or both. MONITORS Video monitors come in various sizes, configurations, and, depths. Obviously, monitor size is important. Beyond size, evaluating monitors is largely a subjective exercise. One should look for definition around the edges of the screen, crisp, clear images, true color, and straight horizontal and vertical lines. A CRT (cathode ray tube, the big, old-fashioned kind) TV monitor can be evaluated in terms of its dot pitch. The dot pitch is the distance between same color (R, G or B) dots, in any direction. A smaller dot-pitch provides a higher resolution on a given monitor, but a smaller dot-pitch does not necessarily mean better picture quality. The goal is to match the dot-pitch with the pixels-per-inch delivered by the codec. Given that all monitors being compared are the same size (measured diagonally across the screen), a .21mm dot pitch is excellent; a .28mm dot pitch is acceptable (although text may look fuzzy). Before buying a CRT monitor, measure the dimensions of its destination, and note the size of the room to ensure a comfortable viewing distance (you may need to split the difference between users at the near-end and far-end of the conference table). Note picture quality and the curvature of the picture tube; the flatter the tube, the less the shape distortion and light glare. If the monitor may be used for TV viewing, buy an HDTV-capable system to ensure usability after the FCC's expected digital conversion, in 2008. Check the remote control for ease of use, and note features (e.g., number of AV Inputs, picture-in-picture). Check the picture tube darkness when the TV is off; darker tubes display higher contrast images. CRTs use three electron guns (one each for R, G and B) to excite the phosphors that comprise the pixels in an image. These guns must deliver signals of the same relative Group Systems strength or color balance will be diminished. If the blue gun is adjusted to deliver a stronger signal the image will look bluish. Nearly all monitors can adjust the relative strength of the 