An LCD Screen to Start the Year: Hitachi CML174SXW

Using The Screen For Work

If not being used for gaming, the Hitachi screen is actually a little too bright by default. You need to bring the brightness down from maximum (the standard setting) to 0, if you don't want to be blinded. The pattern tests applied, even before testing with games, revealed another defect, in that the screen tends toward blue, similar to the Iiyama screen. This defect can be corrected (but you'll need a lot of patience!) when the screen is connected up as analog, rather than digital. If connected to a PC through its DVI connector, several options, including contrast and color temperature, are no longer available. As a result, the screen displays more shades when it is used in analog mode (provided the display parameters are adjusted correctly) than in DVI mode.

On the left, the Solarism LM1711; on the right, the Hitachi CML174SXW. It's pretty noticeable, but again, the photo exaggerates the phenomenon - the Hitachi screen, like the Iiyama, veers toward blue.

Finally, the claimed horizontal and vertical angle of vision of 160° seems rather optimistic. In fact, that is how you can easily recognize TN + Film screens, because the image tends to go paler when the vertical hold is increased, and darkens when it is seen from below. To get a perfect image, you must be directly facing the screen.