X-bit labs

December 2003 Hardware News Overview (page 14)

Category: Editorial

by Andy Yaschenko

[ 12/19/2003 | 05:36 PM ]

19” LCD models are no less popular, at least among the manufacturers. They take more pains developing the design of the product here, as the diagonal alone serves mostly image purposes and a nice exterior of the device is most welcome. The technical parameters should match the design, though. For example, BenQ’s FP951 has a contrast ratio of 700:1 and this is quite ordinary for 19” monitors, although close to the limit. This is a top-end model, while the IBM Think Vision L190p and Hercules ProphetView II 191 don’t offer anything transcendental in technology, but have their own peculiarities: Hercules’ monitor features a cute design, while IBM’s one allows rotating the screen by 135 degrees around the horizontal axis.

We take a step further to find that 20” LCD monitors are less demanded by the users and less frequently renewed by the manufacturers. Times are changing, though, and Apple released another iMac version with a 20” LCD screen and a resolution of 1680x1050 (the iMac is equipped with a GeForce FX 5200 that doesn’t quite match the screen).

Iiyama presented two new models in this sector, ProLite H510 and H540S, which are close to each other in their main parameters. Both have the same resolution – 1600x1200. They will compete with the Belinea 102015, which is the biggest monitor from the company having a diagonal of 20.1”. Its design is very conservative, although the basic characteristics are normal, matching those of the H540S.

Let’s take another step up the stairs. We have the record-breaking 57” LCD panel from Samsung here shown in November. It comes from the sixth-gen production line, something like a Rolls-Royce in the car market. With its 600nit brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio,170 degrees viewing angles, and 8ms response time, the monster feeds on 350W of power only. Well, that’s rather about HDTV-sets rather than computer monitors.

Fujitsu’s new technology for producing plasma panels with 1-meter long pipes (that is, the screen’s width or height) is also about television. The technology may make into reality such wonders as 200” plasma panels. The company is now busy developing one with 2x3m dimensions and 1000nit brightness and a few hundred watt power consumption. By their estimates, the development may take a couple of years.

Prototype