Flipping through a MacWorld or MacUser magazine and happening upon a NEC display advertisement can be quite frustrating. I always wondered when I would have enough cash to buy a NEC MultiSync monitor. Their sleek designs, high quality, and multisync capabilities have given them an excellent reputation. The costs of the displays, however, made them undesirable. As usual, Apple has entered the market a few years behind schedule, but has delivered a very price competitive product.
The 15" Multiple Scan resembles a 14" color display, except that the front of the monitor has a control panel with six digital adjustments. The design of the monitor is functional, though not especially attractive. The display comes with a removable tilt and swivel stand, automatic degauss on power up, and features an anti-reflection and anti-glare surface treatment. The display also includes stereo speakers and a head- phone jack, offers a range of resolution modes from 640 by 480 to 1,024 by 768 pixels (depending on how much Video RAM you have), and comes with mode-switching software to allow resolution changes without restarting your Macintosh. Overall, the display provides excellent brightness, contrast, convergence, focus, and white uniformity.
The monitor contains a 15-inch (diagonal) flat square, 0.28-mm dot pitch picture tube. Unlike its predecessor, the 14" Macintosh Color Display, the 15" Multiple Scan is not a Sony Trinitron tube. This new screen offers nearly the same flat screen quality as the 14", and complies with EnergyStar conservation guidelines. Given the price/performance value of this new display, it is not surprising that Apple has decided to discontinue the Macintosh Color Display.
Unfortunately, the monitor does have a few notable faults. Firstly, it is 17.8 inch (45.2 cm) deep, and runs very hot. It is also quite heavy, weighing in at 31 pounds. With these physical specifications, it reminds me of Apple's first color monitor, the 13" RGB Display. In addition, despite Apple's claims that the treatment on the tube reduces glare, I found the monitor to reflect the same amount as any other Apple display. Another problem is the display's tilt/swivel base––the slightest shake or vibration on your desk causes the whole unit to wobble all over the place. Being a fidgety guy, I've been reduced to removing the stand in order to preserve my sanity.
The 15" Multiple Scan Display is well worth the cost, as long as your Macintosh has the Video RAM necessary to run it at a few resolutions. You can also easily attach the 15" Multiple Scan to an Intel-based PC (the display's cable is actually a 15-pin SVGA connector). If you don't like the 15" Multiple Scan on your Mac, you can hook it up to your Windows machine and laugh at the fact a PC is driving an Apple monitor.
 
 
Apple Computer, $525 Us. ($675 Cdn.)
Requirements: Macinosh with System 6.0.7 or later. 
Recommended: Color Macintosh with System 7.0
Apple Computer has redefined affordable color
printing once again. No matter how wonderful
this headline sounds, it does have some under-
lying problems. Apple's newest incarnation of
the StyleWriter offers a myriad of great features,
but makes you rethink Apple's mindset on research
and development.
The Color StyleWriter 2400 looks great on any table surface. As a matter of fact, it is nearly identical in shape and size to the StyleWriter II. Inside the printer is where it differs - the new Canon printing engine provides you with some great enhancements over previous StyleWriters.
Firstly, printing text in draft mode is blazingly fast––the speed almost rivalling that of an Apple Personal LaserWriter 300. The printer now uses a two-inkwell cartridge system which employs a thinner ink. Use of this newer ink results in faster drying time, less ink smudges with handling, and crisper output. The use of high-quality papers such as offset paper (30lb.), special inkjet paper, or gloss coated paper delivers eye-popping results.
The Color StyleWriter 2400 complies with EnergyStar conservation guidelines by switching itself off after a period of inactivity. Simply sending a print request to it will awaken and initialize it. The sheet feeder accommodates up to 100 sheets of standard paper (24lb.) and accepts a large variety of paper types.
The dual inkwell cartridge system is contains three components: the black inkwell, the cyan-magenta-yellow inkwell, and the print head assembly. If you print many documents with an abundance of black ink, replacing this inkwell can cost you as little as $9 US. ($12 Cdn.) The StyleWriter II forces you to either refill it (using a messy third-party refill kit) or toss it altogether–hardly environmentally friendly. The color inkwell is about twice the price of the black one, but seems to last much longer. Incidentally, the black inkwell is the exact same kind as the Canon BCI-21. If you're ever stuck sourcing the Apple cartridges, these ones are much easier to locate.
