Planar Dome Q2      

Summary

Model: Planar Dome Q2                                                                    

Type: High Res LCD Screen. DICOM calibrated (external)

Size / Resolution: 20.1 inch viewable area, 1600 x 1200 resolution (1.92 Megapixels), 766 distinct shades of grey.

Applications: Radiology referral review.

Typical Price: £2800 (Richardson Electronics 01522 542 631)

This 20.1 inch referral review flat panel monitor is designed for secondary review of most imaging modalities in a PACS setup.

Setting up is a little tricky for the novice,as you need to install the accompanying graphics card to drive it.  The card slots into any spare AGP slot, and then you are away.  Planar recognise that not everyone is confident in dealing with this, and offer a free service whereby a Planar engineer will guide you through the whole process as you are doing it.  You may find that your existing card can handle this unit (ours did).

The first thing you will notice is how BIG the screen area is!  Although housed in a space saving case and stand, the screen area is more than 10% larger than a 19 inch panel.

The image produced is crisp, sharp, and very bright.  This monitor has the highest contrast ratio of any monitor we have ever tested, at 1000:1, it is more than twice the industry average.  This makes the display easy on the eye, with little strain even after hours of reviewing.  

Medical images were excellent, and this screen compares favourably to any other display in this class.  It has options for DICOM calibration with the CXtra software and an external photometer to ensure accurate greyscale rendering.

The screen has four directional adjustments (tilt, swivel, height and orientation), allowing maximum flexibility when viewing different images and with different modalities. 

As with all QX Planar medical displays, this unit comes with a 5 year warranty on the backlight (for a minimum of 350 cd/m2) and optional warranty periods up to 7 years including 48 hours Express Replacement Service.

An excellent display for referral review, with specifications that outclass similar offerings in this class.

Setup / Installation             4/5  Need to install separate video card (supplied), support available to help with this, excellent documentation, DVI + analogue connections.

Image Quality : Still            5/5  Superbly sharp bright image, large screen area, DICOM calibration.                                    

Overall rating: Highly Recommended.

To read the full specifications, click here [external link]

test model kindly supplied by Planar [Europe]