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Product summary
The good: Good image quality for games, DVDs, and Internet; lots of image-adjustment options.
The bad: Bulky; exhibits some color compression; hints of pink and green in the grayscales.
The bottom line: The ViewSonic G220f is a large CRT that provides good mainstream performance, but serious graphics professionals should look elsewhere.
Specifications: Display Type: Display / CRT ; Diagonal Size: 21 in ; Max Resolution: 2048 x 1536 / 68 Hz ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 11/03/2005
- Released on: 08/01/2002
High-end CRTs are nearly extinct in today's monitor market, where the emphasis is on high-end LCDs, such as the LaCie 321 or the Eizo L997. Still, CRTs are a less expensive alternative for any consumer who wants a large monitor suitable for graphics applications. ViewSonic promotes its 21-inch ViewSonic G220f as a good fit for this niche. With a low price of $519 (less than most midrange 19-inch LCDs), it offers strong mainstream performance, but its errors in rendering colors and grayscales make it an unattractive choice for graphics pros.
The ViewSonic G220f is a behemoth, measuring nearly 20 inches on all sides and weighing 60 pounds. With a reasonably narrow bezel, the G220f's flat screen offers a 12-by-16-inch (HW) viewing area. An antistatic, antireflective coating adds a bit of glare to this large screen, but we didn't find it overly distracting. Despite its imposing dimensions, the G220f moves well, swiveling 90 degrees in both directions and tilting up 10 degrees and down 5 degrees.
As you might expect from a CRT designed with graphics professionals in mind, the G220f has an extensive onscreen menu (OSM). Just four buttons built into the bottom edge of the bezel control the menu, which is split into two screens. The buttons, subtly labeled with arrows and numbers, are a bit hard to read. Once in the menu, you can control more than the basic settings. In the Geometry section, for example, in addition to image position, size, and zoom adjustments, you can tweak pincushion balance, trapezoid and parallel settings, and top and bottom hooking.
More advanced features include degaussing and Purity, which corrects color-tone imbalances within single colors. The monitor also has two moiré-reduction controls, three color-temperature presets, and a User Color control for setting the red, green, and blue color levels yourself. The G220f's factory settings will suit casual users, and you can quickly restore them with the Memory Recall button.
Tested at its recommended resolution of 1,600x1,200, the ViewSonic G220f performed fairly well on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based tests, but it wasn't up to the standards of a monitor for graphics professionals. Text was sharp and letters were distinct, though not as dark black as we would have liked. The G220f showed acceptable screen geometry; except for some slight pinching of the corners, vertical and horizontal lines could be squared to the bezel with minimal distortion.
Grayscales on the G220f were not spectacular. The screen displayed a good range of shades, but we could see tints in pink and green. Black didn't appear as fully saturated as it should have; likewise, pure whites looked dingy. The G220f's colors looked good with photographs and graphics from the Internet, but our color-test screens showed slight compression, or lack of differentiation, at the dark end of the scale. Gaming backgrounds on the G220f were full of vibrant colors and fine details. DVD playback was also good, with sharp details, accurate flesh tones, and minimal noise.
The G220f comes with a tiny printed quick-start guide and a CD-ROM with a much more in-depth user guide. ViewSonic's Web site offers FAQs and links for buying extended warranties, downloading drivers and utilities, and calibrating your monitor online. It also offers e-mail support. The ViewSonic G220f comes with an industry-standard three-year warranty, during which you get 24/7 tech support via e-mail and a toll-free phone number.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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