Summary

Multisync Presentation Monitor from NEC. There is a "Plus" (2960) and regular (non-plus 2950) variant. The "Plus" model has a sharper tube (m-class spec) vs the regular variant which uses a consumer-grade (a-class spec) tube.

29" diagonal, 27" viewable image size, flat square technology, stripe trio, 108 degree deflection angle, invar shadow mask, medium-short persistence phosphor, Microfilter, dynamic focus, optical filter coating, anti-static coating

Manuals

• Owner's Manual
• Service Manual

Media & Promo Materials

• Official Product Page
• B&H Pro Catalog Feature List & Spec Sheet
• PC Computing's Most Valuable Products Award 1997

Notes

These monitors can be a little picky with sync but using an Extron in series with your input signal should solve all of that. For example an Extron 160xi, 203xi, or similar.

The tube pitch is variable (like most flatter tubes this size). For this Plus model, center pitch is 0.6mm, and at the edges it reaches 0.71mm.

The sync range supports 15.7kHz and common PC and broadcast resolutions between 31kHz to 65kHz including 480p, 720p, 1024x786@75Hz, and 1280x1024@60hz.

Everything will be displayed in 4:3, so widescreen resolutions like 720p and 1080i, although supported, are not recommended for use.

The speakers on this can deteriorate over time - if the sound can't get very loud without audible cracking or clipping, you should inspect the speakers.

The stock exhaust fans can be quite loud. They are easily replaceable with Noctua fans. You will need (2) NF-A8 and (1) NF-A9 fans. Simply remove the old fans and either splice in the new ones or make your own connectors using the spare adapters Noctua provides in their boxes. The "alarm" wire on the original fans needs to be tied with ground to prevent the monitor from thinking the replacement fans are malfunctioning.

The rear of the chassis can be folded down for servicing/access (which makes the fan replacement easier). To do this, remove the screws at the top edge of the rear support structure, then slightly losen (but don't remove) the button screws on the same support structure. This will allow it to open downwards like a truck tailgate. See pictures below for example.

Computer Signal Compatibility: 640 x 480 VGA @ 60, 72, 75, 85 Hz non-interlaced 800 x 600 SVGA @ 56, 60, 72, 75, 85 Hz non-interlaced 1024 x 768 @ 60, 70, 75 Hz non-interlaced 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz non-interlaced 8514/A, XGA, XGA-2 Macintosh: 640 x 480, 832 x 624, 1024 x 768

Bandwidth: RGB: 60 MHz; Video: 5 MHz

Toshiba Microfilter Technology

This CRT uses Microfilter, a technology innovation by Toshiba that aimed to optimize both brightness and contrast without darkening the glass with tint.

Conventionally, most tubes have a dark tint layer in the glass to reduce the amount of light reflection or absorption of the glass, thereby increasing contrast performance - a trade that costs an average 30% loss of overall brightness in all ambient light conditions (including near-darkness). In comparison, clear glass on a tube has the advantage of maximum brightness emission - but at a huge loss of contrast in normal ambient light conditions due to increased reflection. Typically you'll only find clear glass on professional broadcast monitors (aka BVM) that are intended to be used in near-darkness where ambient light is not an concern.

Microfilter aimed to be the best of both worlds by achieving the necessary amount of ambient light filtering at a per-phosphor (micro) level without sacrificing brightness, while still providing the vivid contrast you could typically only expect from a dark-tinted lower-brightness tube. On a Microfilter tube, the glass itself remains clear for maximum light transmission, while still taking a darkened grey-purple appearance from a combination of both the AR coatings and Microfilter over the phosphors.

You can learn more about Microfilter in our full article.