Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 10, 2003, 10:53:00 AM
Manufacturer: Joytech (http://www.joytech.net)
Review Unit Supplied by: (http://www.xbox-modchips.com)
Price: appr. $169
Friday Oct 10th, 2003
The HYPE:
*High Definition 6.0 inch (15.2cm) TFT Colour Screen provides pin sharp picture quality and true RGB colour definition. The TFT screen provides a wide 160-degree viewing angle for a clear picture in any seated position.
*SRS® 3D Surround Sound dramatically improves audio quality by providing stereo sound with a rich spatial effect.
*Integrated twin modular Stereo Speakers use Dynamic "Mylar" Cones to deliver full rich sound.
*Integrated Audio/ Video Inputs allow connection of an external AV source to the Monitor (i.e. DVD, VCR)
*AV Multi Output allows you to connect your console to an external TV and/or Hi-Fi without removal of the Monitor.
*4 Stereo Headphone Outputs for private multi-player gaming.
*Volume and Brightness controls allow you to adjust your Monitor settings to match your surroundings.
The REVIEW:
Joytech knows their business, as they have been making computer and console peripherals for awhile now. If you are familiar with their monitors for GAMECUBE and PS2 then this review wont shock you much.
The XBOX 6.0 inch TFT Monitor is an excellent example of form, function, and styling. It comes well packaged which is good because it comes a long way, as JOYTECH is located in the UK. (Im in Canada)
Rigid, black, and sturdy, the monitor acclimates itself well to the looks and style of the stock XBOX case it attaches to. No sticky strips, no Velcro, just a simple slide down and grab connection is used to keep this baby where you want it. Do not lift the combined XBOX/MONITOR by the monitor only, as youll end up with some expensive broken hardware. (Likely the XBOX) The binding mechanism works well as a stationary unit, but if you are into porting the combo around, youll learn to handle them with care. However, thats not to say the monitor doesnt take a beating - it does. This review almost didnt happen because I took a flip and tossed the monitor 6 feet up and 10 feet away. As you can see from the screen shots, it survived! I ended up with bandages on my elbow, and my wife laughing while she clean my wounds with alcohol.
The strong hinge allows the monitor to fully close protecting the screen during transit. (good thing too.. because youll want to lug this bugger around and show it off at your next Halo/Lan tourny) The styling of the front panel matches the grill effects of the xbox case well, concealing 2 cone speakers which provide more than adequate sound. As noted in the hype the unit supports SRS 3D Surround Sound. (switch on/off)
As you can see its not a rigid shell connection to the video port, its a flexible cable connection. This bodes well for the unit and its longevity. Rigid rear connections for consoles are vicious beasts and tend to not fare well over the long haul.
Rear mounted A/V connections, means you can have this monitor hooked up to the XBOX and, hook up a secondary unit like a VCR, Satellite, DVD unit or better yet another console. Simple slide switch allows you to switch from internal video to external video inputs. Alternatively you can run this monitor without even owning an XBOX at all. My test XBOX unit is from a previous mod project and resides in a small pc case. Due to the External Video Connectors, I was still able to connect this monitor to that particular XBOX. A feature not found on most portable LCD screens of this size on the market.
Finally someone is using their head, and included 4 Headphone jacks. I cant imagine 4 people sitting around this screen playing multiplayer anything, (I wouldnt to be that close to 3 other players) but I applaud the effort. The unit disables output to its speakers when any of the headphone jacks are in use. I always felt that a big drawback for XBOX was the lack of a headphone jack on the unit, or even better, on the controller. (are you listening MS?)
Now you are wondering is it any good for games, movies, etc?
I was shocked as I always had the misconception that LCD displays were not good for gaming. This screen held up surprisingly well. No color irregularities, no ghosting or blurring/drifting images. Animation and live action sequences move fluidly. I was able to play Ghost Recon Island Thunder surprisingly well with it (feared that the small screen would hinder visibility, when actually the opposite was true). The game had extreme clarity and sniper mode was a dream on this unit. Granted it wasnt a high paced game to test with so I dug up the archive and started playing game after game hoping to find one that would show this unit to be less than stellar. I didnt find one.
EDIT: I watched TOP GUN and LOST IN SPACE on the screen during final edits of this review it was an enjoyable experience.
Just for the hell of it.. I fired up some of XPORTs Emulators and I have to tell you playing some Nintendo classics on this screen alone would be worth the price.
