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MultiSync LCD2470WNX

Roman Loyola — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:42:18 -0500

It's so big, it's like having two displays on your desk.

With windows for instant messenger, email, Web browser, iTunes, and other apps filling your desktop - and that's not even considering the application you're actually working in - a standard 17- or 20-inch display can make you feel pretty penned in. And while a large screen such as the 24-inch MultiSync LCD2470WNX may seem pricey, it offers plenty of display space for all your stuff, and you'll save yourself the hassle of shuffling windows all the time. It doesn't hurt that the LCD2470WNX has gorgeous image quality too - but we do have to ask: Who names these things, anyway..?.

The LCD2470WNX has a native screen resolution of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels. It's a widescreen display, and our widescreen DVD movies looked great, with rich, accurate colors. We didn't notice any of the smearing that's common when watching DVD movies on some LCD monitors. We also tested the display with Doom 3, and although we had to turn down the resolution to get better framerates (that's not the display's fault - blame it on the 128MB ATI Radeon 9600 XT video card in our Dual 2GHz Power Mac G5) the game looked great. We could see the screen at extreme angles, and with our naked eyes we couldn't detect any unevenness in brightness.

The display is not only tilt-and-swivel adjustable, but you can also adjust the height, which you can't do with many displays. It can also pivot 90 degrees. The intuitive onscreen controls are easy to use as well. A nice touch is the USB 2.0 hub (four down port, one up port) for connecting your digital camera, flash drive, or other peripherals.

If you're thinking of getting a 24-inch (or larger) display to replace your 15- or 17-inch display, keep in mind that it takes a while to get used to such a big screen. Looking for anything on a larger screen is more of a physical task - you actually need to move your head more, and you'll have to adjust your mouse tracking too. After a week or two, though, using the larger screen will become second nature.

The bottom line. The LCD2470WNX is a big, glorious screen. And where displays are concerned the bigger, the better.

COMPANY: NEC
CONTACT: www.necdisplay.com
PRICE: $819.99
REQUIREMENTS: DVI
Great image quality. Easy-to-use controls.
Big size takes some getting used to. No built-in speakers (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).

ColorVision Spyder2express

Michael J. Shapiro — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:06:48 -0600

The Datacolor ColorVision colorimeter attaches to any LCD with a suction cup-as we've done here. Just don't expect perfect calibration from the Spyder2express software.

We've all fallen victim to the disparity between onscreen colors, color prints, and real life. Whether it's printed photos, a digital illustration you created, or the sweater you bought online, the colors just don't match up. You probably didn't know it, but you just entered the world of color management. Before you run for the hills, as far away from such geeky endeavors as you can get, let us assure you that companies like Datacolor are trying to make color management a no-nonsense task that nontechies need not fear. The ColorVision Spyder2express is a consumer-focused calibration kit for LCDs, CRTs, and laptops that promises pro-level color calibration for well under 100 bucks.

The complex pursuit of color management begins with monitor calibration. Mac OS X actually has a basic color management system; it's in System Preferences > Displays > Color > Calibrate. You have to lean back and squint at your display, but it gets you one step closer to trusting your monitor colors and matching your output. But for the best results, you need to turn to third-party devices.

The Spyder2express comes with the exact same hardware colorimeter sold with Datacolor's professional tool, the ColorVision Spyder2PRO ($279). The Spyder2express software disables many of the settings you find in the pro version. For example, the gamma (basically, the amount of contrast that affects midtone colors) is fixed at 2.2, and the white point (color temperature) is set at 6,500 Kelvin. Black and white luminance settings are also automatic, although, depending on your display, you may be able to make minor adjustments to brightness or contrast. Unless you have specific color requirements or you're just accustomed to editing all of your photos using the Mac gamma default of 1.8, the 2.2 gamma and 6,500 K settings should serve you well, as those are most common in the PC and Web world. However, any non-color-managed app on the Mac assumes a gamma of 1.8, meaning the 2.2 setting will make colors in those apps appear darker and more saturated.

