Samsung’s HL-S4676S SlimDLP, like the name suggests, has a slimmer profile than regular DLP units. According to an article in Engadget, the HL-S4676S 46″ DLP is 11.5″ thick. They compare it to a 56″ unit, which isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison: 14.5″ vs. 11.5″. So, I searched for another 46″ DLP unit and came up with Toshiba’s 46HM84 (1280 x 720, $795 – $2,477 at Shopzilla.com). Toshiba’s 46″ DLP had a depth of 15.3″. Compared to Samsung’s slimmed down HL-S4676S, the Toshiba is down right obese, thicker than Samsung’s 56″. I went and searched for another competitor and came up with another Samsung model: HLR4667W, a 46″ DLP unit with 1280 x 720 resolution. The skinny on this model: a depth of 19″!!! Although this has not been a thorough investigation (far from), the HL-S4676S SlimDLP does seem to be pretty skinny.
A quick search for “Samsung HL-S4676S” at Shopzilla.com came up with prices ranging from $1,099 to $1,999 at 9 stores. For me, with tax and shipping combined, $1,299.99 was the lowest price. For a 46″ DLP, that’s a pretty good price! Here are some specifications:
Chip spec: 1280 x 720 DLP
Color: 5 segment color wheel at 14,400 RPM
Speakers: 10W x 2
Ports: HDMI, PC, S-Video, Component Video, USB
Source: Samsung
The 25.5″ size is an odd-ball size, but it is more accurate than the 26″ size that is floating around. The 26″ that you see out there is actually a 25.5″. NEC Display’s LCD2690WUXi, contrary to its naming scheme, is a 25.5″ wide LCD monitor and will be introduced into the wild in January 2007 in Japan. The price is a hefy JPY 239,400 (about US$2060). The response time is on the slow side at 16ms; the resolution is the same as a 23″ or a 24″ at 1920 x 1200. Brightness is rated at 400 cd/m2 and viewing angles are 178/178. The contrast ratio is a respectable 800:1.
The best part of this display is that the color gamut has been increased to 91% NTSC. I am not sure what type of backlight it is using but it is most likely a wide color gamut CCFL (WCG CCFL) instead of LED. LED-based backlights get closer to 100% NTSC while WCG CCFLs get to the low-90′s. There are two DVI ports and a VGA port.
Source: DailyTECH
Now this is crazy. According to the Chinese-language Apple Daily, Chi Mei is planning to cut the price of its own-branded 22″ LCD monitor in Taiwan from NT$11,900 to NT$9,990. In US dollars, that’s about $300! Chi Mei is also planning to lower prices of its 20″ and 19″ wide LCD monitors.
With a $300 price tag for a 22″ LCD monitor, there really is no other option but to get one! Compared to a $149 17″, $199 19″, $219 19″ wide, or $249 20″ wide, the $300 22″ is unbeatable. The only thing keeping me back is the Chi Mei brand and whether it will be available State side.
Source: FPDisplay
Innolux Display, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of LCDs, is planning to mass produce 22″ wide LCD monitor panels later this month. Innolux is currently developing a 26″ wide LCD monitor panel and plans to mass produce it in early 2007.
Remember one of the first 22″ LCD monitors? I believe it was Apple that came out with a 22″, but the resolution was much less than what we have now at 1680 x 1050. I’m not sure why the resurgence of 22″, but it must have something to do with how G6 and G7 LCD fabs are optimized. I personally do not like the 22″ size and resolution as it does not give me any additional pixel real estate than a 20″ but costs more. Same deal with 26″: I’d stick with yesterday’s 23″ at the same resolution of 1920 x 1200.
Source: FPDisplay
Samsung’s SM225BW is a 22″ wide LCD monitor that looks somewhat stoic. Many other companies have 22″ offerings and, in my opinion, look much better. The SM225BW’s specifications don’t look bad at all:
Display size: 22″
Brightness: 280 cd/m2
Response time: 5ms GTG
Contrast ratio: 700:1
Viewing angle: 160/160
Resolution: 1680 x 1050
The viewing angle at 160/160 is a bit on the low side, but it seems most 22″ LCDs have lower viewing angles. I would like to see roughly 176/176 no matter what the size. The 5ms GTS response time should be good enough for the casual 3D gamer. The brightness specification of 280 cd/m2 is plenty bright, but I would need to put the standard at 300 cd/m2; the SM225BW falls a bit short. I have mentioned this in my previous post, but I believe the 20″ wide size and resolution is the sweet spot. At 19″ wide you get less resolution (1440 x 900) but at 22″ you get the same resolution as the 20″ wide but probably will cost more.
The design as mentioned at the top is a bit stoic. There is nothing wrong with simple, but the SM225BW’s design is bordering on boring. The height adjustment is of the thick-neck-type where you pull up/push down. Though this mechanism works there are better ways (search for Asus and Acer’s 20″+ offerings). The base looks a bit smallish for the large 22″ display; it wouldn’t be surprising to see the monitor wobble when pushing the OSD buttons. There are DVI, composite and VGA inputs.
Source: Samsung