Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 740SB

Lots of companies make monitors, but only a select few make the actual tubes. Even fewer make aperture-grille tubes - Mitsubishi is one of them. So you'd think that Mitsubishi would take advantage of this and be the first with its new technology, but no, we got our first glimpse of Mitsubishi's new Diamondtron M2 tube five months ago in the Iiyama Vision Master Pro 413 (see Reviews, issue 84, p140). Mitsubishi apparently delayed production so it could simultaneously launch its new product range internationally, and this includes the Super Bright Diamond Pro 740SB.

Super Bright (SB) is Mitsubishi's soundbite for the M2 tube, and it's still an impressive feature. There's even a simple switch on the 740SB to turn it on and off, and you can see the difference instantly. The SB mode was created primarily with photo and video editing in mind, and it's perfect for this. We tested the 740SB on several photos and a DVD movie, which it brought to life with vivid colours and exceptional brightness. Switching it off makes a photo look dull and grey in comparison.

You can't use it all the time though, as it loses focus and is too glaringly bright for day-to-day work. So, like the Iiyama, the Diamond Pro 740SB needs to prove itself as a high-quality monitor too.

First impressions were disappointing, as it only has a single captive D-SUB input compared to the Iiyama's two non-captive ports. And it costs £10 more. However, once it was fired up, burned in for an hour and running DisplayMate Multimedia Edition, it started to hold its head up higher. The geometry was faultless, with minimal bow and curvature across the screen, and the power regulation was also firm and solid with no border movement between light and dark screens.

Likewise, the horizontal colour registration only came slightly out of alignment at the far right, and the vertical convergence was satisfactory. The vertical resolution was clear and sharp across the screen, but unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the horizontal resolution. This gets worse from the centre outwards and blurs solid lines at the far edges. The end result is a lack of focus in the corners and at the edges, which is the Mitsubishi's Achilles heel compared to the Iiyama.

It's otherwise almost identical in terms of resolutions. The Mitsubishi will go up to a maximum of 1,600 x 1,200 at 76Hz, although the poor focus makes it unusable at this setting. Mitsubishi recommends 1,024 x 768 at 85Hz as the optimal resolution, and this is certainly where the 740SB was at its happiest - pushing it up to 100Hz worked, but it had a tendency to black out from time to time for a few seconds and then come on again.

The Diamond Pro 740SB is definitely an improvement on its predecessor, the Diamond Pro 730 (see Reviews, issue 79, p182), offering superior image quality and the advantages of the Diamondtron M2 tube. However, when it lacks the Iiyama's sharp focus and non-captive dual inputs - and costs £10 more - you're not getting nearly as much value. It will do the job if you can find it cheaper, but the Iiyama Vision Master Pro 413 remains our 17in CRT of choice.

Author: Ben Hardwidge