The lack of adjustment tools is the biggest selling point of the Spyder2express - it's geared toward consumers who don't want to tweak these preferences. You don't need to know what "gamma," "white point," or other specialized terms mean. Just follow the onscreen instructions and let the colorimeter and software do the work. When approached this way, calibration seems like smooth sailing. The software calibrates only one display per Mac, though you can work around this by changing profile names in the ColorSync utility.

But the problem is that calibration isn't easy - there are so many variables that affect it, including monitor limitations and ultrabright default settings. In the interest of simplifying matters, the Spyder2express software attempts to remove these factors from the equation. But what it ends up doing is making it impossible for you to do anything about them.

We used Spyder2express to calibrate a Dell UltraSharp 1707 consumer-level monitor, because the Spyder2express isn't aimed at creative pros who own high-end displays. The results weren't impressive. The luminance was far too high (that is, too bright), and the highlights were too blue. We tested the Spyder2express on a 12-inch PowerBook LCD as well, and the resulting calibration also revealed too-blue highlights; in that case, however, the software set the luminance too low. Herein lies the catch: Low-end and midrange displays require more (not less) tweaking, making the ability to fine-tune settings essential.

The bottom line. If you care enough about color management to buy a calibration kit, you'd do better to invest in a tool that allows more control. Using the Spyder2express colorimeter with the calibration app that comes with Datacolor's Spyder2PRO gave us a far superior result than we got using the dumbed-down version of the software.

COMPANY: Datacolor
CONTACT: www.colorvision.com
PRICE: $79
REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.3 or later, powered USB port, 1,024-by-768-pixel or larger display
Intuitive interface. Inexpensive.
Difficult to fine-tune if the calibration produces an unacceptable result.

SyncMaster 215TW

James Ellerbeck — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 17:06:48 -0600

Your eyes will thank you. Your ears, not so much.

While 20-inch widescreen LCDs seem to be the norm, Samsung added an extra inch to the SyncMaster 215TW. That inch really matters, improving the viewing experience more than you'd expect, particularly when you're splitting windows or watching widescreen video.

The SyncMaster 215TW features a headphone jack and a built-in speaker (more on this in a bit). If you're using multiple video sources, the Source button comes in handy: Press it to switch between your Mac, your set-top DVD player, and your (apologies) Windows PC. The DVI input is compliant with Intel's HDCP DRM for HD content (think of it like Apple's FairPlay, used on iTunes Store content), so you're future-proofed should copyright-protected HD content become the norm.

Samsung's bundled MagicBright2 software offers different display modes (such as Movie or Text) that adjust the screen colors and brightness based on what you're viewing. This type of feature is becoming common on LCDs, but does anyone ever switch modes? Maybe it's one of those things we'll need to remind ourselves to do as more displays offer this feature.

The image quality is wonderful. The screen is pleasingly bright, and colors are rich. The sound from the built-in speaker, however, has a plasticky quality that didn't impress us. The SyncMaster 215TW has adjustable height and a fully rotational base - useful features you don't often see on displays of this size.

The bottom line. The SyncMaster 215TW should be on your short list if you plan to upgrade from a smaller desktop display.

COMPANY: Samsung
CONTACT: www.samsung.com
PRICE: $499.99
REQUIREMENTS: DVI
Great color and brightness. Extensive input options. Instant input switching.
Weak speaker. Display modes seem a bit gimmicky.

MultiSync 195WVXM-BK

Roman Loyola — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 22:52:33 -0600

No matter what anyone says, three inches is just not tall enough.

We want an Apple Cinema Display - or two - on our desks as much as the next person, but for most of us commoners, they're a bit pricey. So we're always looking for affordable alternatives. NEC's 19-inch MultiSync LCD 195WVXM-BK is just such an offering. It's a bit smaller than the 20-inch Cinema Display ($699, www.apple.com), but it's less than half the price, and as a general-purpose display, the 195WVXM-BK works quite well.

Compared to a 20-inch Cinema Display, and with both displays set to the same settings and color profile, the 195WVXM-BK was brighter (both are rated at 300 cd/m2), though we preferred the richer tonal reproduction of the Cinema Display. Business graphics and color illustrations popped nicely, and text looked clean and crisp. We didn't notice any streaking during DVD playback on the 195WVXM-BK, which has a 5-millisecond response time.

