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[ Go to March 1997 Table of Contents ]
WYSEvision WY-17PS Get Smart with Wyse -- by Deborah K. Wong
Running multiple applications on precious screen real estate has fueled the skyrocketing demand for 17-inch monitors. Therefore, you may want to add Wyse Technology's WYSEvision WY-17PS to your shopping list. The WY-17PS' virtually flat Mitsubishi DiamondTron CRT provides 16.2 inches of crisp, vibrant viewable area. A 0.25mm aperture-grille pitch delivers an addressable 1600x1200 maximum noninterlaced resolution at 60Hz, with horizontal scanning frequency at 24kHz to 82kHz (good enough for graphic designers). But its recommended use is best at an eye-pleasing 1024x768 at 76Hz. The monitor's control panel presents one soft power switch, one contrast dial (select and adjust), and three buttons (function, recall and auto-picture). The function button activates the digital on-screen display (OSD) that offers four menus controlling 15 screen parameters. However, an option for moire distortion was absent. Like many OSDs, controls can be invoked even while running applications and will close after 2 minutes of inactivity. Featuring a nonglare, anti-electrostatic screen, the WY-17PS supports Level 1/2B for DDC compliance when used with a compatible system or graphics board. Weighing 40.7 pounds, the 16.7 by 16.1 by 17.1-inch monitor is relatively light and compact. It consumes a maximum of 130 watts, and powers down to 20W in standby and suspend modes and 6W when off. The WY-17PS complies with EPA Energy Star standards and Swedish MPRII restrictions for low emissions. It comes with a three-year warranty covering parts (including the CRT) and labor. When tested with Sonera Technologies' DisplayMate suite on a DTK P150 system with ATI's Mach 64 video card, I easily adjusted the monitor to different resolution rates. It produced heavy moire patterns at 800x600, but improved as I increased the resolution. The display at 1280x1028 was flicker-free, with no variation in color or intensity across the screen. There was minimal pincushioning and barrel distortion, and I was pleased with its video bandwidth and transient response. While the WY-17PS is surely worth considering, the Compaq V70 currently on our Recommended List is less expensive, offers better refresh rates at higher resolutions and produces virtually distortion-free images.
Copyright (c) 1997 CMP Media Inc.
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