Crisp As A Fresh-Picked Apple
Written: Sep 06 '00 (Updated Sep 21 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Crisp picture, vibrant colors, tripod stand provides storage space underneath monitor
Cons: Mine doesn't match the color of my computer (big deal)
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| Dr_Steph's Full Review: Apple Studio Display 17 inch CRT Monitor |
Shoulda, coulda, woulda....
That's what I keep telling myself when I think about my ill-fated decision to NOT purchase the Apple Studio Display 17 inch when I bought my blue and white Power Mac G3 in the winter of 1999.
Naturally, I was drawn to the space-age lines of this monitor, not to mention the fact that it matched the color of my new computer. I loved the tripod stand and the idea of being able to stash the keyboard or papers under my computer.
So why didn't I buy it right away? Because I listened to a couple of other people rather than my own heart (that'll get you in trouble every time <g>). First, a self-proclaimed Mac expert said that the Apple monitor was way overpriced and not that high quality. Second, my husband was drooling all over a 19 inch Princeton monitor that only cost another $50 more than the Apple.
So we opted for the Princeton, a monstrous monitor that provide a nice large picture for our tired old eyes. It also proved to be quite unreliable, finally "fritzing" out on us and leaving us high and dry with no way of viewing our hundreds of email messages, let alone epinions!
We sent the Princeton back to the factory for repair with no idea when to expect it back. After a week of unsuccessful searching for a monitor to borrow, I finally grabbed my credit card, the MacZone catalog and ordered a brand new Apple Studio Display 17 inch. Unfortunately, I had to settle for a graphite and white one, since there were no blue and whites available. I was much less worried about the incompatible color, though, as how I was going to break the news to my husband that I had purchased ANOTHER monitor.
He was a tad annoyed at first....until the monitor arrived. After that he "adjusted" quite quickly. We found the Apple very easy to set up and we were back in business with the internet in no time.
Ohhhh! I LIKE this monitor!
Those were my first words when we turned on the Apple Studio Display 17 inch. The picture was incredibly crisp. I felt like I had just gotten a new pair of glasses. The Princeton was never this sharp, nor were the colors as vibrant as the Apple.
This monitor IS large but, in comparison to our Princeton, it looks downright sleek. It doesn't seem to take up that much room because of the space made available by the tripod stand. I push the keyboard and mouse under the stand on those rare occasions when I'm not using the computer because it keeps my 14 month old from reaching up and playing with the keyboard.
I had to monkey around a bit with the angle of the monitor on the stand since it felt like it was leaning over too much towards me. This was easy to accomplish, though, as were any of the other adjustments I tried to make.
On the front bottom side of the Apple monitor are two sets of four buttons. The buttons on the right control the contrast and brightness. The ones on the left are used for entering the OSD (on-screen display), moving between choices, and exiting the OSD.
The menu on the OSD includes selections such as:
o Basic adjustments: includes horizontal/vertical position and size, side pincushion, and trapezoid
o Geometry: includes side pincushion balance, parallelogram, pin S and W adjust, tilt, and zoom
o Image: include moire, horizontal and vertical convergence
o Color: sets the display's color temperature to bluish white, pink, or beige, or allows manual adjustment of color temperature (between 5000K and 10,000K)
o OSD adjust: adjusts the horizontal and vertical position of the OSD window on the screen and sets the amount of time that the OSD remains on the screen after adjustments have ceased.
o Language: selects the language of the OSD from a list of choices (which I don't have access to now since I'm not hooked up to this monitor).
o ETC: includes degauss, information about the factory reset and user-selectable video modes, video, and DDC (turns the Data Display Channel on and off).
Whew! Well, I didn't test drive all these controls. In truth, all I needed to do was a little horizontal/vertical position and size. This monitor has an automatic degaussing feature which ensures the best possible picture quality. The manual does recommend that if you leave your monitor on for long periods of time (like longer than 3 days) you should manually degauss the monitor since the automatic feature is only activated when the monitor is power is first turned on.
Technical Information On the Apple Studio Display 17 inch (For people who are into that kinda thing)
This information is taken directly from the manual
Screen
o 17-inch diagonal flat square (16-inch diagonal viewable image size)
o Anti-static, anti-glare surface treatment
o 0.25/0.28 mm aperture grille pitch
Input Signals
o Red, green, and blue video signals
o Multiple scan
o Separate horizontal and vertical sync
o DDC clock and data signals
o Vertical refresh: 30 to 85 Hz
o Horizontal scan: 30 to 160 kHz
Dimensions
o Weight: 48 lbs. (21.8 kilograms)
o Height: 18.9 in. (480 mm)
o Width: 16.5 in. (420 mm)
o Depth: 16.9 in.
Color Compatibility
o ColorSync profiles are compatible with the profile specifications of the International Color Consortium (ICC).
Input Electrical Requirements
o Voltage: 100 to 240 volts AC
o Frequency: 47 to 63 Hz
o Power: 150 W max
o Display Cable: VGA type connector
Power Saving and Environmental Features
o Monitor on: Power consumption <150 W
o Monitor sleep: Power consumption <15 W
o System sleep: Power consumption < 5 W
o TCO/NUTEK compliant
o MPR II compliant
o ENERGY STAR compliant
Overall Impression of the Apple Studio Display 17 inch
Contrary to what a supposed "expert" claimed, I have found the Apple Studio Display 17 inch to be a high quality, top notch monitor with a large, crisp picture. Even though it is smaller than the 19 inch Princeton monitor we own, I prefer the 17 inch Apple monitor. It's much easier on my eyes and does not make the computer table feel quite so crowded and cluttered.
The sad thing is that, right now, the Apple Studio Display 17 inch is sitting on the floor under my computer table gathering dust. When the replacement Princeton monitor was delivered, we left it packaged in the box for almost 6 weeks. Finally, my husband insisted that we set it up to make sure that it worked. It does. However, the picture has a washed out quality compared to the rich, sharp picture on the Apple. Now that the Princeton is set up, my husband thinks we should use it since it has a bigger screen. I've tolerated this situation too long. Tomorrow the Princeton goes on the floor and the Apple goes back up on the computer table next to the Power Mac G3 where it belongs.
This is an Apple definitely worth picking!
Recommended:
Yes
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