Our one major gripe with the 195WVXM-BK is its stand. It raises the display about 3 inches from your desk, and you can’t adjust the height - but hey, you were looking for something to do with that old phone book, weren't you? We do like how NEC placed the built-in speakers underneath the bottom left and right of the bezel in such a way that the speakers protrude toward the back. Too bad they produce tinny sound.

The bottom line. If you can work around its height restriction, the 195WVXM-BK is a great-looking LCD.

COMPANY: NEC
CONTACT: www.necdisplay.com
PRICE: $284.99
REQUIREMENTS: DVI or VGA connection
Nice image quality. Crisp text. Good brightness.
Can't adjust height. Speakers produce tinny sound.

SyncMaster 940BF

Roman Loyola — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:42:41 -0500

There's still a demand for standard-aspect-ratio 4:3 LCDs.

What sets the SyncMaster 940BF apart from most displays is its MagicTune software, which you use to adjust the monitor's settings, such as brightness, contrast, color tone, gamma, and more. MagicTune works much like the built-in controls of any display, but you get to use your mouse to point and click the options - an easier and more efficient way to navigate and make adjustments, compared to using the buttons on the front bezel (which you can still opt to use instead of the software). The one caveat: For reasons known only to Samsung, MagicTune for the Mac isn't bundled with the display, and it took some poking around Samsung's Web site to find it. Fortunately, the software is worth the time spent downloading it.

Software aside, the SyncMaster 940BF has decent overall image quality, despite some slight unevenness in the brightness of the unit we looked at. Colors in the photos we displayed looked realistic and even, and the SyncMaster 940BF handled DVDs nicely - we saw no noticeable streaking and good colors when watching Lawrence of Arabia.

The SyncMaster 940BF has only one VGA and one DVI connector. It doesn't have a USB hub, which isn't a bad thing - but for the price, you can't help wanting a few niceties. You can adjust the angle of the display by tilting it forward or back, but you can't adjust the height (the SyncMaster 940BF isn't alone in not allowing height adjustment, but it would be nice if more displays had it).

The bottom line. The SyncMaster 940BF is a good display for general use.

COMPANY: Samsung
CONTACT: 800-726-7864, www.samsung.com
PRICE: $499
REQUIREMENTS: DVI video connector
Good controls. Decent image quality.
Mac software not bundled with display. No height adjustment.

huey

Roman Loyola — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 16:32:41 -0500

This little stick can do a lot for the color of your display.

You view a lot of images on your Mac-wouldn't it be nice if the colors on your display were consistent? Pantone's huey (its name is derived from the word hue) gives you an affordable way to get consistent color on your display in five minutes.

Have you ever sat at your Mac, looked at some photos, and thought that blues didn't really look blue, or that the people in the photos looked sunburned? It might not be the photos' fault-it could just be that you need to calibrate your display. And for best results, you need a calibrator like huey.

The huey system has two components: a four-inch colorimeter and the huey software. First, you attach the colorimeter via USB and place it in its stand between you and your display. Then you run the software, which has a simple, elegant interface that would bring a smile to UI guru Kai Krause's face. The software asks you what kind of display you have (LCD or CRT) and then takes light measurements in your room using the colorimeter.

Next, you attach the colorimeter to the display. The colorimeter's eight small suction cups held onto our test CRTs and the glossy LCD screen of our NEC MultiSync 20WMGX2 ( Jun/06, p54), but we had problems getting the colorimeter to stick on the matte-like screens found on most LCDs. The colorimeter then adjusts your display and lets you flip between your display's previous state and its new, calibrated state. You then select from one of nine profiles based on the kind of stuff you do on your Mac (gaming, graphic design, and so on). During this final step, you can set huey to automatically adjust your display based on room lighting-the colorimeter measures the light in your room at time intervals you specify.

Our initial impression after using huey was that our display looked a bit washed out, but upon closer inspection, we noticed that photos of people had more-realistic flesh tones, colors looked truer, and shadows had more detail. However, imaging pros may find huey overly simplistic. It doesn't have any tools for calibrating your printer to match your display, and the nine profiles are somewhat generic-you may not be able to find one that exactly fits your needs.

