From: newton@cs.utexas.edu (Peter Newton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Alternatives to Apple's 13in color monitor (long)
Date: 16 Aug 1992 10:11:04 -0500
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
NNTP-Posting-Host: mohawk.cs.utexas.edu


        Alternatives to Apple's 13 Inch Color Hi-Res Monitor

                       Update: August 14, 1992

                        - Peter Newton -
                     - newton@cs.utexas.edu -

     INTRODUCTION

          This article is about alternatives to the Apple 13 inch
     color hi-res monitor.  The subject is interesting because there
     is a range of monitors available, some less expensive, some
     better, and most more flexible in that they can also be used with
     non-Mac systems.  In fact, their primary market is PC users.

          I am not a monitor expert but I have spent hours looking
     over reviews, making phone calls and reading articles.  I am
     motivated in part by some vague feelings of consumer activism.
     Mac users should be able to benefit from PC sales volume-- at
     least when buying monitors since many interoperate.  However,
     most of the monitor companies have not attempted to target the
     Mac market-- even though their products need only a cable adapter
     to work with Macs.  If Mac users start asking about their
     products, they will start paying attention-- so let's start
     asking!

          The Apple 13 is a very good monitor, but it was until
     recently badly overpriced.  However, a recent Apple price cut has
     dropped its street price from near $670 to near $560.  At this
     lower price, the Apple monitor is not unreasonable.  It is of
     high quality and will be no fuss to install, but there are more
     flexible monitors of the same quality and price available.  There
     are also inferior but usable monitors available for much less.
     Perhaps Apple's rumored low cost monitor will compete with these
     latter when it comes out.

          Please note that I am willing to update this document and
     keep it available by anonymous ftp to rascal.ics.utexas.edu.  So
     please email corrections and additions to me.

     AUTOSYNC MONITORS: WHAT ARE THEY?

          The defining characteristic of autosync monitors is that
     they can automatically adapt to a variety of video signals.
     Hence, they can be used with more than one type of computer.
     Autosync monitors are often called "multisync" monitors.  Be
     prepared to use this term when talking to salespeople.  Autosync
     monitors are the primary alternatives to the Apple 13, but I will
     mention a few Apple 13 clones.

          For the purposes of this discussion, the key attributes
     of a video signal are its horizontal scan rate and its vertical
     scan rate.  Autosync monitors are designed to work within a range
     of these rates.  A typical monitor might have a vertical scan
     range of 50 to 90 Hz and a horizontal scan range of 30 to 36 KHz.
     When operating in the mode intended to drive the Apple 13 at 640
     x 480 resolution, Macs put out a video signal with a vertical
     rate of 66.7 Hz and a horizontal rate of 35 KHz so this example
     monitor should work with them.

          However, there are other issues.  Monitors also have maximum
     resolutions (number of pixels), and the number can vary depending
     on whether the monitor is used in interlaced or non-interlaced
     mode.  (Interlace has to do with how the screen is painted by the
     scanning beam.  Interlaced modes are bad since there is often
     flicker.)  A monitor for use in place of the Apple 13 must be
     able to handle 640 x 480 resolution non-interlaced.  I suspect
     that most can, but I have been told that there are a few monitors
     that operate only in interlaced mode.  If you have a Quadra or
     powerful enough video card in a lesser Mac, you may be concerned
     about higher resolutions.  Of course, you will probably also want
     a screen that is larger than 13 inches.

          Autosync monitors have some controls that are used to center
     images and stretch or shrink them to cover the whole screen.  The
     range of these controls must be adequate for the Mac signal.
     Sometimes, it is not even close.

     MONITOR QUALITY

          There is a wide quality range in autosync monitors.  Some
     are better than the Apple 13 without costing much more, and
     others equal it for near the same cost.  Many are a little worse
     but still quite usable and cost $100 to $250 less.  Some are very
     poor.  But, all are more flexible since they can be used with
     computers other than Macs.  This can be very significant to those
     who own more than one computer.  Also, there is a larger market
     for used autosyncs.

