DisplayBlog

C-line is the entry-level boring line. G-line is the “multitainment” monitor line and the X-line is the performance line. So don’t waste your time with the C-line unless you’re really strapped for cash. You have to give it to Philips to come out with another bastardized word like “multitainment”. Can’t they have simply stuck with entertainment? Anyway… on to the monitors. The X-line comes in 17″, 19″, 19″ wide, 20″, and 20″ wide sizes with Philips’ SmartImage Lite, an image enhancement technology with presets for video playback, web browsing, etc. and the monitor adjusts brightness, contrast and sharpness to make the picture look the best. Personally, I like to control these settings. These X-line monitors also come with Philips’ Perfect Panel warranty that guarantees a defect-free display.

The 20″ model, the 200XW7, has a resolution of 1680 x 1050 (although Philips puts that at WSXGA, it’s actually a WSXGA+ panel). The 200XW7 features the Super Ergo Base that allows it to tilt, rotate and swivel up to 90 degrees.

Both X and C models provide less than 5ms response times (on-off). Not the fastest, but certainly fast enough for most applications including some 3D gaming. The X and C lines have both VGA and DVI inputs and the X-line comes with USB connections.

IMO… Too many names and too many lines. Just come out with one set of great monitors that can do everything. There isn’t much room for three lines in this razor-thin-margin market. Check out what Apple is doing: make the design great, procure great LCD panels, and sell it simply: they just have a total of three models! Of course, lower prices than Apple would be better.

Source: Philips

Thank you so much for making displayblog.wordpress.com your source of display information for the past several months. DisplayBlog now has its own domain at:

www.displayblog.com

Please update your bookmarks and visit DisplayBlog often! Thank you…

-DisplayBlog

PS (2006.09.28 17:10 PST):  I thought after I had stopped updating this site that viewers would drop down to almost nothing, but many (and I mean MANY) of you kept on coming back to find information about displays. So I have decided to mirror the posts that I update on www.displayblog.com here. I hope this helps all of you in finding information about displays and I truly appreciate all of you for making DisplayBlog one of your many destinations for display information!

BenQ’s new FP222W is the fifth in its wide LCD monitor lineup that consists of 17″, 19″, 20″ and 24″ sizes. The FP222W should be available as the press release stated it would be in early September. The FP222W features 1680 x 1050 (WSXGA+) resolution with a contrast ratio of 700:1, brightness of 300 cd/m2, and a response time of 5ms. There is a DVI and D-sub (PC) input.

Other brands such as Acer (AL2216W), Viewsonic and Samsung (CX223B) have introduced 22″ wide LCD monitors earlier in the year. Due to cost efficient production of 22″ wide LCD panels, the cost gap between 20″ and 22″ wide LCD monitors will decrease in the near future. Plus, as mentioned in the Samsung CX223B blog entry, by using TN+Film instead of a more expensive wide viewing angle technology such as IPS or VA, the 22″ wide LCD monitor segment will come very close to 20″ wide prices and very soon. Although I would prefer substantially more resolution at 1920 x 1200 by going up a single inch, the price might be a more important factor for most, and especially for the panel makers.

Source: DigiTimes, BenQ

It’s actually amusing to me that I’m blogging about a 17″ LCD monitor that’s really not all that special. Sure, I talked about Sony’s SDM-HS75, but that monitor has a really nice design. Philips’ 17DC? From the looks of it, it looks like any other “Made in China”-look LCD monitor.

The specs are unremarkable as well: 1280 x 1024 resolution, and a 8ms on/off response time. Yowzer… A few “notable” things: Less than industry average power consumption, lead-free design, and a sRGB color space.

If you’re going to show a wide aspect ratio movie or music video, it might have been better on a 17″ wide LCD monitor, which seems to be on its way back to life.

Source: Engadget

Up until only a few months ago, a 20″ LCD monitor with a 4:3 aspect ratio meant that the resolution was 1600 x 1200. With 1.92 megapixels, yields weren’t as high as the lower resolution 17″ and 19″ with only 1280 x 1024 (1.31 megapixels) resolution. Lower yields mean higher prices and that’s why even to this day a 20″ 4:3 with 1600 x 1200 resolution goes for around $400. Bring down the resolution and the yields go up. That means lower prices.

Enter Samsung’s 206B. It’s a 20″ 4:3 LCD monitor but with less resolution: 1400 x 1050. You won’t be able to fit 1080p content without massive scaling, but you can view 1280 x 720 (720p HD) content without a hitch.

The price is on the high side though at 442,900 won or about US$458. But bear in mind that most prices for electronic gear in South Korea compared to those in the US are very very expensive indeed. The 205B, the 1600 x 1200 version, goes for 453,200 won, or about $469. Prices might be higher than it should be at the moment just because it is a newer product (hence the 206B name, indicating a newer model, but misleading the consumer into thinking it has better specifications than the 205B).

The 206B is not available in the US at the moment, but expect to see lower resolution LCD monitors going for less than the higher resolution brethrens in the US. Dell’s 2007FP, a 20″ LCD monitor with 1600 x 1200 resolution, is going for $391 (at the moment). Imagine for a moment and let’s say Dell had a 2008FP, a 20″ LCD monitor with 1400 x 1050 resolution. I would guess the price would be around $350, or less.

Personally, I like high-resolution screens and would gladly fork over a bit more of my hard-earned money. Of course, I wouldn’t even consider a 4:3. That’s old. I’d go with a 1920 x 1200 resolution wide LCD monitor.

Source: Samsung Korea