Vision Master Pro 514, HM204DTA

CADalyst, Sept, 2004

Iiyama North America

www.iiyama.com

Star rating: 5 stars out of 5

Price: $579

***** 2004 cadalyst LABS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The Iiyama Vision Master Pro 514 has a couple of extras not found in any of the other monitors reviewed here: USB support (v1.1; hub is 4 down and 1 up) is built into the base of the monitor, as are a couple of small speakers. The stand on the Vision Master Pro 514 is distinctive in other ways as well--it incorporates the power switch, the menu control system, and the video connectors.

The Vision Master Pro 514 is a 22" aperture-grille monitor with a 20" viewable area. It features a 390MHz dot clock and a dot pitch of 0.24mm. This putty-colored monitor measures 19.4" X 19.7" X 18.9" (wXhXd) and weighs 64.9lb. Maximum display resolution is 2048X1536 at 85Hz.

Two D-sub connectors are located in the monitor base along with the USB port. The power switch, source selector, and menu navigation pad make the base the effective control center for the monitor.

The single multidirection navigation button (up, down, left, and right all in one button) makes navigating the simple but complete menu system a snap. The menu is easy to understand, use, and navigate. It supports English, German, French, Dutch, Swedish, and Japanese.

Probably the main feature of this high-end monitor is the new high-brightness tube that, at the touch of a button, switches from the normal display mode to high-brightness mode, the equivalent of a TV screen, which is an especially useful feature for videos, image processing applications, and those who occasionally use their CAD systems for games.

The Iiyama Vision Master Pro 514 is well priced at $579. With its feature set and quality, you get a lot for that price. The monitor received a slight deduction in the price category on the report card because of aggressive pricing by other monitor vendors participating here.

As with the majority of monitors tested, the only quality and performance deduction was a quarter-point for color purity. In this case, the yellow appeared slightly dull. All other display characteristics were excellent throughout, without even slight imperfections. The slight deductions for pricing and display quality were offset by the overall high quality of the Iiyama Vision Master Pro 514 when the report card and star ratings were tabulated.

Warranty coverage on the Vision Master Pro 514 is three years, including all parts and labor.

All the little extras that go into a good display come together to make this an excellent monitor, despite the slight deduction for color purity. Taken all together, the Iiyama Vision Master Pro 514 earned a Cadalyst Labs 5-star rating. Highly Recommended.

STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED

Under Cadalyst's comparative review rating system, each product receives a star rating based on the Reviewers' Report Card.

***** Five stars: Highly Recommended. Product is superior to others in its class. Any flaws are minor and do not interfere with overall performance.

Four stars: Product does what the manufacturer claims, improves productivity, and is a valuable tool.

Three stars: Product has limited value for most readers.