I dont have much in the way of complaints. But I did notice a number of issues. If used with any modchip that uses/relies on a rear mounted LPT connector/switch (example X2 Pro) you will need to be creative and relocate that connector. The clamping/binding system could be better IMO. Also, when using the monitor you will not be able to use many of the side mounted Air Filters and Air Coolers on the market today. (Review of both coming soon) A stock XBOX unit, with this monitor attached will not properly fit into one of those XBOX PAK carry bags that are available on the market. (Commonly bundled in Canada with the XBOX when they still retailed for $600Cdn)
I would love to see some additional features added to this unit in the future. Video connector pass-through would be at the top of my list. It would be nice to not need to remove or disconnect the monitor from the Xbox in order to hook it up to a TV again.
Larger screen would be another. 6 inches is plenty, but weve gotten used to 9-13 inch TFT displays on notebooks, so its hard to impress people today with 6 inches. (Course 13 inch lcd would price this unit out of the market)
As a final addition.. Id love to see a universal PLUG. The unit reviews comes with the black plug shown, the grey adapter was added to the unit by Xbox-modchips.com
ignore caption in this pic ^ it's the .UK connector (makes sense.. Joytech is UK)
Swivel option might be nice too. 160 degrees viewable was nice, but Id like the option at least to not sit right in front of the unit.
Overall, I like this unit; since people seem to like a numerical rating I give this unit 8.9 out of 10.
Visit the manufacturers site www.joytech.net they produce quality products for a number of gaming consoles including Playstation, Gamecube, and GBA.
Canadian Supplier : http://www.xbox-modc...box-monitor.htm
UK Supplier http://www.gameplay.co.uk
For more pictures and video clips: http://hsdemonz.mike...net/JoytechTFT/
Manual: Cover Page 1 Page 2
Post by: brahm2 on October 10, 2003, 11:09:00 AM
Damnit.. now I am tempted to buy one
Post by: Megadeth on October 10, 2003, 11:18:00 AM
Post by: Splash on October 10, 2003, 11:30:00 AM
It's quite heavy IMO. If you want to game mobile, buy an GBA. (This one isn't even mobile, since it needs power...)
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 10, 2003, 11:37:00 AM
However.. placement in a car/truck/van in not a problem.. and neither is power via a car adapter.
Don't think LAPTOP.. think don't have TV.. or don't want to lug one with you.
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 10, 2003, 11:38:00 AM
As always.. watch the main page (www.xbox-scene.com)
Post by: leisenstein on October 10, 2003, 11:48:00 AM
Post by: EnigmusSnake on October 10, 2003, 12:34:00 PM
Is the sound via headphones enabled if you have the xbox hooked up to a TV?
Post by: SeQr on October 10, 2003, 12:41:00 PM
Post by: rob1309 on October 10, 2003, 01:25:00 PM
i almost wanna buy one now, only few things stop me but nothing to do with this product
Post by: schampy1 on October 10, 2003, 02:03:00 PM
This post has been edited by schampy1: Oct 11 2003, 11:49 AM
Post by: rAiLgUn on October 10, 2003, 02:18:00 PM
Post by: Ozmods on October 10, 2003, 03:35:00 PM
sux..
Post by: brahm2 on October 10, 2003, 04:05:00 PM
Let it be open to all members, so everyone can post their reviews of games/modchips/other products. Then all non-review posts can just be moved by mods.
Just a thought
This post has been edited by brahm2: Oct 10 2003, 11:06 PM
Post by: Telemachus on October 10, 2003, 04:14:00 PM
I have a Hip LCD 5.4" for the PS2 which is absolutely horrid. I just saw the XBOX one at CompUSA today.
Anyone got any of these.
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 10, 2003, 04:15:00 PM
| QUOTE |
| Put a 12 to 15 inch laptop screen and then we can talk |
Find a 12 Inch screen.. with SRS sound/speakers and controls plus extra video in ports for anything close to that price point.
People who do PC mods.. and are trying to cram 5 + 6 inch color LCD screen into their PC cases know what I'm talking about.
I wish the screen was bigger too.. but for the price.. that's a tough deal to beat.
| QUOTE |
| Is the sound via headphones enabled if you have the xbox hooked up to a TV? |
Good question. keep in mind.. that for you to USE this monitor.. it must be attached to your XBOX Video cabling. As such.. you will NOT be connected to a TV. So your question.. kinda cancels itself out.
Now.. as for the functionality of the headphones.. when in use.. the units built in speakers are DISABLED. Also.. I'll presume (untested) that the audio is exactly the same on all four headphones jacks. (so.. whatever was normally head via a TV conection.. is alos heard on ALL 4 headphone jacks. (too bad.. but for it to be different.. XBOX Hard would need to be different.
