Verdict: The first affordable 17in touch-screen.
Touch seems to be the current vogue technology, with the iPhone converting even the most cynical people into adoring Apple fanboys. Iiyama clearly wants in on the action - the new ProLite T1730SR is a 17in touch-screen TFT, so you can operate Windows using your fingertips rather than your trusty mouse. Iiyama claims that its new '5 Wire Resistive' technology has lowered the price of its touch-screens, while keeping the screen quality high.
By default, touching your finger on the screen represents a left mouse-button click. However, a little floating icon sits in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, and touching this changes your touch to a right mouse-button click for one click. Our touch went awry on the odd occasion, and we clicked the wrong thing, but generally, it was fairly easy to select the correct icons and menu options. We wouldn't recommend using the screen as a drawing tablet, though, and the touch sensitivity only works with Windows-based applications, not games.
So why consider this screen at all, we hear you ask? Well, there's a variety of potential uses for a touch-screen. You could mount it on a wall for Internet access in a hallway, or fit it in a coffee table for a DIY version of Microsoft's Surface project (see www.microsoft.com/surface). However, wall mounting is possibly the easiest way to use a touch-screen, and the Iiyama has an industry-standard 100m VESA screen mount (also known as four holes drilled in the back) for this.
The manual is less than helpful when it comes to removing the stand, however, so we had to rely on our own wits. We couldn't use a big hammer, as Iiyama wanted the monitor returned - preferably in one piece - after this review; instead, we had to unscrew the cap on the stand column, and then another obstruction. Only then could we unscrew the clamp that joins the screen and stand. The screen unit is nearly 7cm thick, so it will stick out if mounted on a wall. Creating a recess is the best option (the hammer will come in handy here, if not before).
Although Windows will detect the touch-screen and automatically install the drivers, you still need to calibrate the screen using the supplied software. Calibration takes a minute or so of prodding crosses, and you're then ready to start feeling your way round Windows.
However, a 17in screen is on the large side for most traditional uses of touch-screens; a smaller panel would make more sense for an in-car PC, or a screen in the kitchen for browsing the Internet while you cook. Even the 15in version in the new Iiyama range lends itself more to boring uses such as an electronic point of sale or public information screen. Plus, £350 is still a lot to shell out just for the luxury of having a touch-screen in your home.
Still, the Iiyama might make a good secondary screen for a media PC, as you could use the on-screen keyboard instead of digging your wireless keyboard out of the back of the sofa.
With that in mind, you don't want to be staring at a dull, lifeless screen. Surprisingly, the Iiyama's specifications are fairly reasonable. Pixel response time is quoted at 5ms, and the 800:1 contrast ratio is decent. The native resolution is the usual 1,280 x 1,024, but the brightness is only 240cd/m2 - conventional 17in screens are generally 300cd/m2 or more.
The extra layer of glass necessary for the touch sensitivity clearly has an impact on the amount of light passing through the screen, and means that it's particularly susceptible to light falling on it. Viewed in direct sunlight, it's hard to see anything.
The usual DVI and D-SUB inputs are available, and the touch-screen electronics can be connected to your PC via an RS-232 serial port (if you still have one) or USB. However, the OSD offers only basic colour controls, plus a volume control for the built-in speakers.
We ran our usual image quality tests to double-check that the Iiyama had no worrying problems. This involves using the DisplayMate screen calibration tool, and playing a couple of games and films.
The viewing angles of the Iiyama are a touch narrow, which is a typical problem of the TN panel technology used, although reducing the ambient light helps to widen them. We saw decent, if unexceptional, detail in shadowy areas of images.
Playing with a mouse and keyboard, the gloom of Prey was reasonably rich, although the supposedly vibrant neon lights of Need for Speed: Carbon were noticeably muted. The game tests didn't reveal any lag or blurring, and our DVD test showed no tearing either, although colour and fine detail was muted. The DVI connection isn't HDCP-compliant, although that's no great loss.
Conclusion
With average 17in TFTs costing around £100, you're paying an extra £250 for the Iiyama's touch-screen technology. However, to put the price in perspective, 17in touch-screens from specialists such as Protouch or 3M cost from £500 to £600, so as promised, Iiyama has reduced the price considerably. However, this isn't enough to make the monitor a mainstream product, so only people who specifically want or need a touch-screen TFT will find it worth the money.