          Monitor quality has a large subjective component.  A friend
     compared them to stereo speakers.  Different people like
     different things.  For example I *hate* the Diamond Scan, but it
     gets good to OK reviews.  I think it is a bad idea to buy a
     monitor without seeing it first, at least running windows on a
     PC.  Stare at it for a few minutes.  You do not want to spend
     hours looking at monitor that is bad.  The result will be eye
     strain and tension.  That's no bargain.

          Some people are also concerned about the health effects of
     monitor electromagnetic emissions.  Recent versions of the Apple
     13 are very good in this regard-- low emissions.  The autosyncs
     vary widely.  Some are labeled "low-emission."

          You also need to be *sure* the monitor works with the Mac.
     This can be a problem.  There is a lot of confusion out there
     among dealers and consumers both.  Some monitors are labeled with
     scan ranges but are *not* autosync.  They work with only a few
     rates within the range.  These may not work with a Mac.  Magazine
     reviews can be mistaken.  PC Magazine thinks that the Taxan 795
     will not work with a Mac.  Tell that to MacUser!

     ATTACHING AN AUTOSYNC TO A MAC

          Video cables or adapters can be a big problem for people who
     want a simple turn-key system.  Few autosync monitors come with a
     Mac cable, and an adapter can be hard to find.  Here in Austin,
     TX USA a local store (Computer City) sells VGA to Mac II cable
     adapters for $7.  I would guess that this adapter will work with
     about 70% of the monitors available with appropriate scan ranges.
     Some monitors don't use the VGA PC de facto standard 15 pin
     connector.

          Computer City stocks a different adapter for the LC and LC II.
     Most monitor makers will sell (at a high price) or give you an
     adapter, but this can be slow.  It's a pity that something so
     stupid as a cable can cause a major hassle.  This issue is
     serious enough that, unless you are enough of a hardware hacker
     to read a pinout diagram and make a cable, you might want to
     limit your purchases to outfits that will provide the correct
     cable.  Ask them-- it can be a mess to deal with yourself.  Do
     *you* know the difference between composite sync and and sync on
     green?

          Also, autosync monitors often have a large number of
     controls on them.  Some are simple knobs that stretch and center
     the image.  These are no problem to master.  But some monitors
     have controls that select between alternatives such as digital or
     analog input (Macs use analog).  You have to know the right
     settings, but most monitor's manuals do not discuss the Mac.  If
     this makes you uncomfortabe, it's another reason to buy from an
     outfit that supports Mac users.  This problem can be overstated.
     A very large number of monitors have no confusing controls.

     APPLE VIDEO PINOUT

          Apple Tech Note 144 defines the pinout of early Mac II video
     cards and the IIci's onboard video.  The IIsi is the same, but
     the Quadra, the LC, and LC II are different.  See below.  TN-144
     also provides explicit instructions for the cable adapter for the
     Sony CDP-1302 (I bet the 1304 is the same), the NEC MultiSync
     model JC-140IP3A, and the Taxan Super Vision 770.  The pinout is
     as follows.

        Mac Video Pin     Signal
        -------------     ------
        1,6,11,13,14      Ground
        2                 Red
        3                 Composite Sync
        4                 Monitor ID bit 1
        5,12              Green (with Sync)
        7                 Monitor ID bit 2
        9                 Blue
        10                Monitor ID bit 3
        8,15              Not connected

     For emulating an Apple 13, pin 4 should be tied to ground, and
     pins 7 and 10 should not be connected.

          Just to be complete, here is the pinout from a typical
     autosync intended for the VGA market.  Most with 15-pin "D"
     VGA connectors will be the same.

        Autosync Pin   Signal
        ------------   ------
        1              Red
        2              Green
        3              Blue
        4,5,9,10,11    Gnd
        6              R Gnd
        7              G Gnd
        8              B Gnd
        12,15          NC
        13             Horiz Sync
        14             Vert Sync

     Anyone want to comment on how to build an adapter?
     

     THE LC, THE LC II, and QUADRAS

          The LC, the LC II and especially the Quadras support a wider
     array of video standards than the IIsi and IIci.  The difference
     in attaching monitors to these systems will be in the treatment
     of monitor ID bits.  You can hook the monitors listed below to an
     LC or Quadra, but you have to fix the monitor ID bits correctly.
     See the Lab Notes section of the September 1992 issue of MacWorld
     for a discussion of Monitor ID bits.

