Finally, a thin film transistor screen graphic designers can get excited about.
While TFTs have been popular with the average PC buyer for several years, graphic designers and video editors have shunned them in favour of CRTs due to poor image quality.
Mitsubishi is pitching its Diamondpoint UX21LCD screen as a viable alternative to CRT for video or image editing applications due to its colour accuracy. The sleek 21.3in black unit boasts a thin bezel, a native resolution of 1,600 x 1,200 pixels, 20ms response time, brightness rating of 250cd/m2, and support for dual inputs (one analogue and one digital). The display features intelligent technologies such as CableComp (which adjusts the image to compensate for a degraded signal from a long VGA cable) and GammaComp (which does internal conversion on the data from the PC to provide smooth colour tones).
The bundle includes a power supply, DVI-D to DVI-D cable for PCs with digital outputs, and a VGA to DVI-A cable for analogue connections. A cable cover is bundled along with the standard user manual and driver CD-ROM. The onscreen menu works effectively and allows the user to manually adjust elements of the image. Automatic adjustment is available to analogue connections, but not if the screen is digitally attached to the computer.
The impressive stand features a number of extremely handy ergonomic adjustments, including a height-adjustable base and swivel stand. The screen itself is ball-mounted to the stand, allowing the face to be angled exactly as required. Better still, a screen pivot function is included to allow the user to switch between portrait and landscape modes. There’s no automatic gyro inside the screen to detect the orientation, but this isn’t a major issue as a switch can be found in the onscreen menu.
In testing, the UX21LCD produced the most impressive image of any TFT through the APC Labs to date. Tones were rendered accurately and clear differences were visible in contrast testing. The impressive performance is backed up by a three-year, limited onsite warranty if you’re within 50km of a service agent, otherwise it’s return-to-base. The dead pixel policy isn’t as good, offering replacement for six bright dots or 10 black dots, or 10 total defects.
Its moderate bezel, wide viewing angle, range of ergonomic adjustments and lengthy warranty make the Diamondpoint UX21LCD a great screen.

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Monitor LCD