)| QUOTE |
| Yes it looks nice, but couldn't they have made the screen bigger? About half of the space is wasted this way |
size issue addressed above.. as for swasted space.. in a few weeks.. I'll tear the bugger apart to see the innards.. so we'll see how much wasted space there is indeed.
Course I'll post the pics.Reason I'm going to tear it apart.. is that alot of PC Case mod people see the potential of this all in one unit.
| QUOTE |
| instead of puting a monitor it would be better 2 put a projector cuz it is adjustable size sum1 make it and i will buy it |
A projector would rock.. but decent projectors.. and bulbs to match.. are still in a price category all their own. Also.. Projector bulbs.. are incredibly delicate.. and this monitor already earned my respect for the beating I've already given it.
Portable Monitor = Apples
Projector = Oranges.
Details about the REVIEW section are still being ironed out. Thanks.
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 10, 2003, 04:18:00 PM
| QUOTE |
| the only problem with these screens is that they don't support PAL and NTSC which really sux.. |
Can you believe.. that the NTSC and PAL issue never even crossed my mind. Something else for me to try out.
| QUOTE |
| Intec or Hip interactive TFT screens? |
I'll try to dig one or both up.. and compare. I'm surprised that the TFT you saw was horrid though..
Post by: turtlebox on October 10, 2003, 09:31:00 PM
I'd like to buy one but I don't know how it would go working here.
Post by: Gilrim on October 11, 2003, 06:08:00 AM
And what do you mean by it not supporting PAL/NTSC? the freaking unit *must* support both, as outOfTheBox xBoxes use only pal or ntsc. it's the way the unit is made. If the unit was supposed to use vga, it would require use of VGA-Bioses, soldering inside of the xbox and then there's the thing about games turning green with the use of publicly availible vga-enabeling guides...
..see the sticker that says NTSC? guess what...
Post by: Telemachus on October 11, 2003, 08:37:00 AM
I won't do a full review, but suffice it to say... the picture is GREAT compaired to the old LCD one I had.
Pros: -Nice screen, tft 5.6"
-RCA and SVIDEO inputs
-Comes with extra RCA cables (not S-Video, though)
-Comes with 12V car adapter (handy if you have two cigarrete lighters... one for the screen, one for the inverter for your XBOX)
-Very sturdy plastic, which looks nice sitting on the Xbox.
Cons: -One earphone jack only
-NTSC only
-Stereo sound only, and speakers not very loud
-No video out/pass through support
-No XBOX type adapter (Intec screens come with a cable that connects directly from the XBOX to the screen, without using external ports)
-Hipgearproducts.com doesn't even MENTION this product???
Overall, I would say a 7/10. I don't think I would EVER pay $159 for this, not when you can get nice 7" LCD's for not much more than that. For $50 bucks, though, this was a bargain.
Will see If I can add pictures later (can anyone host them?)
Post by: theoneandonly on October 11, 2003, 09:54:00 AM
. It seems to clip off the top few lines of the display. You dont notice it on all games but on some you will notice the top of the score line chopped off. Has anybody else noticed this? The one I bought was PAL, so maybe its just a PAL problem. I would be interested to hear anybody elses experiences of this.Incidentally I changed it at the shop today and guess what, the new one has exactly the same problem.
Post by: turtlebox on October 11, 2003, 02:51:00 PM
Post by: MaGiK_MuZiK on October 11, 2003, 10:44:00 PM
im a bit confused can some1 answer me plz can i use it in AUS. 
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 12, 2003, 12:45:00 AM
| QUOTE |
| I bought one of these monitors last week and I have a grumble about it . It seems to clip off the top few lines of the display. You dont notice it on all games but on some you will notice the top of the score line chopped off. Has anybody else noticed this? The one I bought was PAL, so maybe its just a PAL problem. I would be interested to hear anybody elses experiences of this. |
Was your difficulty with the JOYTECH monitor I reviewed.. or with the HIP Interative TFT mentioned by Telemachus ? If it was with the JOYTECH.. I'll get my hand on 2 more.. from different sources and test them. So far.. no complaints.
I've been busy.. so I have had the time to fire up a PAL title yet.
As for the AUS issue.. I have no idea what AUS supports (PAL I have to assume) so I'm not going to tell you that this will or own't work for you.. especially since I haven't tested pal titles yet. But.. as indacted by the pic.. it is an NTSC unit.
I'll try to get some pals tested later today.
