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1987-04-21
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104 lines
HARDWARE REVIEW: TATUNG MM14SAE High Resolution monochrome monitor
by Martin Cubitt for STOSSER disczine, 27/12/93
A monochrome monitor is one of the many accessories available
for the Atari computer which I have rarely thought about owning. In
a similar way to modems and midi sequencing it is something which I
do not need and can get along without.
Recently, though, I decided it would be a nice to get a
monochrome monitor to get the most out of DTP and word processing.
Now I have got one I would like to report on the product and on the
effect it has on the way I use the computer.
The Tatung MM14SAE monitor has been adapted to work with the
Atari ST/STe. A cable was supplied allowing the connection into the
monitor port on the back of the Atari.
The technical specifications:
Screen size: 14" monochrome
Screen resolution: 640 x 400
Vertical frequency: 71.2 Hz
Horizontal frequency: 35.7 kHz
Bandwidth: 45 MHz
User controls: Power-off, Brightness, Contrast,
V-Size, H-Phase
Dimensions: 325 (H) x 287 (W) x 320 (D) mm
Weight: 6 Kg (Net)
Note: Low radiation
The screen is small enough and light enough to fit on my
computer desk next to my television set which enables me to swap
between using the colour television or monochrome monitor very
easily.
The image given by the monitor is very sharp indeed. I was
surprised just how pixel-perfect it was. In fact when I went back to
the colour television for the first time I realised just how blurred
that it. The image does seem a little blurred in the far corners on
the monitor but this is rarely noticeable.
The controls allow varying levels of brightness and contrast
which should find one that suits anybody. The V-Size and H-Phase
controls enable a comfortably sized screen image to be achieved.
One of the obvious features missing from the monitor is
sound. However, you do not need music to be playing when running a
DTP package or while typing a document! So this omission is not as
bad as it may first seem.
The screen can swivel to suit the most comfortable angle for
you. This is pretty much an expected feature of any monitor used
exclusively for computer use.
So, how has my computer life changed since having a
monochrome monitor? Firstly, thank goodness I can still use my
colour television by just disconnecting the monitor from the back of
the Atari (when the machine is turned off, of course!). I expect
about 80 or 90 percent of all software will not run on a high
resolution monitor, or at least not to the full extent.
STOS is probably the most used piece of software I have.
Booting this in high resolution causes no problems but running
practically every STOS program (compiled or otherwise) causes a
problem because of a "pen 1" or "mode 0". I spent a little bit of
time going through some of my more commonly used STOS-compiled
programs to make them high resolution compatible. This mainly meant
changing lines which referenced ink or pen to "if mode<2 then ..."
and changing "mode 0" and "mode 1" to "if mode<2 then mode ...".
A real nuisance of using STOS in high resolution is that
there is no cursor. This makes editing very difficult and if anyone
can tell me where in the STOS system the code fits which says the
cursor is colour 2 let me know so I can change it to colour 1!
Having re-installed Timeworks Publisher 2 so that it works in
high resolution I have seen immediate improvements in clarity and
the production is speeded up sufficiently as a result. Similarly it
is less of an eye strain writing letters or documents now.
I have played Chessmaster 2000 in high resolution and
although I missed the voice of "Your move" and "Oops! You got me!"
the game remains as good as ever.
So, to summarise, the high resolution monitor is a welcome
addition to my computer set up. It also gives me the chance to
ensure utilities I write are compatible for both low/med and high
resolution.
I would definitely recommend that nobody gets rid of their
colour television or monitor as you really do need to access
monochrome and colour in order to get the most out of your machine.
If you do not have a DTP package and do not spend much time using a
word processor then it is probably fair to say there is little
point in obtaining a monochrome monitor.
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