Path: menudo.uh.edu!usenet From: s.k.khan@bradford.ac.uk (Saleem Khan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews Subject: REVIEW: MicroVitec CubScan-1440 multi-sync monitor Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Date: 26 Aug 1993 16:34:57 GMT Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett Lines: 215 Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator) Distribution: world Message-ID: <25ionh$qe8@menudo.uh.edu> Reply-To: s.k.khan@bradford.ac.uk (Saleem Khan) NNTP-Posting-Host: karazm.math.uh.edu Keywords: hardware, monitor, multi-sync, commercial PRODUCT NAME MicroVitec CubScan-1440 multi-sync monitor BRIEF DESCRIPTION This is a 14-inch true multi-sync monitor that works with all Amigas and can sync down to 15 kHz for games. COMPANY INFORMATION (ENGLAND) Name: MicroVitec PLC Address: Bradford West Yorkshire BD4 7TU England Telephone: (0274) 390011 FAX: (0274) 734944 Telex: 517717 (GERMANY) Name: MicroVitec (Deutschland) GmbH Address: Heinrich Hertz Strasse 4 4006 Erkrath Bei Dusseldorf West Germany Telephone: (211) 920010 FAX: (211) 9200115 (US PARTS AND SERVICE) Address: 700 Ensminger Road Suite 112 Tonawanda, NY 14150 USA Telephone: (716) 874-3630 FAX: (716) 874-4309 LIST PRICE The price now for this monitor varies. Looking in the latest Amiga Shopper magazine (issue #29), I see it is 429.99 UK Pounds. SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS HARDWARE A special 23-pin Amiga-to-multisync converter IS needed, but I think you will be provided with one in the box, as I was. (The lead to the monitor is the 9 pin VGA type.) Although it may seem irrelevant, RAM is an issue: the higher screen mode you choose to have, the more RAM the mode will need to be displayed. CPU speed also plays its part here. If you have a high resolution display, then it will take more CPU time. This is evident when I put this Amiga 500+ into PRODUCTIVITY mode (the drives start to sound stressed). :) SOFTWARE None required although existing programs can benefit by the higher display modes available. COPY PROTECTION None. MACHINE USED FOR TESTING Amiga500+ series 2 MB Chip RAM, 1 MB Fast RAM 2 floppy drives Kickstart 37.175 (2.04) Workbench 38.* (2.1) REVIEW About one month ago, I decided to get a monitor, as the old family TV was a little rough on the eyes. :) Well I scanned the Amiga magazines. I was in search of a nice monitor that would be a little future-proof as well as provide a nice display. Therefore, I had to find a .28mm dot pitch monitor to best suit my needs... and lo and behold, it seemed that this was the one for me. :-) Looking at the monitor, I can say it's not the best looking one I've seen, although it does look better than the CBM 1960 model. I was going to buy the 1960, but after reading in various posts of the problems, I decided against that. Also, the firm that makes the CubScan is based a few miles away, so I would not have to wait long for any repairs if needed. One thing I like is that the monitor will remember the settings you set it for in a particular screen mode: the screen y axis and x axis as set but the touch buttons on the front panel of the monitor. I have tested the monitor in all modes available to me, and it performs VERY well: great, in fact. I have also used this monitor with AMaxII (the Mac+ emulator), and again it performed very well in PRODUCTIVITY mode. Unfortunately, I was forced to use the family TV at first and had installed a hack called Fuzzf to reduce the flicker (the screen mode was super-hires interlaced). When I loaded the emulator the hack would load and reduce the screen to garbage (not a pretty sight). :-) I have no other gripes about this product in any way. SPECIFICATIONS HORIZONTAL RATE: Operates at 15kHz to 40kHz infinitely variable VERTICAL RATE: Operates at 48Hz to 100Hz infinitely variable MAX. RESOLUTION: Horizontal 800 dots non-int; 1024 interlaced Vertical 600 lines non-int; 768 interlaced VIDEO BANDWIDTH: 40MHz (-3db) Switching and settling time <0.5sec TUBE: Long persistence or standard persistence CRT 14" (37 cm) USA 13"V. 00.28 mm dot pitch. 90=B0 deflection. Anti-Glare. 57% transmission plate. MAIN POWER: 110-240V AC 50-60Hz nominal (will operate from 90V to 256V AC 50-60 Hz with no adjustments). TYPICAL: less then 95 watts with full white screen. PHYSICAL DETAILS CABINET: Flame retardant Injection moulded plastic. DIMENSIONS: 392*362*400mm (including tilt and swivel base) WEIGHT: 14.8kg (unpacked) DOCUMENTATION Small A3 booklet with 10 pages of text. LIKES AND DISLIKES Only one thing I miss. The monitor it seems has NO internal speakers, so you must provide a way for the sound to be heard (no problem for me as I have always used a HiFi). :) COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS Beats the family television hands down. The other monitors I have seen are the Phillips 8833II (which was not good enough) and the CBM 1960 (I never liked this monitor because of the bad reviews it had in many Amiga magazines). BUGS Ermm... only dead ones found. ;-) VENDOR SUPPORT Great! I returned the monitor with a minor fault and it was returned in one working day! (WOW!). WARRANTY The monitor carries a three (yes 3) year manufacturer warranty (parts and labour). CONCLUSIONS Basically, BUY IT ALREADY! :) Seriously though, this is a great product if a bit pricey (more so with the release of the 1942). I do like the DMS feature (Digital Memory Sizing, unrelated to the "DMS" disk program). I quote from the booklet: "MicroVitec DMS system identifies differing signals coming into the monitor, then matches these automatically to information held in memory, displaying a perfectly positioned picture every time". COPYRIGHT NOTICE You may do with this review as you want as long as you don't claim to have written it. :) (I also take no responsibility for the information contained in this document which is correct as far as I know at this present time.) Copyright 1993 Saleem Khan. All rights reserved. '||''|. MAIL: s.k.khan@bradford.ac.uk ________________________ || || ... ... ... . ... . .... ... |HULLO TO EVERYONE!, | || || || || || || || || '|. | |AND REMEMBER FRIENDSHIP | || || || || |'' |'' '|.| |RULEZ! :) | .||...|' '|..'|. '||||. '||||. '| ----------------------- .|....' .|....' .. | '''' '''' '' --- Daniel Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews