What components make up the image on my monitor?
The monitor image is made up of several components, surprisingly the monitor’s capabilities are usually not the limiting factor in determining what is displayed. The hardware that limits the image you see is usually the video controller (video card).

The components that make up an image are:

a. Resolution - Standard PC resolutions are 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024 and 1600 x 1200. Standard Macintosh resolutions are 640 x 480, 832 x 624, 1152 x 870. Newer Macintosh models can run most standard PC resolutions as well. While a monitor may be capable of displaying any or all of these resolutions, the recommended resolution for monitors is usually lower than the maximum resolution it is capable of displaying.

The higher the resolution displayed on a monitor, the smaller the individual characters and images will appear. Windows^® compensates for this by offering a large font option in its setup function. Recommended resolution by CRT size is: 14" - 640 x 480, 15" - 640 x 480 or 800 x 600, 17" - 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768, 19" - 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024, 20" - 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024, 21" - 1280 x 1024 or 1600 x 1200.

b. Vertical Refresh Rate - VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) sets standards for vertical refresh rates at certain resolutions. Standard vertical refresh rates are 60 Hz, 70 Hz, 72 Hz, 75 Hz and 85 Hz. Most monitors are capable are running at refresh rates that fall in between (i.e. 73.6 Hz) or higher (i.e. 100 Hz) than these numbers. Using one of the standard refresh rates simplifies monitor set up since monitors contain many of the VESA standards as presets. The plug and play function normally selects one of the VESA standards when it sets up the monitor. A "flicker-free" refresh rate is usually considered to be one that is 72 Hz or higher.

c. Horizontal Refresh Rate - The horizontal refresh rate is usually the limiting factor of the monitor in determining which vertical refresh rate the monitor runs at. The monitor’s horizontal refresh range can be either continuous (30 - 70 kHz) or preset (31.5/35.5/38/48 kHz), the actual numbers will vary depending on the monitor’s specifications. Presets are usually setup to match the VESA standard resolutions that a monitor can display so preset is not inherently inferior to continuous.

d. Color Depth - Most color monitors can display an unlimited number of colors. Color depth is measured in the number of bits of color that are being displayed. One-bit color displays 8 colors. Popular color depths are 16 color (4-bit), 256 color (8-bit), High Color (16-bit) and true color (24- and 32-bit). The human eye cannot perceive even the number of colors displayed in High Color, but if viewed side by side subtle improvements can be seen between 16-, 24- and 32-bit depths. Because of the large installed base of older systems many games and Internet pages are built to view in 256 colors. High Color is usually more than adequate for most applications. The amount of RAM on the video card determines the color depth you can use at a specific resolution. To get a rough estimate of the amount of RAM needed to display the desired color depth you take the number of pixels in the resolution multiplied by the color depth desired divide by 8 and then divide by 1,024,000 (i.e. ((1024 x 768 x 16-bit)/8)/1,024,000 = 1.57 Mb of RAM needed).

How do I program the resolution and refresh rate on my monitor?
You cannot change the resolution from the monitor; the video controller (video card) software controls resolution. Windows, OS/2 and Mac OS contain resolution control utilities that can be used to set up your display. Also, many video cards come with software utilities that assist in setting up your display. Please consult your operating system or video card user manual for information on setting up your display.

What resolution should I run in?
That is a personal decision. It is based on a few factors: The screen size of the monitor, the type of productivity you need and your own comfort. The higher the resolution, the smaller the elements (icons, fonts, gadgets and borders) on the screen. A higher resolution screen makes everything proportionately smaller, allowing more things (open group windows) on the screen at one time. It also allows a wider view of the work without scrolling. However, on a small screen, this may not be comfortable, and it is important to avoid eyestrain and headaches. Here are some recommended resolutions for your monitor:

How can I get a video card driver or INF file for my monitor?
To obtain the INF file for your monitor, please download from the ftp site at ftp://ftp.maginnovision.com and review the Plug and Play tips located in the Service area. For Windows 3.xx, please contact the video card manufacturer for the appropriate driver.

How long does it take for a monitor to ‘warm up’?
It takes at least 30 minutes for all of the circuitry in the monitor to warm up and for the CRT to stablilize. You should wait at least 30 minutes after you turn your monitor on before trying to adjust it. If you suspect that you have a problem with your monitor image you should wait at least 30 minutes after you turn the monitor on before attempting to diagnose a problem.

Why do some monitors appear less bright than others do?
When comparing monitors it is especially important to compare apples to apples. There are so many factors that make up a monitor’s image that it is hard to do a comparison anywhere other than a controlled setting. At the minimum you must test both monitors on the same computer, and be sure that each monitor is properly adjusted. Testing just one of each brand will not necessarily yield results that can be generalized to all models and sizes of a given brand. The best way to select a monitor is to learn how to properly adjust a monitor and then once you have personally adjusted the monitors in question, select the one with the most appealing image to you.

