Deceptive appearances

It says Hitachi on the front panel but a fair number of key components inside the CPX1498 colour monitor, including the picture tube and principal video processing microchips, are actually made by Philips. While we are on the subject of deceptive appearances, the picture on the front of the instruction booklet clearly shows a monitor with an up to date FST type display tube whereas the CRT used is actually an older style device with rounded corners and a curved faceplate.

It is fine when showing a single image but the corners tend to encroach quite noticeably on quad or multi-screen displays, possibly cutting off on-screen displays and camera idents.

The CRT in question is a 14-inch type with a visible diagonal viewing distance of 13 inches. It is housed in a grey-coloured metal shrouded cabinet measuring 370 x 355 x 385mm, and for the record it weighs in at a fairly modest 8.8kg. The claimed maximum resolution on an S-video/YC feed is 500 lines, it operates on PAL/NTSC video inputs and has a built-in speaker.

The monitor has three independent video inputs, each of which can be displayed in sequence using a built-in switcher with a variable dwell time of between five and 300 seconds. The on-screen display system can assign an ident or title (one line of 16 characters) to each of the monitor's video inputs.

Build quality

On the back panel there are four BNC sockets carrying the composite video inputs and associated output or loop-throughs. Both composite video inputs have independent audio inputs and outputs via phono sockets. The S-video channel is input only, using a mini DIN socket and it also has its own audio input (but no output).

Build quality is satisfactory; it gets a couple of extra brownie points for the inset carry handles though the steel case and plastic back panel do not look or feel especially rugged and it is probably not a good idea to put too much weight on top of it. Inside the standard of construction on the single printed circuit board and wiring is good with all of the parts neatly laid out and easily accessible, should it require attention.

A tiny elliptical speaker is mounted behind a grille on the left side of the lower front panel and next to that there is a row of one large and five small buttons. The large one is the mains on/off switch, the other four are used to move around the menu-driven on-screen displays, make and change settings, select inputs and adjust the volume.

A LED indicator next to the on/off button glows dimly when the monitor is on. It blinks brightly when any of the control buttons are pressed and it will flash on and off if a fault condition develops.

The OSD main menu presents the user with five selections: number one is Input Select (manual or auto), number two is a secondary volume adjustment, menu item three covers picture set-up (brightness, contrast, colour, hue, sharpness and OSD background). Menu four, Options, deals with AV input selection, switcher dwell time, input ident and OSD mode (off, auto or permanent). The fifth menu selects the on-screen display language/style (English, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and graphic symbols).

Unfortunately the control system is not particularly intuitive; the instructions are densely written and a few more illustrations would help. Hitachi would have done well to consult its consumer division, which does a splendid job of designing easy to use on-screen displays (OSDs) for its range of vastly more complicated televisions and video recorders.

It is a shame Hitachi did not use an FST picture tube because they generally have much lower screen reflectivity, as it is the one used in the CPX1498MS suffers from reflections and this might cause a problem in locations with nearby windows or bright lighting. Nevertheless, actual image quality is very good and resolution is not far adrift from the manufacturer's specification. Picture alignment and geometry on our sample were spot on, focus was pin-sharp to the edges, colours look natural and picture noise is negligible. The little speaker does its best and it is adequate for monitoring in reasonably peaceful surroundings. 

What the manufacturer says

The development of the CPX-1498MS colour monitor came about as a result of customer requests for a metal-cased version of the existing plastic-cased 14 inch Hitachi screen.

The result is a high-quality, high resolution product suitable for a variety of applications.

To provide operational flexibility, the CPX-1498MS, offers two composite video inputs with loop thro' facility, along with a Y/C terminal. Each of the inputs will accept either PAL or NTSC signal standard, with the monitor automatically detecting the signal format.

Further benefits include a built-in video and audio switcher, which offers automatic or manual switching between inputs. The switcher set-up can be programmed by the user and provides adjustment for the dwell time and the number of inputs to be switched.

For secrecy operation, the switcher has an input skip function, which prohibits the display of a designated input on the screen.

Audio capability is also provided for all inputs.

The monitor set-up itself is achieved by means of an on-screen display, which is provided in six languages. This set-up menu is easily adjusted for individual operational requirements.

A built-in character generator is provided for each input, enabling each input to be identified with a user defined name.

The CPX-1498MS has achieved EN60601 medical approval.

Who our experts are...

Security Installer's testers are not full-time members of staff. They are independent working installation engineers with many years of practical experience on the tools. Their identities are unknown to the manufacturers of the equipment they test, and the manufacturers are not allowed to see the report before publication.

Our experts write for the installer, not the manufacturer. However manufacturers have, over the years, changed the design of a product to take account of our criticisms, which are made constructively and impartially.