Set your sights on this big screen for the Mac – Apple Macintosh – Hardware Review – Sigma Designs L-View Multi-Mode – evaluation
Crystal Waters
Set Your Sights On this Big Screen For the Mac
Sigma Designs L-View Multi-Mode
Rating: * * *
AT A GLANCE: Large-screen monochrome monitor that has six modes of resolution available on the fly. Excellent for large spreadsheets, desktop publishing, CAD, database on-screen reports, word processing, or graphics. Lower-resolution modes would be ideal for sight-impaired users because it enlarges whatever is on the screen.
DOCUMENTATION: Sufficient instructions and diagrams overall.
SETUP: Video adapter is easily installed monitor connection is only a matter of plugging in two cables software installation is a snap.
EASE OF USE: Most operations are as simple as a couple of mouse-clicks or keystrokes however, some Control Panel choices are not as easy because of lack of distinct instructions.
VALUE: Excellent for those who use a variety of applications and want a selection of viewing modes.
SUPPORT: Not toll-free open 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific time, Monday through Friday. Support was immediate, person was knowledgeable and helpful. 24-our bulletin-board support.
LIST PRICE: $1,999, including adapter board
STREET PRICE RANGE: $1,495 to $1,999, including adapter board
MANUFACTURER: Sigma Designs, 46501 Landing Pkwy., Fremont, CA 94538 (415) 770-0100 or (800) 933-9945 fax (415) 770-0110
MAXIMUM RESOUTION: 1,664 by 1,200 pixels
OTHER RESOLUTIONS: 1,280 by 960 1,024 by 768 832 by 600 640 by 480 512 by 384
GRAY LEVELS: None true black and white
COMPATIBILITY: 1MB Macintosh IIf System 6.0.4 or higher hard-disk drive recommended
DISPLAY AREA: 19 inches
DIMENSIONS: 18 by 19 by 17 inches
WARRANTY: One year
A two-page monitor is a wonderful luxury for anyone used to scrolling around a document on a 9.5-inch Macintosh screen. It quickly becomes a necessity for efficient and optimal productivity, whether creating large spreadsheets, on-screen slide shows, CAD drawings, or a newsletter. Now that I’ve grown used to the Sigma L-View, it will be hard going back to a little monitor.
Multiple resolutions allow for multiple uses. Unique to the L-View is the choice of six viewing resolutions that can conform to most any task, on the fly from within a number of applications. This multimode capability, as it is billed, resizes your document from 36 dots per inch (dpi) up to 120 dpi via the control panel or a hotkey. Lower-resolution mode makes everything on the screen look very large, but not well defined. But higher resolution will display in very fine detail (because there are more dots per inch).
Six monitors in one. The standard Mac screen is 7i dpi , WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). The L-View’s 92-dpi mode allows you to see two full pages side by side, perfect for that extrawide spreadsheet or a two-page book spread. Ultrahigh resolution of 120 dpi results in sharp two-page views of desktop-published documents, drawings, and scanned photos.
Moving the other way on the viewing spectrum, I found 60 dpi a boon for word processing it enlarges type to just the right readable size. At this resolution, you can still see most of a page.
I found both 46 and 36 dpi helpful when presenting information to other viewers in a group. Cursor and menus may also be enlarged for better viewing, invaluable for features when using the monitor for teaching Macintosh applications or making presentations.
Sigma acknowledges that not all applications can support its instant resizing capabilities, but claims that System 7.0 will correct most of that problem.
Documentation is sparse, but sufficiently explains hardware and software setup.
Seven in one. I also tried the L-View along with a color monitor (attached to a different video card). I found that if I chose the L-View as the Main Monitor (the one where the menu bar appears and applications open into), color graphics would appear only in black and white on the color monitor. I had to designate the color monitor as the Main Monitor and restart the computer to see my graphics in color.
I ran into indeterminable trouble after installing the new 32-bit Apple Color Card for the color monitor. The L-View just couldn’t handle it, and I had to un-install the L-View software in order to use the two monitors together. However, there’s the chance that you’ll want to invest your money in one or the other, not both.
Overview. The L-View performed a claimed-the multiple resolutions are easily accessible, mode switching is fast, and all resolutions have the potential to make you work more efficiently. If you’re shopping for a large-screen monitor the L-View is a solid competitor for your money.
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