Conference hydra::amiga_v1

There was an Amazing Computing review a while back on Monitors. It
mat be worth reading.

John

    
    My Princeton Ultrasync is about 9 months old now, but it's going
    out for repairs.  There's a little black dot on the screen (maybe
    a piece of debris in the mask), but the monitor has developed a
    new problem:  when cold starting the monitor, the screen has a black
    band about 1" high at the top and bottom; the viewing area is scrunched
    to about 4".  After a half hour or so (when it heats up) the display
    is back to normal.
    
    I must say that the people at Princeton are courteous and helpful.
    They promised to have the monitor back in a week.  They also cover
    the thing for 5 years.
    
    I still think the Zenith FTM is the best display I've ever seen,
    but I'm nervous about it's fixed 31.5 KHz scan rate.  It would work
    fine TODAY with my FlickerFixer, but who knows where displays will
    be a few years down the road?
    
    ed.

    The memory location seems to now sell Mitsubishi multisync monitors.
    I read a review on multisync monitors in a PC magazine a couple
    months ago and it claimed that the Mitsubishi and Thompson were
    identical monitors indifferent skins (even having the identical
    FCC ID numbers.  The review was fairly technial and focused on
    resolution, linearity, color purity, etc.  I think the Tompson
    was rated highly, so was the Princeton.  I have an NEC MUL-II
    and to my surprise it came out fairly low on the list, yet costs
    far more money than more highly rated units.  Dealers have told
    me the NEC is overpriced due to its popularity in the business 
    world of IBM's.  Most of them are sold to a market where cost is
    not really an issue.  There seems to be a variety of reasonable
    monitors out there in the $450-$550 price range.
    
    I saw a bunch of Gold Stars this weekend doing VGA graphics
    on IBM's and they looked great.  Don't know if I'd want a Gold
    Star anything but there probably very inexpensive.
    
    Frank
    

    There is a Flicker Fixer - NEC Multisync - A2000 setup at The Bit
    Bucker in West Newton.  It's a clear improvement over the 1084S
    monitor as far as hi-res goes.
    
       - rcc

    I have a flickerFixer and Samsung multisynch. Samsung seems to be
competing very had for market share and their prices are low. It is a
real NEC Multisynch clone with the same controls, though in different
places.  It  has  the  same  pinout  on on the video jack. I am quite
pleased with this 14  inch  monitor  which  cost  $419  at  the  last
computer show in Marlboro last september.

    The  Samsung  is  made  in Korea. Because Korea ties its currency
value to the  US  dollar  it  has  a  cost  advantage  over  Japanese
equipment  and  over  the  last  few years many of the quality issues
associated with Korean products have been taken care of.  The  Korean
appeared to have learned well from the Japanese.

	-SES

I read the reviews in Amazing Computer (or whereever), but they didn't
review them at the higher scan rates. They just used them with the
straight Amiga video output. I have seen the Mitsubishi at the memory
location, but they don't have it connected to the flickerfixer. They 
have a 19" Mits hooked up to that (its nice, but its also $1500!).
As I said, I liked the Zenith, but its not multisync. Any suggestions
where I might take a look at the Princeton in the local area?

Frank

        re .3 - Do you remember the model number of the Thompson monitor?
        
        (I ask as the local Amiga/Atari dealer in Phoenix has a Thompson
        and I've haven't seen it hooked up to either machine yet.)
        
        Bob

    re .7 
    
    The Multisync review from Amazing Computing (oct 1988, Vol 3, No10)
    lists the Thompson as model 4375M "Thompson Ultrascan".  The article
    makes a couple of points:-
    
    1. It's virtually the same as the Mitsubisi Diamond Scan AUM-1371A.
    2. Check with dealer for cabling to the Amiga.  There's a picture
       of how to make a cable for this thing in the magazine article.
    3. This Thompson has been recently discontinued but there are plenty
       still in dealer stock and they're about $100 less than the
       Mitsubishi.
    
    Frank

    Hmm... I've been pricing different monitors, and the Thompson Ultrascan
    seems to be a pretty good deal (at around four twenty, if memory
    serves me correctly.)  I can pick up an NEC for about $675 less
    about a $50 discount on an A2000 package deal.  That's still about
    $200 more for the NEC, and I can't tell if it's worth it.  No one
    in my area has either monitor in stock.
    
    Anyone out there got the Thompson?  How big is the screen?  13 inches,
    I assume.  Same for the NEC?  Comments?
    
