Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!bcsaic!lbaum
From: lbaum@bcsaic.UUCP (Larry Baum)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: 2-PAGE MONOCHROME MONITORS (MIRROR & EHMAN) ???
Message-ID: <26420@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: 14 Jun 90 16:48:19 GMT
References: <19670.2675da93@oregon.uoregon.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle
Lines: 73


In article <19670.2675da93@oregon.uoregon.edu> slee@oregon.uoregon.edu writes:
: Has anyone had any experience with MIRROR or EHMAN oversized monochrome
: monitors?  I'm considering the Mirror 2-page black&white or possibly
: their Portrait full-page monitor. They say they have their monitors made
: by Viking (who makes moniterm monitors).  I'm also thinking about the 
: Ehman Engineering 2-page monitor.  Anyone know anything about these
: monitors or about the companies & their reputations?  Thanks, Scott

I recently purchased the Mirror 2-page display (PixelView II) which
costs a bit under $900 (including the video card) for my Mac+.  This is
considerably cheaper than the Radius Full Page Display.

Anyway, here are my initial reactions after a couple of weeks.

1) Installation was quite easy, even for me, and I've never opened up my
Plus before.  The video card just fits snuggly over the 68000 chip.  It
was a bit tricky to push the card past the edge of the last SIMM (which
is mounted at an angle toward the 68000.  Aside from that, it was
simple.

2) The software that accompanies it is in the form of a CDEV and
provides suite of utilities that are not quite up to what one gets with
Radius:

a) Screen saver that dims both monitors
b) a "Big Cursor" option that makes the mouse pointer qite large
c) control over which monitor gets the menu bar (remember the Monitors
CDEV doesn't work on Plus)
d) an screen inverter that puts everything in reverse video
e) If you configure it to use just the Mirror display, there is an
option to use the Plus monitor as a magnifying glass for what's under
the mouse.
f) You can make the Menu Bar use a special 18pt font (and this is used
for menu items too)

This is also an INIT that lets you choose whether to use one or two
monitors (i.e. you can choose to just use the Plus monitor if you want -
a must for Crystal Quest!).  If you use both it lets you indicate the
physical relationship between the two monitors.

As to performance:

The first thing I noticed is that the display is not all that bright,
i.e. not as bright as the Plus, but certainly bright enough.  I talked
to Mirror about this and they claimed that they chose this deliberately,
saying that making it brighter would decrease the life expectancy.  Any
comment, anyone?

Images are crisp and true; i.e. squares are squares, circles are circles
etc. and characters are crisp.  It certainly is create to be free from
that 9" screen for Word, etc.

A number of common INITs are incompatible: SuperClock, Application Menu,
HierDA; i.e just about anything that messes with the menu bar.

The CDEV has a feature that is supposed to let you specify for a
particular application, which monitor to use, but it is completely
brain-damaged.

Every once in awhile the monitor will blink  or shudder "violently" i.e.
it blinks black for a bout a second and then comes back into focus.

All in all I am reasonably happy with the purchase, but I miss the INITs
I cannot use and wish it were a bit brighter.  Tear off menus a la
Radius would be great.


-- 
Larry Baum
Advanced Technology Center              
Boeing Computer Services     uucp:       uw-beaver!bcsaic!lbaum
(206) 865-3365               internet:   lbaum@atc.boeing.com