          I do not not know much about the LC and LC II.  According to
     Apple, they support "several" VGA monitors.  One would think that
     this implies that they can produce video at the VGA scan rates
     (31.5 KHz horiz, 60 or 70 Hz vert).  I do not know about this,
     but if true, it would open up a vast number of low cost
     non-autosync alternatives.  Computer City in Austin sells a Mac
     LC to VGA cable adapter, but I do not know what it does in terms
     of monitor ID bits.  Perhaps it sets them so as to elicit VGA
     scan rates.  If anyone has the facts on the LCs, I'd like to hear
     about it.  Beware of cheap VGA monitors.  There are some very bad
     ones out there.

          In addition to a wide variety of Apple monitors, the Quadras
     support an array of industry standard video formats.  These
     include VGA, SVGA, NTSC, and PAL.  Dale Adams of Apple has
     prepared an excellent description of Quadra video.  You can
     obtain it by anonymous ftp to rascal.ics.utexas.edu.  Look in
     directory mac/misc-info_and_docs.

     REFERENCES

          See articles in August 1992 MacUser, July 1991 PC Magazine,
     May 15 1990 PC Magazine, March 1992 MacWorld, Apple Tech Note 144
     (anonymous ftp to ftp.apple.com).  The March 1992 issue of
     Computer Shopper has a huge list of monitors-- more than I am
     willing to type in, especially because Computer Shopper is
     error-prone.  September 1992 MacWorld discusses monitor ID bits
     (Lab Notes section) as well as larger monitors.

     MONITORS THAT PROBABLY WORK WITH THE MAC

          What follows is a list of monitors that I have some reason
     to believe work with Macs as a replacement for the Apple 13.  Be
     aware that I have not personally tried most of these on a Mac,
     and you will probably need a cable adapter.  Information about
     them comes from magazine reviews or people on the net.  If you
     know more, email me and I'll update the list.  I want to leave in
     monitors that are no longer made in order to assist used
     equipment buyers.

          All monitors are in the 13-15 inch range unless otherwise
     noted.  My intent is to survey monitors for use at 640 x 480
     resolution, but most of these are capable of higher resolutions
     if connected correctly to the right video card or a Quadra.

          There are various reasons why I think these monitors will
     work with a Mac, but I never include a monitor in the list just
     because its specs suggest that it *ought* to work with a Mac.
     Monitors are in the list because they meet one or more of the
     following criteria.

     1.  Some magazine review said it works with a Mac.
     2.  Someone told me it works with a Mac.
     3.  I have seen a reference in print to the monitor working with
         a Mac.

          Of course, there could be mistakes-- especially in reviews
     in PC-oriented magazines since they do not actually test Macs.
     The entries marked with an "M" code were reviewed and tested by a
     Mac magazine.  In truth, it is likely that most autosync monitors
     with appropriate scan ranges work in some fashion with the Mac--
     even when their makers tell you otherwise!

          Is there some kind of conclusion what one can draw from all
     this data?  Not really, but I have yet to hear a negative comment
     about the Sony CPD-1304.  I found it, not in stock, at a local
     store for $589, and lots of mail order places will sell it for
     that.  By all accounts, the Sony is at least as good as the Apple
     13.  But, good luck getting the cable adapter (Sony uses 9-pin).
     Just for grins, I called Sony's 800 number.  The best they were
     able to do is give me the number of a local dealer, that happens
     to be PC-oriented.

          In the $400 and below price range, there is no consensus
     opinion, but several monitors do well in magazine tests (Relisys,
     Darius), although they end up rated below the Apple 13.  The
     trouble with these monitors (other than the cable) is that they
     are hard to find-- especially to try before you buy, as I
     recommend.  With mail order houses, inquire if they have a money
     back guarantee of satisfaction with no restocking fee.  Also, use
     your power as a consumer.  Call local Mac dealers and point out
     that $400 monitors that will work with Mac exist, and ask why
     they are not stocking them.  Then, take your business to the PC
     shop down the street!

