January 1994 / BYTE Lab Product Report

70 Color Monitors	We test high-resolution monitors with displays ranging from 15 to 21 inches to find the highest image quality and the best values - by Andrew J. Froning
Energy Stars Burn Dimmer	The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) awards an Energy Star label to monitors that use 30 W or less of power in their standby mode, and many of the monitors we tested carry the EPA's blessing (see the Roll Call on page 224).
The Best Monitors For General Business For the best balance of quality and features... Need the clearest display? Low Cost	For general-business PC and Mac applications that don't require the highest resolutions or largest display areas, 15-inch monitors offer a good balance of size and price.
How We Tested	We tested monitors with a combination of hardware and software tools that were designed to examine every aspect of screen quality, power consumption, and ease of use.
Two Important Quality Gauges	Convergence is the monitor's ability to precisely illuminate specific phosphor dots.
The Keys to Image Quality	Although the monitor is the most visible part of your displa y system, it's only one third of the imaging puzzle.
The Best Monitors For Spreadsheets And Graphics Need the best in performance and ease of use? Want the clear winner for quality? When price matters most...	If you need to increase your viewing real estate to see more spreadsheet cells, show an entire CAD drawing, or display multiple windows, consider a 17-inch monitor.
Emissions Overview	There has been a great deal of discussion in recent years over the possible safety hazards posed by monitors.
Is Bigger Better?	If a 15-inch monitor is better than a 12-inch, and a 17-inch is more fun than a 15-inch, then a 21-inch monitor should be power-user heaven, right?
Color-Matching Monitors	When it comes to color, the human eye is a marvelous judge.
The Best Monitors For Complex Graphics & Presentations Want the best of the biggest? For unsurpassed picture quality... Need a large screen at the right price?	If you conduct group presentations, design large and complex CAD drawings, run desktop publishing applications, or edit color graphics, consider a 21-inch monitor.
Do-It-Yourself Monitor Testing	Users without access to sophisticated test instruments can still make informed judgments about a particular monitor's performance.
The AcerView 76i displays settings	The AcerView 76i displays settings on the screen, which makes adjusting images for brightness, contrast, or distortion easy.
A tray-mounted control panel	A tray-mounted control panel on the Idek VisionMaster MF-8521 has easy-to-see adjustment controls, making changes much easier.
Manuals for the NEC	Manuals for the NEC family of products cleverly break out sections under the titles "I can't wait," "I want to know more," and "I want to be an expert," which help you quickly find the information you need.
Roll Call Of Color Monitors

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