CES 2013 Video: Gigabyte Shows 4K Display Support and Thin Mini-ITX Boards

Subject: Graphics Cards, Motherboards, Displays, Systems | January 9, 2013 - 09:38 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: video, thunderbolt, thin itx, mini ITX, ces 2013, CES, 4k

One of our final stops at CES this year was to visit with our friends at Gigabyte to see what they had to show off.  Right off the bat we found an impressive 4K display configuration with four 1080p monitors.  Running off of Gigabyte's GA-Z77X-UP5TH dual-Thunderbolt motherboard, each of the ports was split using a Lenovo adapter, each connecting to a pair of the monitors on the quad-display stand.  The result is a stunning 3840x2160 display configuration running completely off of the Intel HD 4000 graphics and the Core i7 processor.

Colin also showed us Gigabyte's push into the world of DIY and OEM All-in-One designs with a couple of motherboards based on the thin mini-ITX standard.  These boards are the same X/Y dimensions with a lower Z-height and very specific layout rules so that enclosures, cooling and components can be standardized. 

PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.

Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!

CES 2013 Video: ASUS VG248QE 144 Hz 24-in and MX299Q 29-in 21:9 2560x1080 Monitors

Subject: Displays, Shows and Expos | January 8, 2013 - 01:18 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: vg248qe, mx299q, monitor, display, ces 2013, CES, asus

ASUS continues its push into the monitor market with a pair of new models debuting at CES 2013.  First up is the VG248QE, a 24-in 1080p monitor that runs at a refresh rate of 144 Hz and supports NVIDIA's 3D Vision 2 and a 1ms gray-to-gray response time.  These are TN panels so you might be surprised to see they are going to priced quite reasonably in the $399 range.  The display also includes a new ASUS technology called GamePlus that embeds crosshairs for games into the OSD on the monitor to offer additional options in troublesome 3D modes.

The second new monitor we saw was the MX299Q, a 2560x1080 monitor in the exciting new 21:9 form factor.  These allow developers, traders or just every day users to have two "full screen" applications open at the same time without the need for multiple displays.  The MX299Q will also include Bang & Olufsen powered speakers.

Check out our talk with Nick from ASUS about these new displays!

PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.

Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!

Lenovo ThinkVision LT1423p Touch Mobile Monitor

Subject: General Tech, Displays, Mobile | January 6, 2013 - 06:00 PM | Morry Teitelman
Tagged: windows 8, thinkvision, mobile, LT1423p, Lenovo, CES

Not one to be left out of the fray, Lenovo latest mobile announcement for CES comes in the form of a 13.3 inch, Windows 8 touch optimized mobile monitor.

Courtesy of Lenovo

The ThinkVision LT1423p Mobile Monitor is being markets as a touch enabled secondary screen to be used by on-the-go professionals wanting the added productivity that a touch screen provides for the Windows 8 experience. The screen is an AH-IPS LED-based display with an edge to edge Gorilla Glass coating for added strength and durability. The monitor also support both wired and wireless forms of connectivity for added versatility.

KeyFeatures
Courtesy of Lenovo

• Windows 8 touch optimized wired mobile monitor
• 10 point multi-touch Gorilla Glass screen with anti-reflection and anti-fingerprint surfaces
• One USB3.0 interface for its signal and power or optional WiFi wireless connectivity for ultra-mobility
• Digitizer pen with 256 pressure, 2540lpi resolution, and a 133pps data rate
• 4-directions wide viewing angle supported by latest 13.3 inch AH-IPS LED viewing panel
• Ultra slim design ranging from 0.3 inch at its thinnest point to 0.6 inch at its thickest

Courtesy of Lenovo

The touch screen monitor is only 1/2 an inch thick, weighing a mere 1.6 lbs. Not only is this sized to fit in the same bag as your ultrabook or laptop, but will not add much weight to that shoulder bag either.

Courtesy of Lenovo

In addition to its 10 point multi-touch support, the ThinkVision LT1423p supports use of an stylus-type touch pen device for finer touch control.

Technical Specifications (provided by Lenovo)

PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.

Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!

CES 2013: "Pro-Grade" Monitors, Even One with Touch

Subject: General Tech, Displays | January 5, 2013 - 08:48 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Samsung, ces 2013, CES

The storm is coming. The PC Perspective crew are settling their shelter. Press releases are slowly drizzling from the clouds -- at least given the nature of enterprise web hosting these days.

Samsung released a droplet to promote their upcoming premium touch-screen monitors. Why must you choose between a professional-grade display and a touchscreen? Well, you did not need to, but now you have even more options.

Three panels are being showcased with this press release:

The Samsung Series7 Touch-Sensitive SC770 Monitor allows for up to ten touch-targets to be tracked at the same time. This ensures that a professional who desires to massage their accounting reports can use all ten fingers to firmly work out those deep-tissue trigger points. Also, and much more seriously, software from vendors such as Autodesk and Corel are beginning to take advantage of touch support. Maybe it will be possible to combine touch with stylus input from a graphics tablet to simulate many of the features of the Cintiq 24HD Touch?

The monitor itself is a very thin-bezel 24” FullHD design. Samsung also claims 5000:1 contrast ratio, 5-fold deeper than the 1000:1 ratio of standard displays. You might be used to seeing contrast ratios in the million-to-one realm however that is just a backlight dimming game where apparently this is a true static contrast ratio. It is expected to be available in Q1.

The Samsung Series7 SC750 Monitor keeps the 5000:1 contrast ratio and gains three inches making it a 27” display. It is not touch enabled. It is just 1080p. This display is touted for its thin stand and pivot support to spin into portrait mode.