I've had alot of requests to post pics of the innards of the unit.. I'll be disassembling it in the weeks that follow.. and will of course post the results. (hopefully.. with someone else doing photography)
Post by: theoneandonly on October 12, 2003, 02:26:00 AM
Post by: turtlebox on October 12, 2003, 02:37:00 PM
| QUOTE (MaGiK_MuZiK @ Oct 12 2003, 07:44 AM) |
| hey ppl im thinkin of buying this screen for my xbox i live in australia and i want to no if this screen can support pal all i wanto no is can i use this screen in australia would it work when i put the games in im a bit confused can some1 answer me plz can i use it in AUS. |
Us Aussies sure do get the short end of the deal when it comes to hardware quality (always end up importing) and software release dates
From what theoneandonly says the PAL version of this isn't too flash. The most we can hope for is wait for HSDEMONZ to test a PAL title on his NTSC screen, and if that turns up good, then we can try that one.
Apart from that, have you found any place in Australia that sell them or were you also planning on importing from the UK?
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 18, 2003, 05:22:00 PM
As you can see from photos I published here.. the review unit I have is an NTSC unit. Well.. since I neglected to do so.. and it was requested.. I've since done a small test using some random PAL selections.
ENCLAVE
CEL DAMAGE
CIRCUS MAXIMUS
SLAM TENNIS
HITMAN 2 SILENT ASSASSIN
SSX TRICKY
GUN METAL
YAGER
Every game worked.. no hiccups or oddities.
From this sample of PAL games.. I would guess that ALL PAL games "should" work fine. If there are any games that are PAL that you'd like me to test with it.. let me know. I'll post back the results.
Post by: PS2 playkid on October 19, 2003, 11:47:00 AM
The problem is when i FX. play Halo. Picture is "out" of the screen, so i can't see which grenades i have chosen and i can't see how much damage the overshield on the mjolnir armor has taken. The pisture is not "cubic" which it is supposed to be.
The croshair on the pistol or Shotgun is not round but oval.
I don't know whats wrong, i tried everything on the screen. I changed (in MS dashboard) to Pal 50/60 and i also tried to change the view to letterbox/widescreen/normal. Nothing seems to work.
The screen is very good, but this problem is a pain in the ass:(
I live in in Denmark, so i got a converter.
Anyone know what causes the problem?
Post by: gadgetaddict on October 22, 2003, 05:51:00 AM
I'm reviewing (for another site) Intec's 5.4" and 7.2" screens - the 7.2" is a more enjoyable experience, but it just widens things up - the 5.4" is "square"
The Intec engineering is impecible - perfect fit, clamps on, has every feature i could think of - including a pass through, svideo inputs as well as RGB, etc. The only problem? The images don't look particularly good. I played a bit of Halo with it, and felt i needed a new eye prescription after. The backlight is uneven. Many screen artifacts. It's a shame - as the rest of it is amazing, it just doesn't have the goods where required. I have to send my review units back, but even if i could keep them, i doubt they'd get much use.
I do, however, greatly respect that they threw in headphone jacks (as said in the review, too bad the xbox didn't) - as it is, for my upstairs system, when the baby is sleeping, i have to run a 12 foot or so headphone cable into my stereo system to play with sound at a decent volume. Oh well, worse things in life...
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 25, 2003, 12:58:00 AM
As for quality of image.. I've now migrated the screen into my computer room.. and the test XBOX as well. I used to have the XBOX direct connected to the PC for game testing etc.. but I hated viewing the games via Video in on thevid card.
Also.. my Video card is slowly dying. It's fine for windows.. but it's overlay features (used to display the input video) seems to be fuxored.
The screen is a dream. Images are clean, crisp and sharp.. and viewable at any desirabel angles. This screen now occupies a semi-permanent place on my Desk.. at least until I tear it apart.
I haven't acquired an intec yet. Delays. Mostly my fault. I've been sidetracked by a New XS project. (said too much already)
Post by: HSDEMONZ on October 25, 2003, 01:12:00 AM
| QUOTE |
| The problem is when i FX. play Halo. Picture is "out" of the screen, so i can't see which grenades i have chosen and i can't see how much damage the overshield on the mjolnir armor has taken. The pisture is not "cubic" which it is supposed to be. The croshair on the pistol or Shotgun is not round but oval. I don't know whats wrong, i tried everything on the screen. I changed (in MS dashboard) to Pal 50/60 and i also tried to change the view to letterbox/widescreen/normal. Nothing seems to work. |
I'm not an expert on Video formats or signals.. but.. I suspect you might have a dud.. or.. a bad converter.
I'd look at the converter first.
Post by: AntMan3DFX on December 15, 2003, 04:59:00 PM
I wanted to buy one of these but I cant find them at xbox-modchips.com Where can I find them .. Before Xmas.. QUICK !