Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!boulder!seri!wind55!marshall
From: marshall@wind55.seri.gov (Marshall L. Buhl)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: NEC Multisync 1 and VGA - I'm p*ss*d
Keywords: NEC VGA multisync
Message-ID: <1990May7.182644.21562@seri.gov>
Date: 7 May 90 18:26:44 GMT
Sender: news@seri.gov (news [NO CHARGE])
Distribution: na
Organization: Solar Energy Research Institute
Lines: 36

Years ago, I bought a bunch of NEC Multisyncs for connecting to EGA cards.
I paid extra money for this original Multisync, so that it would be
"compatible with future video cards that run at higher resolution."  I
could have bought EGA only monitors for a lot less.

I wanted to upgrade the systems that have the NECs to VGA, so I bought a
couple of VGA cables to try it out.  The first user that got upgraded saw
the folly of my ways.  When running different programs (PC Word, Excel,
DesignCAD) the vertical size is off.  For some it's too small, for others,
it's too tall.  This is especially annoying for CAD or paint programs
where aspect ratio is important.  It takes a while to get circles to look
circular or squares to be squares.  My user is very upset that he has to
adjust the monitor every time he switches programs.  And I'm royally
p*ss*d because I let my users down.  I got suckered in by marketing hype.

I called NEC to complain and see if there was a fix.  No fix.  I told the
tech support person that I was upset that I had spent so much extra money
for that compatibility with future video cards and it doesn't work right.
He said that no one else thought that having to adjust the vertical size
is a hassle, and that they were very happy that their Multisyncs WERE VGA 
compatible.  Yeah, right.

So now if I want to upgrade everyone to VGA, I'll have to buy new monitors
to go with the cards.  This will triple upgrade costs.  I may just forget
about upgrading, bit if I do, you can bet the monitors won't be made by NEC.

8-(  8-(  8-(  8-(  grumble, grumble

BTW, I upgraded an EGA system that was using a Princeton Ultrasync to VGA
and it did not have this problem - at least not with the software that user
was using.
--
Marshall L. Buhl, Jr.                EMAIL: marshall@seri.gov
Senior Computer Engineer             VOICE: (303)231-1014
Wind Research Branch                 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO  80401-3393
Solar Energy Research Institute      Solar - safe energy for a healthy future