Samsung lauds the screen as delivering ultra-sharp images due to its high contrast ratio but I just feel wrong about a 27” 1080p computer display. Nothing about that seems ultra-sharp to me. Still if you are interested -- particularly in how it looks -- it will also be available in Q1.

The last announcement has already been out for quite some time. Samsung will be showing off their S27B970 27” 1440p PLS display which is a much better resolution for a 27” display. No sense speculating when I can just point you to its CNET review.

PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.

Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!

AMD Has Lots to DisplayPort at CES 2013

Subject: General Tech, Graphics Cards, Displays | January 3, 2013 - 07:32 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: ces 2013, CES, DisplayPort, amd

It has been several months since we first heard about AMD’s multi-stream transport hub -- its friends call it MST hub -- announced with the FirePro W600 last June. Since then news has been pretty quiet about the 1-to-4 DisplayPort device.

It turns out that AMD wants to roll the dice in Vegas along with several other demonstrations.

Image from Rage3D Forums

The cute feature for the MST is its ability to split a 4K image into four 2K monitors. The reason why this is cute is because the hub enables the user to plug four-times as many monitors as they have DisplayPort 1.2 sockets on their GPU. The W600, for instance, contains 6 DisplayPort 1.2 plugs which enable it to drive 24 separate monitors from a single-slot card.

Image from Rage3D Forums

Unfortunately, another feature of DisplayPort 1.2 is the ability to route sound uniquely to each display. The hub, as announced in June, is incapable of providing audio from its one input to its four displays.

A last goodie is the capacity to mix landscape and portrait monitors together in an Eyefinity setup. Stay tuned for our impending CES 2013 coverage for more details on these demos.

PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.

Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!

Samsung's off kilter 27" LED LCD

Subject: Displays | November 29, 2012 - 01:56 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: T27B750, Samsung, led lcd, 27, 1080p

The look of the Samsung T27B750 is certainly unique, though the size and shape of the footprint may turn out to be inconvenient for some desks.  On the other hand it does more than you would expect from your monitor, it has integrated WiFi, internet apps, a built-in browser as well as speakers and it even comes with a remote control.  The connectivity is a little questionable as well, there are HDMI, DisplayPort and DSub but it lacks a DVI input which seems odd, though it can be worked around.  It is too bad that the display is only 1080p and Tweaknews would have preferred that it be a 120Hz display to support 3D, however it does make a decent jack of all trades.

"With the line between monitors and fully functional TVs becoming blurred with every model release and the ever expanding size of mainstream monitors for home consumers, your average household is rapidly turning to an all in one solution to save space and increase the overall value of their single purchase."

Here are some more Display articles from around the web:

Displays

• Eizo Foris FS2333 @ Hardware.info
• ASUS PB278Q @ Hardware.info
• Samsung PN64E8000 64 Inch Plasma Smart TV Review @ Tweaknews
• Samsung PN60E530 60-Inch Plasma HDTV Review @ ModSynergy
• Sony Bravia KDL-42EX440 Review @ TechReviewSource

Oculus Rift to Ship March 2013

Subject: General Tech, Displays | November 28, 2012 - 08:07 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: oculus rift, Oculus

When John Carmack, Gabe Newell, and the former designer formerly known as CliffyB endorse something, it holds more clout than your typical Kickstarter project.

The Oculus Rift is a set of VR-style glasses which enclose two screens with one for each eye. You are able to track head movement to look around. You are able to see in 3D without a loss of contrast or vibrancy or otherwise introduce visual artifacts -- provided it lives up to the hype and testimony.

The Oculus was originally expected to ship at some point in December although backers just received contact by email (I have been unable to find a linkable source as of publishing) that first shipments will be available in March.

Apparently the original 5.6” LCD displays that were used for the prototypes have been discontinued by their manufacturer. The new display performs better than the original but adds an extra 30 grams of weight.

Oculus also decided to design their own VR sensors to track head motion. The new sensor polls 1000 times per second and adds a magnetometer, likely to be utilized as a compass, alongside the accelerometer and gyroscope found on the original prototype. I am not too certain how that will affect much of the core functionality but should allow for some interesting side projects.

If you held out through the duration of the Kickstarter funding period, the Oculus is available for pre-order with those units expected to ship in April.

ASUS, please offer us an alternative to IPS displays

Subject: Displays | November 20, 2012 - 04:33 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asus, PLS, lcd, 2560x1440, PB278Q, 27

Before they even turned the ASUS PB278Q on, Hardware Canucks had formed several opinions about the monitor; on the positive side the stand was very versatile and more stable than other 27" displays but on the negative side was the complete lack of an anti-glare coating.  The OSD was quite comprehensive, especially if you contrast it with some of the  high definition displays from Korea we have seen recently.  The overall performance of monitor was not quite up to the Samsung SyncMaster 27A850 which is another PLS display on the market, however you can get the ASUS display for at least $100 less which may make it the preferred choice of those needing something better than a TN display but can't afford the top model.

"PLS panel technology hasn't been around for all that long but it has already made a lasting mark upon the display market. ASUS' new PB278Q puts this technology to good use in a 27" 2560 x 1440 WQHD monitor that is targeted towards gamers and professionals alike."

Here are some more Display articles from around the web:

Displays

• Asus PB278Q Review @ TechReviewSource
• ASUS PB278Q Review: An IPS Competitor Emerges @ AnandTech
• Philips Brilliance P-Line 241P4QPYKES 24″ LED Monitor @ Kitguru
• Dell UltraSharp U2713HM Review @ TechReviewSource