In March 1999 we reviewed the Hitachi DT3140 14.1in Super-TFT screen, which impressed us especially with its high viewing angle and image quality (issue 16, p96). The DT3141 reviewed as a part of this Labs is the newer brethren of the DT3140, although it shares much in common with its predecessor. First of all they both use Hitachis own Super-TFT IPS (In Plane Switching) technology, which allows for greater viewing angles than conventional TFT screens, and both are 14.1in in size, making the DT3141 the smallest screen in this Labs. While a 15in display is roughly equivalent to a 17in monitor in viewable area, a 14.1in screen is somewhere in between 15in and 17in in size, which is passable for most office work, but too small to be useful in graphics applications.


The OSD on the DT3141 is controlled through five buttons on the front fascia, and does a pretty good job of manipulating the image. There are some quirks however, such as controls with seemingly arbitrary scales, like the brightness control only going up to 31, and the contrast control going out to 124, which isnt even all the way to the end of the contrast bar as displayed.


Unfortunately the image quality is marred by problems, like a single dead blue pixel near the middle of the screen and some screen uniformity issues. There were also some streaking and ghosting problems, especially when a dark strip was placed on a lighter background. Otherwise the sharpness and resolution tests went through without many hitches. It was also difficult to set the brightness and contrast settings to provide an optimum balance between dark and light detail. In terms of focus the DT3141 truly excelled.

The design of the screen itself is very good, with the power and D-Sub cables mounted vertically behind a removable panel, which allows the screen to be placed fairly close to a wall. The bezel is also very solid and can handle a fair amount of punishment before any image distortion becomes apparent.


At $2,595 the DT3141 is not the cheapest display on test, which coupled with its fair performance and relatively small screen size doesnt make it the best value choice in the Labs. Yet if you are looking for a tidy screen where small size, durability and high viewing angle are necessary, then the DT3141 is well worth a look.