Have you heard of the Canon BJC-4000 or the Epson StylusColor? These third-party printers utilize the same Canon inkjet printing engine as the Color StyleWriter 2400, with one major difference: both printers can print black text and greyscale graphics at 720x360 dots per inch (dpi). The Color StyleWriter 2400 is inexplicably limited to printing black text and graphics at 360x360 dpi. Why is the 2400 crippled? Is Apple going to release a Color StyleWriter 3600 to anger new owners of the 2400? Alas, I have not had the opportunity to experiment with the BJC-4000 printer driver (if it even exists) to see if cheating is possible…that is, using an alternative printer driver to boost the resolution of the Color StyleWriter 2400. Installing the Epson StylusColor driver in my system resulted in a plethora of crashes and hangs. On the other hand, the Epson printer retails for approximately $75 more than the Color StyleWriter 2400. I've seen output on glossy paper from the Epson StylusColor, and needless to say––I'm angered by Apple's decision to market an inferior engine/driver for almost the same price as its competition.
This limitation of the printing resolution is the only real drawback of the Color StyleWriter 2400––and something that could be easily overlooked if not for the simple fact that the printer's engine *IS* capable of better greyscale output. It is unclear why Apple would purposely limit the 2400 as it has. The Color StyleWriter 2400 does cost roughly $100 less (and is quite smaller) than the Color StyleWriter Pro, however. Though the Pro's four separate color ink cartridges offer greater flexibility, the 2400's dual cartridge set-up results in lower costs and less hassle. A LocalTalk daughtercard can be purchased separately and installed (by a certified Apple Technician) to offer true AppleTalk network resource sharing.
The printer retails for about $ 525 US. ($675 Cdn.) and is a great buy for the occasional color user, the Photoshop guru, or just to print out signs or the odd Excel chart. Perfect for home use, LocalTalk capable for network use, and definitely great for the power-user's ego. Heck, you can even design and print out your own Christmas cards on it!
 
  
Apple Computer, $249 US. ($375 Cdn).
Requirements: 630 series Macintosh.
As new owner of the Apple TV/Video System for the
Quadra 630, I felt obliged to share my experiences
with it. Before buying the Quadra 630 and the video
system, I owned a Quadra 660av and I will make some
comparisons between the two.
WHAT YOU GET for $249 US. ($375 Cdn.)
A manual (clear and well written).
1 disk with the Apple Video Player extension and application.
1 CD-ROM with Avid VideoShop 2.0 (and coupon for a $79 upgrade to
VideoShop 3.0)
1 screw.
1 remote control with battery (cool!).
1 cable/antenna tuner card.
1 AV Card with S-Video IN, composite video IN, stereo sound IN.
1 warranty card.
INSTALLATION was very simple and took about five minutes. It involved removing the back plate on the Quadra 630, removing two screws, and sliding the motherboard out. The AV card pops into the video slot on the motherboard and installs in seconds, secured by the screw that came in the box. The motherboard is slid back into the case and fastened again with the two screws. Next to the monitor port are an additional two screws on a rectangular plate, which must be removed. The plate slips off and inside is a ribbon cable that attaches to the tuner card. The card is then slid into the hole and secured by the two screws. At this point you attach your cable TV or antenna cable to the card and put the back plate back on. Now you simply hook up all the other cables and install the software. If you have a VCR or Camcorder you can hook it up to the AV card.
THE REMOTE CONTROL will turn the Quadra 630 on/off, mute the sound, change channels, adjust the volume, turn the video software on/off, toggle the video display size, and has controls for the internal CD-ROM allowing you to play, stop, eject, pause, forward and reverse tracks on audio CDs. It is very small and light (about 2"x3"x 1/4"), and is a Sony remote (model RMC-A1). If you have a Sony TV with remote in the same room as the Quadra 630, you may run into problems as it emits the same infrared signals as the Apple remote. If you turn off your TV, you can also turn off your Mac––or if you use the remote to turn the Mac on you will also turn your TV on! There is, however, an option to disable the Apple remote; and you can always use the keyboard or mouse to do everything.
