CTX Europe Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of PC monitors, LCD monitors and Optical Storage products. With branches in Holland and Germany and Headquarters in Watford, Hertfordshire, CTX products are available through resellers, retailers and distributors. The model CTX sent us was the PV511S 15" LCD monitor and weighing in at 7.8kg's, the heaviest of the trio. The packaging was standard and arrived in good shape to us. The users manual was comprehensive and easy to follow. Once the monitor is set-up, getting it connected up to the PC is an easy task. Just plug a standard monitor cable into the back of the unit, plug the video connector into the back of your PC, plug in the power cord which is attached via an adaptor, and you're all set.

The CV511S footprint is marginally larger than the Belinea, and ergonomically the monitor is pleasing. One of the most unique features of the CV511S is the inclusion of USB consisting of 1 upstream and 4 downstream ports, allowing you to add other USB peripherals to the monitor. The downside is the 1-year RTB (return to base) warranty, if your monitor fails after the first year, then you are in for a rocky ride, as the cost of repair for these tasty panels is not worth contemplating. The settings on the monitor are via OSD menu, and provide the usual setting options, and are relatively easy to use. We did have problems with adjusting the text clarity, and try we did, but eventually gave up, the clarity was entirely satisfactory for us.

The PC511S fell well short of our recommended 140 degrees angle, and is only reasonable viewable at 120(h) x 110(v), this is supported with a .30 pitch size and a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 @ 75Hz. The monitor resolution was fine, only let down by the viewable angle.

The CTX performed on par with the others in the group and indeed it somewhat excelled in the results. However, there were some flaws in the quality of the monitor's image. The most noticeable was jitter and pixel roll on fine-pattern images, and failed our Line, Fine Line and Fine Dot Moiré test. The CTX is no different from the others in the group with a backlight fault in the bottom left corner, thus failing our corner resolution, as did the others. The PV511S passed its swivel test with no problems, as it was easy to manoeuvre, and almost compensated the viewable image disadvantage.

The CTX PV511S was really on par with the others in the labs. The distinct advantage of having USB as a standard, east to use controls, and a competitive price tag of £649.00 plus VAT, makes it an attractive choice.

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