What does the degaussing do?
The purpose of degaussing is to demagnetize the shadow mask or aperture grille to allow the electron beams to pass freely through. Most monitors automatically degauss when switched on, and many have manual degaussing buttons. To find out if your monitor has this feature check the user’s manual or manufacturer’s data sheet.

When you manually degauss a monitor the image will wobble for a moment indicating that the degaussing circuit is working. If the purity does not clear up wait at least 10 minutes before degaussing again to allow the degauss circuitry to recharge.

If the purity problem persists a qualified technician can degauss the monitor with a special tool.

What is the MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) for MAG InnoVision monitors?
The average MTBF for MAG InnoVision monitors is 50,000 hours, excluding the CRT.

When should I use a BNC type video cable?
The standard DB15 connector used on most monitors is adequate for nearly all applications. If your monitor comes equipped with BNC connectors you may use them instead of the standard DB15 connector by purchasing a BNC cable. A BNC cable offers a larger bandwidth and better shielding but the effects will only be noticeable when using the higher resolutions and frequencies.

The image on my monitor suddenly expands, then shrinks again, then the monitor shuts off and is no longer operable. Why did this happen?

Incorrect video card setup could be the cause of this problem. Sometime the user does not know how to setup the monitor with their video card. Improper video card driver configuration can lead to many conflicts, such as:

• No video
• Image jitters or flickers, due to low vertical refresh rate (vertical frequency)
• Image shrinks and expands, caused by incorrect INF file installed in Windows 95
• The frequency output from the video card exceeds the monitor’s frequency ranges. This can lead to permanent damage.

Make sure that the video card setup is correctly. If you are not sure, please contact Technical Support or contact the video card manufacturer for assistance

My monitor has a thin black horizontal line about one-third the way from the bottom of the screen. I see it on a solid white background especially. Is there a defect in my monitor?
This is an intrinsic characteristic of aperture grille CRTs. This CRT technology is unique in its construction in that it has an aperture grille rather than the conventional shadow mask. The aperture grille is comprised of a frame with hundreds of very fine wires strung vertically. This grille guides the electron beams so they hit the proper color phosphors, arranged in vertical stripes. The line you see is the shadow cast by what is called a damper wire. This wire is used to provide structural support for the aperture grille. There is one wire on 15 inch and smaller tubes, and two wires on 17 inch and larger, the second being one-third the way from the top edge.

My monitor is capable of 100 Hz vertical refresh rate. Can I run all my resolutions at that rate?
No. The vertical refresh rate is just one part of the image. Please see Monitor Basics for a review of what goes into making up your image.

To find whether a particular refresh rate can be used at a given resolution, divide the monitor’s Horizontal frequency by the lines per frame in the desired resolution. For example if you would like to run at 1024 x 768 and your monitor’s maximum horizontal scan rate is 64 kHz, then the maximum vertical refresh rate would be less than 83.3 Hz (64000/768 = 83.3 Hz) because you need to take into account the lines needed for retrace.

In addition, you should not run your monitor at the highest rate possible since this puts unnecessary stress on the monitor components. It is recommended that you select the preset video mode closest, but not exceeding, the vertical refresh rate you are trying to use. That way your monitor is operating within the limits of all of its components, not just the vertical refresh rate. This allows for a greater range of adjustment of the image using the image control functions of your monitor allowing for the maximum image quality possible.

Please remember that even if your monitor is capable of running a specific resolution your video controller may not be able to produce an image with those specifications.

My monitor/video card combination will allow me to run a resolution that is not one of the presets listed in the User Manual. How do I save my adjustments?
The monitor’s microprocessor uses an algorithm to determine which of the presets your special resolution’s horizontal/vertical frequency pair most closely matches or emulates.

For example, your monitor has a preset for 1024 x 768 @ 75Hz it stores the number 57600 (768 x 75 = 57600). It may also have a preset for 1280 x 1024 @ 70 Hz for which it stores the number 71680 (1024 x 70 = 71680).

When the video controller sends the monitor the signal for your special resolution of say 1024 x 768 at 90 Hz, the monitor will see the number 69120 (768 x 90 = 69120). The monitor’s microprocessor algorithm will use the closest preset, which is the 1280 x 1024 @ 70 Hz preset. Adjustments you make to this special resolution will be stored in the 1280 x 1024 @ 70 Hz preset.

As long as you do not use another resolution that closely matches this preset your adjustments will not be affected. If you do use another resolution which uses this preset then your adjustments will be overwritten. If your monitor has a user mode to store adjustments you can save your adjustments into the user mode. Consult your User Manual to see if your monitor has this function and how to save your adjustments if it does.