From: jbthoo@ucdavis.edu ( John Thoo ) Date: Sun, 10 Nov 91 23:47:12 PST Subject: Full-page monitors for SE/30 Sometime near the end of October I asked info-mac digest readers the following: >I'm interested in purchasing a 15" portrait display for my SE/30, and >have narrowed my choices down to the following three monitors (although >I'm open to any further recommendations): > >Ehman Monochrome 15" Monitor (w/card): $495 direct >Mirror Full-page Monochrome Display (w/card): $477 direct >Sigma Designs PageView Multi-Mode (w/card): $683 campus bookstore > > Also, I'm presently using After Dark; will AD work *independently* > on the SE/30's built-in screen and the PD, or will I have to obtain another > screen saver? First, I would like to thank each and everyone who responded to my requests Most people seemed to like Mirror's PD very much, although one respondent warned (in no uncertain terms) against buying Mirror; their responses follow. =====*****BEGIN COMMENTS re full-page monitors*****============================ I love my Apple Portrait Display and hate the 13" RGB monitor. All my work is with text and best handled with the PD. Recommended. But dual monitors are a pain. Software incompatibilities, loss of cursor control, etc. If I had to do it over again (and money were no object :-), I'd get a 16 or 19" E-Machines monitor. Mono- chrome would please me just fine, but the rest of the family would probably have to have color, I suppose. Color doesn't phase me. =============================================================================== I`ve been using a Mirror FPD with my SE/30 for about a year and a half now and haven't had any major problems with it. I had one little problem getting it set up, but Mirror has great tech support, and they got me up and running quickly. I give Mirror my unqualified recommendation. =============================================================================== I bought recently the Mirror 19" monochrome. I`m very happy with it, great company. I also bought the Mirror 88 mb removable hard disk and CD-ROM drive. Also very happy with the quality of the hardware, software, and people I deal with. =============================================================================== John, we purchased 3 of the Ehman monitors for the secretaries, and we have heard no complaints. If there are any problems, one is getting used to the curved screen. Before we ordered we asked Ehman about that. They replied we had 30 days to return the monitors if we didn't like them. However, none of our ladies complained. A bit of warning, Ehman is having trouble matching production to orders. We originally ordered one monitor and got it right away. The other two took considerably longer. =============================================================================== The Sigma products are very good. I think you'll find that you do get more for the extra money you pay (ie. better quality, sharper image, lower EM emmissions, etc.) WE have a PageView GS on a IIsi and two page display on a '386. Both work very well and their users are happy with them. The multi-mode sounds very appealling because it is not always desirable to work at 80dpi. =============================================================================== I had a Mirror full-page-display on my SE. I like it (and Mirror) very much. The only thing I didn't like was the cost of upgrading the display card so I could use it on my IIx (replaced the SE).... quite high. =============================================================================== I'm responding to your request for info on full page monitors. I recently purchased a Mirror 19" 2 page monitor for my dad, since the price was good and I'd heard good things about Mirror. When my dad receeived the monitor, he installedthe card, and failed to remove the old card; because of this, the monitor didn't work. My dad isn't a guru, so he didn't know much when he called. They sent him a new card, whic did the same, and it was only by accident that he finally got it tow work. My point is, that their tech support didn't help with that and was barking up the wrong tree. Anyway, the monitor worked for two weeks or so until I visited and it died. Here is the annoying part. Mirror tech insisted that the monitor be shipped out before they would replace it, so my dad was looking at some two weeks minimum down time. He is a printer and NEEDS the machine for his business, and this was very uncool. I'm not sure that any other mail order place is better, and of course, at least they said they'd replace it, with no problems, but if you can't live without the monitor, (and my dad has only one monitor, so his mac is sitting useless on the desk) you might consider the extra $200 for a store purchase and some peace of mind. In short, I'd rate Mirror's service as adequate, but this trouble was not worth $200. =============================================================================== Mirror has a new display out that meets Swedish ELF VLF standards and is supposed to be much brighter than their current monitor (MacWorld criticized their current monitor for dimness). It also has other little enhancements like ADB ports and a flatter screen. The SE/30 models are due out in a couple of weeks. The cost with SE/30 card is $577. I will almost certainly buy one of these myself. I have had 2 Mirror hard drives and have been satisfied with their service. I have read in MacWeek that Ehman is having financial troubles. This may not be a good time to buy a product from them. I have seen the Sigma Designs monitor with card advertised for $645 mail order. The thing is with the Mirror monitor you can always go to Mirror if you have a problem. With most mail order places you would have to send it back to a manufacturer. That could be a big hassle. My understanding is that a flat screen is better because it reflects less glare. =============================================================================== DO NOT BUY THE MIRROR!!!!! I bought one and it was the worst piece of junk I've seen in a long time. I sent it back the next day. =====*****END COMMENTS re full-page monitors*****============================== =====*****BEGIN COMMENTS re using AD on mulitple monitors*****================ I have two monitors as well, and some After Dark modules work, others don't. Basically, it seems that the programmer had to realize that multiple monitors were a possibility and include support. Most of the good modules either do something on the second screen or just black it out (not unreasonable since my second screen is the SE/30's internal monochrome. Some of the PD/shareware screen savers ignore the second screen, so I don't use them, or I use them with Randomizer on a five minute time length so I don't have to worry about my screen sitting all night without a screen saver on. =============================================================================== In order to use some of the AD modules with multiple monitors (either because the programmer didn't take multi-monitors into account or because I want different settings on different screens) I just make copies of the modules. Like Can of Worms1, Can of worms2 etc. Then I use Multimodule to place them on the screens of my choice. =====*****END COMMENTS re using AD on mulitple monitors*****=================== Again, thanks to all who responded to my enquiry. --John.