Choosing a Monitor Simple Again
Once upon a time, selecting a display system for an IBM PC was simple. If you wanted to display color or graphics and were willing to settle for fuzzy text, you would choose IBM’s Color Graphics Adapter, or CGA, and a compatible monitor.
If you were doing a lot of word or number processing and wanted to keep your eyesight, you opted for a monochrome monitor and adapter. The monochrome wouldn’t display graphics, but the text was very crisp.
Then things became more complicated. A flood of new adapters and monitors came on the market, providing better graphics, color and resolution. The trouble in almost every case, however, was that when you bought a better adapter, you also had to buy a new monitor to maintain compatibility.
Now, if you’re willing to pay the price, things can be simple again. A new generation of so-called multisynchronous monitors can be used with any kind of adapter. Thus, if you want to upgrade your adapter, you won’t necessarily have the added complication and expense of getting a new monitor, too.
A number of such monitors are on the market. For this column, I reviewed the Thompson UltraScan. I used it primarily with an IBM AT-compatible computer equipped with an Extended Graphics Adapter, or EGA card, but I also plugged it into an IBM PC with a Hercules monochrome graphics adapter. In both cases, the monitor worked about as well as the display that it replaced.
The EGA produced excellent color graphics and very readable text. I tested it with regular text-only programs like WordPerfect and WordStar, and then used it with Microsoft Windows, which runs entirely in graphics mode. The monitor actually makes an audible click when switching from text to graphics.
UltraScan comes with input plugs for monochrome, CGA, EGA and standard composite video. A cable adapter, which will sell for about $15, is required for it to be used with IBM’s Video Graphics Array (VGA) adapter, which was recently introduced for the new Personal System/2 series of computers. (IBM makes the only monitors specifically designed for VGA, but the UltraScan is compatible with VGA, according to a Thompson spokesman.)
The monitor also accepts the same round RCA plugs used in home videocassette recorders. Just for fun, I plugged the screen into my VCR and was astonished with the picture quality. It put my regular set to shame.
With a suggested retail price of $895, however, the UltraScan is an expensive indulgence for television viewing. For that matter, it’s more expensive than most other computer monitors, particularly those it’s intended to replace. You are paying for flexibility, which might not be a bad idea in this ever-changing industry.
But a multisynchronous monitor is more than a nice luxury. Several companies have released or will soon release display adapters that require these screens. That’s because the adapter companies are hurrying to create products compatible with IBM’s new VGA standard, which will not work with most monitors.
Quadram, of Norcross, Ga., and STB, of Richardson, Tex., already have announced that their EGA boards can be adjusted to support VGA.
The VGA standard displays 640 by 480 pixels on a screen while the older EGA standard is 640 by 350. The difference, to state it simply, is that VGA puts more dots on the screen, creating a tighter pattern and, therefore, a crisper picture.
Of course, software plays a role in all of this. To fully exploit any standard, programs must be modified. Many programs haven’t been updated to take advantage of the new standards, so the performance could be less than optimal.
Speaking of displays, if you’re in the market for a Macintosh II, hold off until you can carefully evaluate Apple’s monochrome display. I got my Mac II last week, and although I’m very impressed with the machine, I’m disappointed by the 12-inch monochrome display.
The characters are not as crisp as they are on the nine-inch screens built into the older Macs and the new Mac SE. I find myself having to take more frequent breaks to avoid eyestrain.
An Apple spokeswoman says that “there is nothing wrong with the monitor,” but acknowledges that larger screens tend to be a little fuzzier. People’s eyes vary, so what bothers me might not bother you.
Because the Mac II is an “open” machine, buyers can choose any monitor on the market. Unfortunately, it’s still a seller’s market until Apple and other developers get production going fast enough to meet demand.