    					John
    

    Check with Paul Roemer at Computer Solutions in Manchester, NH.
    he is a NEC dealer and may be able to swing a good deal for you
    on the NEC. 603-623-7613

I had a NEC Multisync II for about a week and a half around Christmas-
paid $600 at Omnitek. The one I had seemed to have a number of problems.
Pincushioning on the right vertical edge was about 1/4". The picture
would "bloom"- that is, abrupt changes in brightness would cause the
picture to change size, again perhaps a 1/4" overall. Warmup was very
slow, taking several minutes, with the picture having a strong green
tint until warmed up.

All the above might be power or adjustment problems. One thing that was
not a quality-control problem was the screen surface curvature, which
I think is very high, causing visual distortion depending on viewing
angle.

Anyway, Omnitek took it back, saying something to the effect that this
must be a bad unit, they never get complaints about NEC. Maybe so. Most
NECs get plugged into IBM, so perhaps they're not getting a full graphic
workout. In exchange, I bought a Samsung, which was $100 less. The screen
is flatter and less reflective than the NEC. There are none of the problems
mentioned above. The Samsung seems to have good contrast, but is not as
bright as the NEC. In a brightly lit room, it would have a tough time.
The NEC and the Samsung seem to have the exact same controls with different
physical locations, and the 9-pin connection is the same pinout. BTW, the
connection is NOT a standard Amiga video cable- I ended up wiring my own.

Whatever you do, be sure to look at the unit in the store, and take the
unit you look at- this way you won't be surprised by a badly-adjusted unit
when you get it home.

John O.

    I purchased a NEC Multisync II for $600, from Micro Center here
    in Columbus, Ohio.  The unit has performed without problems, since
    November.  I have not seem any of the problems reported in the previous
    note.  The color and sharpness of picture is excellent.
    

    re .-1
    I have a NEC Multisync and agree with the comments from the previous
    note.  It has a several minute warmup time where the screen background
    has a strong tinge.  I also notice some minor distortion which I
    believe is due to the curvature of the glass. 
    
    I can also tell you that this is the 3rd Multisync I've had (I won't
    go into why) and they are all very different.  All three had the
    warm up syndrome but with different background coloring.  They all
    had some degree of apparent distortion.  It's reallt difficult to
    say if the distortion is real or an optical illusion when you try
    to sight the edges of the viewing area against the bezel on the
    screen.  One of the 3 units did have a blooming prblem (pulsed and
    intermittant).   
    
    The warmup and minor distortion problems seem insignificant to me.
    I consider the blooming a faulty unit.  I happen to be luck enough
    to get my monitor through an NEC employee purchase which was a 
    deal I couldn't pass up. But! My personal opinion is they're way
    overprice on the open market and if it weren't for the discount
    I would probably have gotten an Ultrasync or something in that price
    range.   Every review I've ever seen on Multisyncs rates the NEC
    as an "average" unit with an "above average" price.  Articles also
    suggest that it's not uncommon to have these things not working
    correctly right out of the box.   
    
    My recommendation is to see a unit in the store "you" are pleased
    with, then when you buy it make them demo it on whatever system
    they have.  
    
    Happy Hunting
    Frank
    
        
    

    Clarification on  .13
    
    >not uncommon to have these not work correctly right out of the
    >box.
    
    This is a general problem with all Multisync vendors.  I didn't mean
    to suggest it was an NEC only problem.
    

    Hmmm... Everyone seems to suggest that I buy my monitor from a local
    merchant, which I think is a GREAT idea.   However, the local merchants
    are about 40% more than mail order.  Yesterday, I was quoted over
    nine-hundred dollars for an NEC!  
    
    As much as I hate it, economics may force me to get a monitor from
    a mail-order house.  (Look for a good return policy, huh?)
    
    Anyway, thanks for all the info.  From what I've heard, I'm seriously
    considering the Thompson.  The flat screen on the Zenith sounded
    nice, but who knows if it'll work with the enhanced chipset when
    it comes out.  
    
    
    					John

    This is a strange question, but how big (physically) are the common
    multisync monitors - NEC, Thompson, ...?

    The reason I ask is - I need some extra space by my Amiga at home, and
    am planning to put up a permanent shelf just above the monitor.  I
    would like it as low as possible, but would like to leave enough room
    in case a new monitor should be in my future.  So, if I leave enough
    room for the 1084, will that be enough for a replacement?

	Paul

Looking at the one in my office, I'd say it's a bit larger than the
1084. Definetly taller by about 3-4 inches.

Also, don't forget to allow room above the monitor for cooling! 


John