The bottom line. Pantone's huey is an inexpensive way to make sure your blues, reds, greens, oranges, yellows, and chartreuses stay true.

Pantone's huey software cuts out the hooey.

COMPANY: Pantone
CONTACT: 201-935-5500, www.pantone.com
PRICE: $89
REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.1.3 or later
Easy to use. Affordable color calibration.
Needs a real manual. Doesn't calibrate color between display and printer.

MultiSync 20WMGX2

Roman Loyola — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:23:22 -0500

Here's an attractive alternative to Apple's Cinema Diplay.

Even when it's turned off, NEC's MultiSync 20WMGX2 looks impressive. That's because the screen on this 20-inch widescreen display is a deep, shiny black, unlike the matte black you see on most LCDs. Fortunately, images look just as good when you turn the 20WMGX2 on, from any angle - and we do mean any angle.

Colors on the 20WMGX2 are accurate and vibrant, and blacks are rich and deep. In fact, it might take you a while to get used to the black; the screen's so shiny you can see yourself reflected in it - though we weren't distracted by it. The photos we looked at onscreen had great tonal quality. In fact, images look livelier on the 20WMGX2 than on Apple's 20-inch Cinema Display. Text is equally sharp and smooth. Because it's a widescreen display with a 1,680-by-1,050-pixel native resolution, you can watch DVD movies the way they were meant to be displayed - and it makes Doom 3 look even scarier than it already is.

The MultiSync 20WMGX2 has DVI_D, VGA, S-Video, component, and composite-video connectors, and it comes bundled with both a VGA cable and DVI-D cable. There's even a built-in analog TV tuner (with a remote, natch) with a picture-in-picture mode so you can work in OS X while you keep an eye on Samantha McCall's pout on General Hospital off to the side. The onscreen controls are easy to navigate; a small joystick-like nub at the bottom of the display lets you select the options you want to modify.

Two 5-watt speakers rest at the base of the display; their sound quality won't turn any heads, but they don't sound horrible, either.

The bottom line. The 20WMGX2, despite its ludicrous name, is one of the best-looking displays we've ever seen.

COMPANY: NEC
CONTACT: 866-632-6673, www.necdisplay.com
PRICE: $799.99
REQUIREMENTS: Mac with video out
Excellent image quality. Great controls. Full of features. Built-in analog TV tuner with remote.
Average-sounding speakers. Not SWOP certified for soft proofs.

PowerLite 76c

Roman Loyola — Mon, 01 May 2006 16:16:51 -0500

Projectors like this can make even the A/V guy look cool.

If your daily routine involves making presentations on the road, you'll like the PowerLite 76c, a lightweight, compact portable projector that's affordable - by projector standards, that is.

It takes barely five minutes to set up the 5.7-pound 76c - connect your 'Book or desktop Mac to the 76c's Computer (Component Video) port (which uses VGA), plug in the 76c, power it up, start your Mac, and the projector works. Epson includes a VGA cable, but you'll have to supply your own video adapter or cable if you want to connect to the 76c's S-Video or composite video ports. You manually focus or adjust the 1024-by-768-pixel image size using the rings on the projector and the zoom function on the remote. Speaking of the remote, it's not backlit - we found it hard to use in a dark room.

Epson rates the 76c's brightness at a respectable 2,000 ANSI lumens; we found the brightness to be quite adequate in both a darkened and normally lit room. Photos looked good and had accurate tones, but we did see some minor banding in business-presentation slides. DVD movies were acceptable, but some areas lacked contrast and sharpness.

The 76c has a pair of RCA jacks for audio. The one-watt monaural speaker is fine for a small-to-medium-size conference room, but you'll want to use different speakers for a stage or large conference room. Epson also includes
a black nylon carrying case.

The bottom line. For the traveling business presenter or multimedia performance artist, Epson's PowerLite 76c is a cost-effective projector.

COMPANY: Epson
CONTACT: 800-463-7766, www.epson.com
PRICE: $999
REQUIREMENTS: Video-out port
Lightweight and compact. Bright. Lots of connectors.
Only includes VGA cable. Remote control is not backlit.