Samsung 942BW
Size: 19″
Pixel Format: 1440 x 900 (16:10)
Response Time: 5ms Gray-to-Gray (GTG, MagicSpeed)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 500:1
Input: DVI with HDCP
Special Feature: Narrow bezel, MagicBright3 (automatic brightness, contrast, gamma optimization)
Price: MSRP US$249.99
The design is quite simple and boring. It is your typical 19″ wide LCD monitor with the regular 1440 x 900 pixel format. The 5ms response time isn’t that impressive. However there are some interesting features such as MagicBright3 that automatically optimizes brightness, contrast, and gamma. I wonder how it optimizes brightness unless it has some sort of light sensor. It probably doesn’t, so that means it changes the brightness based on the image content, which could end up simply annoying the user. Another “feature” is the narrow bezel. I guess it’s better than having a really thick bezel. Thin is in, whether it is the bezel or the depth. The price is decent at $250. Street prices according to PriceGrabber seems to be around $225 as of this writing.
Source: Business Wire, via Engadget
[tags]1440 x 900, 19″, DVI, HDCP, LCD Monitor, Samsung, Wide Monitor[/tags]
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BenQ G2400W
Size: 24″
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1200
Brightness: 250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Input: DVI-D with HDCP, HDMI
Price: €360
I personally think the trend toward any external display that will ultimately be used by a consumer should have HDMI. You never know when you would want to connect your Apple TV, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 or other devices to a LCD. If you look at this BenQ G2400W from a different angle, it could be the 1080p LCD “TV” you were waiting for to hook up your game console and play at a visually stimulating 1080p or just watch some really cool Blu-ray or HD-DVD titles. But before rushing out or jumping onto an etailer site, bear in mind that unlike real LCD TVs, this LCD monitor will not have enough technology to reduce motion blur, a big problem when watching fast-moving video like sports. Now, if LCD monitors start to feature HDMI and 120Hz, that’s when I’ll be getting one myself.
Source: Akihabara News
[tags]1920 x 1200, 24″, BenQ, HDMI, LCD Monitor, Wide Monitor[/tags]
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DigiTimes reported that on 2007.10.1, Taiwan-based Applied Vacuum Coating Technologies (AVCT), an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass supplier, announced a shareholders meeting on December 5 to discuss capital reduction and fund raising.
According to Wikipedia, ITO is “a mixture of indium (III) oxide (In2O3) and tin (IV) oxide (SnO2), typically 90% In2O3, 10% SnO2 by weight. It is transparent and colorless in thin layers. Indium tin oxide’s main feature is the combination of electrical conductivity and optical transparency.” An ITO film is used to coat glass to lay circuits via photolithography for applications such as LCDs.
AVCT will reduced its capital by 64% to NT$764 million (US$23.5 million) to cover the company’s previous losses and improve its financial structure while planing to issue private placements up to 10 million shares to support capacity expansion and company operations. AVCT currently has six production lines with a utilization rate of around 90% and plans to increase monthly capacity in excess of 880,000 units in 2008, when the company hopes to turn profitable.
Source: DigiTimes
[tags]Applied Vacuum Coating Technologies, Indium Tin Oxide, ITO[/tags]
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On 2007.09.29, Sony Taiwan introduced two 1080p LCD TVs series: X and W with three different sizes for each series: 40″, 46″ and 52″ that will be available in October. The 52″ (KDL-52X3500) will cost NT$219,000 (US$6719) and the 40″ (KDL-40W3100) will be NT$74,900 (US$2297). Sony expects total demand for LCD TVs in Taiwan to reach 700,000 units in 2007.
Sharp‘s 42″ Full HD LCD TV is priced at NT$109,000, significantly higher than Sony’s KDL-40W3100, by NT$34,100, even compensating for the extra 2″ in size. Competitors have announced that they will not enter into a price war in the short term with Sony. This will most likely lead to Sony capturing a significant amount of market share. Not only does Sony have a strong brand presence worldwide, when Sony’s TVs can be had for substantially less, the decision would be quite simple, in my opinion.
Source: DigiTimes
[tags]1080p, 1920 x 1080, 4.0″, 46″, 52″, Full HD, Sony, Taiwan[/tags]
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Sharp Scanning LCD
Size: 3.5″
Pixel Format: 320 x 480
Special Feature: Light sensor embedded in pixel
More pictures (bigger images) at Engadget
Engadget is reporting that Sharp is showcasing a LCD that scans. The screen size and pixel format is the same as the one that is in Apple’s iPhone. The reason I mention that is because I can easily imagine the size of the device for this creative technology and… If my iPhone had a scanning function for business cards, that would be quite nice. Just imagine if I could scan a business card and “boom!” the contact information is stored on the iPhone’s contact list (and picture if you can manage to take a picture without embarrassing the other person). That would be cool.
Now how did Sharp do this? The concept is simple but probably very difficult to manufacture: a light sensor is built into each pixel that can scan what is on the surface of the display. In effect, it can be thought of as a 3.5″ image sensor but without the density of those you typically see in a normal digital camera. Another major difference is that one is based on thin-film transistors and the other is a semiconductor chip. Since light can be detected, the absence of light due to a finger can also be detected giving this LCD touch sensing features as well. If Sharp can increase the number of pixels to about 1280 x 720, we’re talking about a HD-capable digital camera/scanner and a HD TV all in a device the size of an iPhone. Of course, I’m dreaming here.
[tags]3.5″, 320 x 480, Scan, Sharp, Touch[/tags]
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DisplayBlog is written and produced by Jin Kim. Subscribe via RSS.