          I use codes in the monitor listings to save typing.  They
     appear in brackets after the monitor's name.  The first thing
     after the bracket is the date of the magazine review source I
     used.  I use ??? when I have not seen a magazine review.  When I
     refer to good reviews, I mean in the sense of price/performance.
     I have not included cost information since street prices vary
     widely and change rapidly.  The interpretation of reviews is
     subjective and monitors that don't get a "+" should not be
     ignored.  A middle-of-the-pack monitor purchased at a good price
     may serve very well indeed.

     M = reviewed by a Mac magazine.
     + = Got good reviews in magazines (averaging if multiple reviews).
     a = Mediocre magazine reviews.
     - = Got poor reviews in magazines (averaging if multiple reviews).
     ^ = Got good reviews from net people (averaging if multiple).
     o = Mediocre reports from net people.
     v = Got poor reviews from net people (averaging if multiple).
     $ = Has an unusually low street price.
     C = Might not be an autosync, but works with the Mac.
     B = MacUser says that a Mac adapter is included.  Kudos.

     Amdek AM/738+ [1992,M,-,B]
          Amdek (800) 722-6335  50-90 vert, 31.5-38 horiz

     Darius TSM1431 [1992,M,+,$]
          Darius Technology, Inc. (206) 483-8889
          Price/performance winner in MacUser's test of 14.
          50-90 vert, 15.75-39 horiz

     Dell Ultrascan 15FS [???] - tested by me 8/1992.
          I personally tested this one on a IIsi using my little cable
          adapter from Computer City.  I liked the Dell fairly well.  The
          image was sharp and easy on the eyes, and it was easy to read 9
          point times.  On the negative side, one person in the room
          did not think the image was as bright as the Apple 13.  I
          thought the brightness was adequate, but I tend to disklike
          glaring bright white backgrounds.  Also, the horizontal size
          control did not have enough range to let the image quite
          fill the screen.  It was close.  Colors are a bit on the
          washed out side.  Consider this an average review.  This
          monitor is a little larger than most here.  This drives its
          price up a little without much benefit.  The Dell Ultrascan
          14C is interesting and its specs suggest that it should work
          with the Mac, but I have no confirmation.

     E-Machines E-16 [1992,M,a]
          This is a 16 inch monitor of average quality that works at
          640 x 480 as well as higher resolutions.  It is far too
          expensive to be a reasonable choice for use at 640 x 480.

     Fora Addonics Mon-7C8A [1992,M,B,a]
          Fora, Inc. (408) 944-0393  45-90 vert, 30-57 horiz

     Generation Systems 14 inch color [???]
          Sold for use on Mac by MacWarehouse (800) 255-6227 and
          others.  Mid-priced.  I have no idea of its quality.
          Might not be an autosync.

     Goldstar 1450 HG+ [???]
          Model number might be wrong.  A person on the net said good
          things about this one, but others dislike GoldStar.  There is a
          model called the 1450 Plus VGA that is *not* an autosync
          monitor but is supposed to work on a Mac.

     Hitachi/NSA 14MVX/LMF [1991,a]

     Iiyama Idek MF-5015A [1991,a]

     MacLand 14 [???,C]
          MacLand (800) 333-3353 (Direct mail-- call to order)
          MacLand says that this one is not an autosync.  It is
          intended for use on Macs.  30 day money back satisfaction
          guarantee (confirm this).

     MacScan Ultra 14 [???,$]
          Orion Tech.  MacLand sells this one for use on Mac.  One
          of the cheapest I have seen.  I have no idea of its
          quality.  Sales rep says that it is an autosync. 47-89 vert,
          30-40 horiz.

     MAG Colorview/15 [1991,+]
          PC Magazine editor's choice.

     MAG Computronic PMV14VC Plus [1990,+]
          PC Magazine editor's choice.

     Mag Innovision MX14S [1992,M,a]
          Mag Innovision (714) 827-3998  50-120 vert, 30-64 horiz

     Magnavox Mac Display 9CM080 [1992,M,+,C?]
          Not sure if this is an autosync.

