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LCD's don't suffer from the same parameters that can cause that kind of eyestrain, they draw a substantially lower amount of power, and they take up just a few inches of desk space.
84% Rating: 
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Viewsonic VG700 |
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LCD Display Evaluation Notes
 OSD and Display Evaluation Notes
Viewsonic have a nicely laid out OSD, but
as we mentioned before the oddly labeled keys can make navigation a bit
tricky.
The following controls are available on the menus;
Auto adjust, brightness, contrast, audio menu, colour adjust, information, manual image adjust,
setup, and memory recall.
As with all analog-input LCD displays, the best way to configure them
is to simply toggle the Auto adjust and sit back as the display goes through
a series of alignment and other visual adjustments.
| PCstats TFT Display Evaluation
Criteria: |
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We evaluate the quality of TFT displays with
the help of a program called Nokia Monitor Test. The software application
displays a range of colours and test patterns that can help diagnose just
about any visual problems or defects a TFT display may contain.
It can also be a very useful tool for
properly adjusting a display to the optimal settings. The software
consists of eleven tests which can be run in steps as adjustments are made
to the OSD. As the tests are run we look for the following problems, only
one of which should be inoperable (broken pixel).
Broken Pixels: What we class as a 'broken pixel' can
fall under any one of the following circumstances: Pixel always on (any
colour), pixel always off, pixel unable to display a shade (red, green,
blue, black, white), pixel shown colour gradient.
Pixel Clock: If the number of dot clocks within one
horizontal synch are not properly configured the screen will appear to
drift or vertical stripes may be generated. This should be correctable by
the on screen menu.
Phase: If the phase of the display data and dot clock
are not correctly tuned the screen can flicker, or text be displayed
blurry. For example text may appear dithered, or when looking at a test
pattern of a one-pixel black, one-pixel white checkerboard pattern the
pattern may be distorted. This should be correctable by the on screen
menu.
Response Time: We look for any streaking associated
with moving a full page of text up or down quickly. Displays with slower
refresh rates tend to show some degree of image streaking or text
discoloration which can be distracting.
Stand Stability: TFT displays are fragile components and the
stand should offer adequately stable support as well as be easily
adjustable.
We deduct marks for quality control if there are any predominant
broken pixels in a display. While many manufacturers may consider a
few broken pixels acceptable, we believe the high cost of TFT displays
should translate into a clear and unblemished image. |
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| Display Test System
Configuration: |
| Video Card: |
ATI Radeon 8500 |
| Operating System: |
MS Windows XP |
| Display Settings: |
Color Temp: 6500 Kelvin
Resolution: 1280x1024
pixels
Frequency: 60Hz
Colour: 32
Bit | |
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| LCD Display Test |
Test Notes and Observations |
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| Geometry: |
LCD's inherent design means that test grids are displayed very
true and very sharp at their native resolutions. The Viewsonic VG700 was tested with
a grid pattern and to measure the representation (it should be composed
of true squares) we broke out the old ruler. The grid squares
measured 11.5mm x 10.5mm at 1280x1024 which is just about right on.
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| Brightness and Contrast: |
Good shading on the
grey scale. The white scale was equally nice, though we did pump up the
brightness to 100%.
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| Colour: |
The white, red, green and blue
test screens were bright and consistent over the entire screen area. There was
one dull pixel off to the right hand side of the display where
it wasn't very noticeable.
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| Convergence: |
The grid test patterns in RGB illustrate the worst case
situations when different coloured pixels must work closely together, and
since they comprise different parts of a pixel they do not line up
exactly. CRT displays tend to produce better results under this test as
there is more of a blending effect seen by then naked eye.
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| Focus: |
This test has a
few patterns of alternating black and white boxes with text in them. In
the center of the page are two boxes with 1 pixel vertical stripes. These
two boxes showed some issues with waviness, and some shadowing from the
adjacent text lines. All other patterns in this test showed up
perfectly however. |
| Resolution: |
Resolution was
excellent at the native 1280x1024 resolution. |
| Moire: |
On the one-pixel
vertical line test there was some background noise (waviness) visible as was
also the case in the one/two-pixel square test
screen. |
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Other Evaluation Notes: |
Overall there were
a few issues with this display and 1-pixel
vertical lines. The display was auto adjusted prior to testing with a full text
page in the background for optimal adjustments. Hitting auto adjust on the screens
which had the background noise would resolve the issue, but then other test patterns
would have minor issues (like text being not quite sharp). |
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