Viewsonic intros 24-inch LCD with built-in 3D emitter

At the Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan, ViewSonic introduced a 24-inch, 3D LCD display, the ViewSonic V3D245wm-LED. ViewSonic claims it is the first 24-inch smart monitor with an integrated 3D emitter. The V3D245wm-LED has full 1080p HD playback at 120 MHz refresh rate. The monitor includes integrated SRS Premium surround sound speakers and one HDMI 1.4 input. ViewSonic claims it has a dynamic contrast ratio of 20,000,000:1 and a peak response time of 2ms.

One pair of active shutter 3D glasses is included.

The company mentioned the V3D245wm-LED in a press release prior to the 2011 CES show in January, but the unit was not displayed there. ViewSonic says the V3D245wm-LED will be available in the third quarter of 2011. Pricing for the North American market was not released.

Electronista

Acer DX241H review

We�ve seen Linux-based software used before to provide a quick way to boot into a basic, internet-enabled OS, but usually it�s been in a motherboard or laptop. Acer�s DX241H extends the idea to the world of monitors.

From the outside it looks like any standard 24in monitor, and it has the usual 1080p resolution. The difference is that at the rear, alongside the standard HDMI and D-SUB outputs, are four USB 2 ports and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Hook these up to your keyboard and mouse, an external hard disk or USB thumb drive and your network connection, and you have a standalone internet-cum-media playback terminal. No need for a PC at all, in fact.

Switch on the DX241H and in around ten seconds you�re thrown into Acer�s proprietary UI. This is dominated by six buttons: one launches a simplified version of Google Chrome (complete with Adobe Flash compatibility), while the rest provide links to popular social networks and search engines, with YouTube, Twitter and Facebook alongside Bing and Yahoo.

A group of buttons in the bottom-right of the screen hide the Acer�s true selling point, though: the CyberLink-developed clear.fi software. This picks up any DLNA-compliant client on your network, as well as files on drives connected to the USB sockets at the rear, for music, movie and photo playback.

In practice this is a good idea, but it�s ruined by poor performance and design. The chip used inside the DX241H clearly isn�t up to task: HD clips on YouTube and BBC iPlayer were unwatchable thanks to constant juddering; only SD clips played smoothly. Video file playback was better: we managed to get some of our test 720p clips to run smoothly, but we found file compatibility patchy, with many files failing to play and some causing the Acer DX241H to crash.

The UI doesn�t help. It�s slow and unresponsive, with options taking a couple of seconds to initialise once selected, and graphical glitches mar the slick-looking software. You can�t build playlists, the device navigation interface doesn�t support mouse scroll-wheels, and the lack of tool-tips makes already-unfamiliar icons even more difficult to understand.

Issues abound elsewhere. There�s no indication of network connectivity once you�ve left the setup wizard. Photo slideshows are plagued by sluggish image transitions and playback controls that are unresponsive in the extreme. The browser is better, gaining a SunSpider score of 4,119ms, but that's not much compensation.

Image quality, meanwhile, is a mixed bag, with colour accuracy not far behind the A-Listed ViewSonic VP2365wb, but a low contrast ratio of 238:1 gives a slightly washed out, tepid look. The built-in speakers are nothing special either.

The Acer�s main attraction is undoubtedly its software front-end but, when the software is this poor and the price this high, we can�t possibly recommend it, either as a standalone device or a PC monitor.

Author: Mike Jennings
PCPro

AOC ships three thin Aire Black LED monitors

 Computer monitor maker AOC on Wednesday announced the release of three new displays as part of the Aire Black series. The LED screens are just half an inch thick and sport a Screen+ Feature, or the ability to divide the screen into four self-contained work areas. The Aire Black LEDs are available in the 20-inch e2043Fk, 22-inch e2243Fwk and 23-inch e2343Fk.

All three also have DVI-D inputs with HDCP encryption along with a 50,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 5ms pixel response time. To keep prices down, they use TN panels instead of more color-rich PVA or IPS technology. They are also EPEAT Gold Certified and consumer just 15W of energy on average. In standby, power usage is reduced to 0.1W. VESA wall and arm mounts are built in.


The three are now shipping, with the 20-inch version priced at $129, the 22-inch model at $149 and the 23-inch edition at $179.

by electronista

Separate Monitor2Go 15.4? Display Spreads Out Your Dinky Laptop Screen

I find myself constantly in need of a second display. It started when I worked doing tech support years back, where the company graciously gave me a second display to �improve efficiency�. If there�s any one thing having a second monitor does, it�s just that. DisplayLink�s Monitor2Go is supposed to do just that�but for laptops.

But why for laptops? The whole point is to be portable. That�s true, though many professionals are finding a greater need for more screen real estate, and with laptops like the Lenovo W700 with it�s extendable display, and many companies searching for ways to add more space in a smaller package, the Monitor2Go may be a good solution.

The 15.4? display connects via USB � which I�m not fond of for displays � and expected to be available for $279 sometime between now and February. It comes with a stand, can work in tandem with five other monitors, is only four pounds and provides a meek 1280�800 resolution. But at least it�s LED backlit. I�ll check out the Monitor2Go on Thursday night and have brief impressions on it then.

source : Gadget Review