     Mirror 14 [???,^,$] -- I called them in July 1992.
          Mirror (800) 654-5294  (direct mail-- call them to order)
          I spoke with Mirror on the phone and they were open about
          where and how they get these monitors-- much to their
          credit.  They get monitors from Sampo, but they do not
          always get the same kind.  They do not constrain Sampo on
          scan ranges.  They will accept any range that works well
          on the Mac.  Hence, you cannot be sure what the scan range
          of the Mirror 14 will be, but you can be sure that it will
          work with the Mac.  I suspect this arrangement lets Mirror
          keep the cost down.  The mirror 14 is inexpensive and they
          have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee with no restocking
          fee.  (Confirm this.)   A sales guy said that they *used* to
          get monitors from GoldStar.  Mirror also sells a portrait
          grayscale monitor for $400, in case you are getting
          tired of thinking about color monitors at this point or
          want more screen space.  No idea of its quality.

     Mitsubishi Diamond Scan 14 [1991,a]

     Mitsubishi Diamond Scan Pro 14 [1992,M,a]
          Mitsubishi (800) 843-2515  50-90 vert, 30-58 horiz

     Mitsubishi FA3415ATK [1990,+]

     NEC MultiSync JC-140IP3A [???]
          Definitely works with Mac.

     NEC MultiSync 3DS [1991,+]
          Replaced by model 3FGX?

     NEC MultiSync 3FGX [1992,M,a]

     NEC MultiSync 4FG [1992,M,+]
          NEC (708) 860-9500  55-90 vert, 27-57 horiz
          Quality winner in MacUser's test of 14 monitors.

     Nissei Sangyo Hitachi 15 MVX [1992,M,B,a]
          Nissei Sangyo America (617) 893-5700
          50-100 vert, 30-58 horiz

     Panasonic PanaSync C1381 [1991,v]
          A person on the net said that he was unable to adjust the
          image size to fill the screen of this monitor without
          serious distortion.  Very unhappy with it.

     Panasonic PanaSync C1395 [1992,M,a]
          Panasonic (800) 742-8086  50-90 vert, 30-57 horiz
          Came in 12th of 14 in MacUser's tests.

     Princeton Ultra 1400 [1992,M,-]
          Princeton Graphics (404) 644-1010  45-120 vert, 15-36.5 horiz

     Relisys RE-1420 [???,$] - tested by me 8/1992.
          I have tried this one on a IIsi using my cable adapter from
          Computer City.  It is one of the most inexpensive monitors I
          have checked out, and it is a reasonable value.  Text is
          sharp, and the screen is bright.  There is however some
          pincushion and the image cannot be stretched enough
          horizontally to quite fill the screen.  On the whole, I find
          this monitor to be of adequate quality despite its low cost.
          You might be able to get the 1420 for under $325.  In
          Austin, Altex Electronics carries it (although at a price
          too high to interest out of town mail-order shoppers).
          47-89 vert, 28-40 horiz.

     Relisys RE-1422 [1992,M,+,$]
          Relisys (408) 945-9000  47-89 vert, 28-50 horiz.  Differences
          from 1420 include higher max non-interlaced resolution and wider
          horiz scan range.

     Sampo Alphascan Plus KDM 1466A [1992,M,B,a]
          Sampo America (404) 449-6220  50-90 vert, 30-60 horiz

     Samtron SC428V [1992,M,B,a]
          Samtron Displays (310) 802-8425  50-90 vert, 31.5-35.5 horiz

     Seiko CM-1445 [1992,M,-]
          Easy to find but trailed the pack in MacWorld's test of 6.

     Sony CPD-1302 (old model) [1990,+,^]
          Definitely works with Mac.

     Sony CPD-1304 [1992,+,M]
          Sony (800) 352-7669  50-87 vert, 28-50 horiz
          Gets very good reviews from all sources.  Replaced by 1304S.
          MacUser claims a street price that is far lower than I
          could find.

     TVM SuperSync [1990,-]

     Taxan Multivision 795 [1992,M,B,a]
          Taxan America (408) 946-3400  50-100 vert, 30-57 horiz

     Taxan Super Vision 770 [???]
          Definitely works with Mac.

     Viewsonic 5 [1991,^,a]
          Mediocre magazine review, despite good comments I have heard
          about the larger Viewsonics.  I also heard from someone who 
          uses the 5e version and is quite happy with it on the whole.
          Says the image is very stable.  Only negatives are the limited
          control ranges-- Mac image could not quite be stretched to
          fill the screen.

     Wyse WY-670 [1991,a]
-- 
 ----
Peter Newton (newton@cs.utexas.edu)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware