond Pro 730, you can easily replace the cable. It also features Mitsubishi's new bezel design, which actually looks better on the Plus 220 than on its smaller 17in cousin.

Once the 220 is on your desk the screen is satisfactorily dark and non-reflective and, when switched on, the initial impressions looked promising. The screen is clear and sharp, and impressively stable too, although it lacks the striking bright image quality of some aperture-grille units.

The Plus 220 is the update to the Diamond Plus 200 (reviewed issue 66, p166), with the secondary D-SUB removed, and an increased high-resolution capability. You can now push it up to 1,920 x 1,440 at a vertical refresh rate of 73Hz. This pushes the CRT's limits, and Mitsubishi claims that the optimal resolution is 1,600 x 1,200 at 85Hz, although it lacks focus and clarity at this resolution, especially in the corners. I found the best resolution to be 1,280 x 1,024 at 85Hz, which still lacks satisfactory focus, but is easy to view without squinting.

Despite its disappointing corner focus, the Plus 220 proved to be impressive in other DisplayMate Multimedia Edition tests. The power regulation was superb, with no visible movement between light and dark screens. Horizontal and vertical colour registration was also very good for a large CRT.

I was further impressed by the advanced OSD, which includes correction controls for balancing the colour registration. There's also every geometry tweak you could ask for, with top, bottom and corner hooking. All of which means you can achieve near to perfection on the geometry front, while the corner purity options made for clean and pure colours across the screen. The only disappointment with the OSD was the single moirÚ control, but thankfully moirÚ wasn't a big problem.

The Diamond Plus 220 may not be packed with features, but a non-captive D-SUB is all most people need, and by sacrificing an extra input, you gain higher resolutions, a superb OSD and an otherwise fantastic screen. The only downfall is the disappointing focus at high resolutions, but this will be rarely noticeable in real-world usage. If you're looking for a high-quality, no-frills 22in CRT then the Diamond Plus 220 fits the bill.

Author: Ben Hardwidge