SOUND from the tuner or AV card is passed through the Quadra 630, like it is with the CD-ROM, so it is not limited to 22MHz 8-bit stereo unless you are recording the sound or are using the internal speaker on the Quadra 630. I recommend getting external stereo speakers or hooking the Quadra 630 up to your stereo system. What I really like about the sound on the Quadra 630 is the ability to have three separate sound levels: one for the CD audio, one for the TV/AV cards, and one for all system sounds. Setting these sound levels is done through the sound control panel under volumes. So if you are listening to a CD at a loud volume and the Mac makes a system sound it won't blast you out of your seat. All three sound levels can be active at the same time, meaning a CD can be playing, the Mac can be making noise, and you can be watching TV. I have the TV and CD volumes set high and the system volume kept low. When I had the Quadra 660av, there was no control over this. If you were listening to a CD at a loud volume and the system beeped, you were blasted out of your seat! Not anymore.
APPLE VIDEO PLAYER software allows you to watch TV, view video from a VCR or camcorder , capture still frames and record QuickTime movies.
The Channel Setup option is very straight forward. Here you choose what type of signal you are going to be using (antenna, cable, HRC cable), and then choose the ‘auto add’ option (this will scan your cable and add all channels that have a signal, including scrambled channels). You can then go and remove any scrambled channels if you want. A nice feature is the ability to give each channel a name. For instance, channel 31 can be named CNN. Channels can also be assigned passwords to eliminate children (or adults) from watching stuff they shouldn't, but removing the channel preferences file circumvents this.
TV Reminders allows the Video Player software to remind you when certain programs are on. It will even turn the TV tuner on , or give you a reminder five minutes before the program is due to air.
The Control Window is where everything can be fine tuned. The video source can be selected (TV, Video, S-Video). Brightness, sharpness and tint adjusted. Sound sources can be selected (mono, SAP, stereo) and you can adjust balance, bass and treble. Closed captioning is also supported (Off, CC1, CC2, Text1, Text2) in windows 320x240 and larger.
Capture options include freeze frame, save still image, and movie capture. If you are using the Apple Video software to capture QuickTime movies, there are only three compression settings (None, Normal, and Most). Additionally, the video input standard can be set (NTSC, PAL, SECAM).
The video viewing size can be anywhere from 160x120 to 640x480, and is always in 16-bit color regardless of what bit depth your monitor is set to. With the Quadra 660av, the monitor had to be set to a depth of 256 colors or less in order to view video. The quality of the video display is also better on the Quadra 630: the Quadra 660av displayed its video on the monitor in an RGB signal, while the Quadra 630 video is displayed in the same YUV signal that TV uses. The result is a crisper, cleaner image with less color bleeding. The quality of the image deteriorates at resolutions greater than 320x240 in size because it employs a scheme called ‘pixel doubling’ (meaning that every 1x1 pixel now becomes a 2x2 pixel area). The result is a coarser image, but it is really not that bad––especially if you are a few feet away from the monitor. The pixel doubling scheme is much better on the Quadra 630 than it was the Quadra 660av.
 
The perfect diversion––TV on your Mac!
Video capture frame rates using the Apple Video Player are approximately 17 frames per second (fps) at 160x120 and 12 fps at 320x240, with sound (there is no option to disable the sound, although you can mute it), and video is captured directly to the hard drive (there is unfortunately no option to capture the video to RAM). Though I haven't used Premiere or VideoShop extensively for capturing video yet, they should attain about the same frame rates as the Apple Video Player. These programs also permit capturing to RAM and sound disabling, which should theoretically allow for better frame capture rates.
When I use Premiere 4.0 to capture video, I set the image size to 320x240 and the capture frame rate to 5 fps with no sound. My VCR (JVC HR-D820U) can play back video in slow motion at 5 frames per second and this is what I capture. I then set the playback rate to 600%, making the final movie 30 frames per second. Then I go back and record the sound and insert it and re-record the movie. This is the only effective way I know of capturing a 30 fps QuickTime movie in a decent size window without investing an arm and leg in additional hardware.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I am very pleased with the Quadra 630 and the Apple TV/Video System, (much more so than I was with the Quadra 660av). I would recommend the TV/Video System to anyone who wants to get started in QuickTime, or likes to watch TV while getting their work done.
 
Andrew Sinclair-Day is an avid Mac user and a guest columnist for MacSense. If you have comments or questions, please feel free to contact him at Sinclair@PCNET.com
