Five Fabulous Multimedia Tools

By David Em

July 7, 2003

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Every year I torture-test dozens of multimedia tools, from cameras to video workstations to printers. Most of the them turn out to be pretty decent these days, but a few always rise to the top. Last month I ran across no less than five: NEC's 20.1-inch portrait-mode MultiSync 2080UX LCD display, Pioneer's multiformat DVR-A05 DVD/CD burner, VIA'S M10000 Mini-ITX mainboard, GN Netcom's 9120 cordless phone, and Contour's ShuttleXpress audio and video jog shuttle.

NEC'S 2080UX LCD

When NEC released its $12,000 2010 flat panel about five years ago, it represented the state of the art of LCD display technology. It had a big 20.1 inch screen, 1280 x 1024 resolution, and compared to the 21-inch glass tube behemoths it replaced, was positively svelte. NEC's current 2080UX LCD, which I found selling on the web for as little as $1200, shows how far LCD display technology has come.

Like the 2010, the 2080UX features a 20.1 inch diagonal viewing area, but its native resolution is 1600 x 1200 pixels (UXGA), it has nearly twice the 2010's contrast ratio, and its image detail is significantly sharper than what you get with top-of-the-line glass tubes. At 23 pounds, the 2080UX is lighter than the 2010, and a third the weight of 21 inch CRT.

The 2080UX's physical design is elegant. It comes in black or silver-gray, has a slim profile, a small footprint, and a very thin bezel. The height of the screen is adjustable, and it tilts and swivels for optimal viewing. A great feature is its ability to rotate 90 degrees from landscape to portrait mode.

In portrait mode, the screen can display the entire front page of The New York Times on the Web. If you work with any kind of word processing, page design, or publishing software whose final output will be a vertical sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper, the ability to view your document in high resolution in the format in which it will ultimately be published is invaluable. In landscape mode, you can display two full pages side by side with sharp text.

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