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Hardware

20.1" Pro Lite 5131

31 Mar, 2003 By: Ron LaFon

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Iiyama North America

4 stars out of 5

The 20.1" Pro Lite 5131 from Iiyama performed well on benchmark tests.

Iiyama’s Pro Lite 5131 is a 20.1" flat-panel display based on TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD technology. With its attractive flat-black case, the monitor’s design makes it almost transparent to the user at times. Display controls at the front center of the lower bezel can be difficult to see and use. At each end of the range of control buttons are two nonfunctional spacers that appear to be controls but are actually design elements. The controls are a bit stiff.

Displays that pivot for portrait mode are inherently more unstable than those that permit only the traditional landscape mode, and the Pro Lite 5131 is no exception. For a panel of its size, the connection to the base—which is lightweight but adequately stable—results in a lot of wiggle when pivoted to portrait mode.

That said, the Iiyama Pro Lite 5131 has a lot going for it. Benchmark tests were excellent in brightness, contrast, focus, purity (red was a little too bright, but not exceptionally so), geometric distortion, and raster rotation. No bad pixels appeared on the display, nor was there any apparent interface flicker. I did see some minor LCD display streaking at times, particularly at lower resolutions.

Among the niceties provided by the Pro Lite 5131 are a master power switch on the back of the display, analog and digital connectors, and an excellent USB hub. The USB hub is version 2.x. To my knowledge, this is the only monitor currently available with a USB 2.x hub, so if you need this feature, look no further. All these niceties come at a price—with an estimated street price of $1,725, the Iiyama Pro Lite 5131 monitor is the most expensive flat-panel in this roundup.