(Credit:
Collins)
I reviewed Apple's LED Cinema Display late last year and found it a great performer. But it was only compatible with a small subsection of the market--thanks to Apple's use of Mini DisplayPort as its sole video connection. Due to this decision, the display was disappointingly only compatible with the new MacBooks.
This week, Collins announced that it will be the first company besides Apple to release LCD computer monitors with MDP connections.
Collins has dubbed the monitor line CinemaView, and the first three models are slated to be available by September 1.
The three CinemaView displays are a 16x10, 19-inch at 1440x900 pixels; a 16x10, 20.1-inch at 1650x1050 pixels; and a 16x9, 24-inch at 1920x1080 pixels. They're priced at $299, $399, and $499, respectively.
All three displays include a three-port-powered USB 2.0 hub, a pass-through stereo audio jack, and an all-in-one cable that connects MDP, USB 2.0, and stereo audio to the Mac.
Also, their "UniFrame" aluminum construction bear more than a passing resemblance to Apple's LED Cinema Display, so apparently you won't have to sacrifice style (given that you consider the Apple monitor stylish in the first place).
So soon, new MacBook owners won't be forced to spend $900 bucks on a monitor that thanks to its video connection, lacks versatility. They'll now be able to choose monitors up to $600 cheaper lacking in versatility.
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CNET's Jeff Bakalar has dreamt of this day since he got his new MacBook.
(Credit: Monoprice)Are you a new MacBook owner getting frustrated with Apple for not yet releasing a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter? Sure we all are. Well, maybe some of us.
I mean, you could shell out $900 for the Apple "I only use Mini DisplayPort" (not an actual quote from the monitor) LED Cinema Display, but seriously, unless you're an AIG exec, who has that kinda scratch these days?
Anyway, Apple has yet to release an official adapter that would allow you to connect your pretty little MacBook to an HDMI-based external display. Thank goodness then for the free market.
Monoprice to the rescue. The company recently made available the answer to all your problems--a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter for only $14.25.
Yay!....what? Oh, the display you wanted to connect to your MacBook doesn't have an HDMI connection? No problem, 'cause BAM! Monoprice has a Mini DisplayPort to DVI and Mini DisplayPort to VGA for $15.20 and $18.85 respectively.
Apple offers its own versions of those last two adapters, but is currently charging $29 for them.
This is the back of the 24-inch LED Cinema Display. I thought showing the back would be appropriate to represent the 20-incher leaving the Apple Store...not as effective as I was hoping, it seems.
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)According to MacRumors and my own sleuthing on Apple's site, Apple has removed the 20-inch Cinema Display from its online store.
MacRumors speculates that Apple is gearing up for a refresh of its 20-inch Cinema Display in the form of a new LED-based 20-incher with a Mini DisplayPort connection like the 24-inch LED Cinema Display released last year.
No official word from Apple yet, of course, but here's hoping that if this is true, the company at least includes a DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapter with the 20-incher so more than just MacBook owners will get some use out of it.
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)
After a little teasing, we finally have the full review of the Apple 24-inch LED Cinema Display.
The most disappointing thing about the display is that unless you own a MacBook with a Mini DisplayPort connection, you won't be able to use it. That is until third parties release a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter for it.
Since we could only test it on a MacBook, you won't see any performance numbers here, since our DisplayMate-based performance scores are based on a specific configuration. We do try to give as much performance perspective as possible, however.
Check out the full review to see how it performed. However, I will say this, the speakers on this thing are some of the best sounding I've ever heard coming from a monitor.
At one point, I was in our small enclosed monitor test room and had the sound way up while testing it with Kill Bill Vol. 1. After I came out of the room, I got a couple of comments from co-workers like "We can here you playing your video games in there, so we know you're not really working." They said they could "hear the swords slicing through the air with distinct clarity."
Good for the speakers, bad for any hopes I had of keeping my ruse going.
It's just the back, but oh, what a smooth back. Click on the above photo for more images of the display.
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CBS Interactive)We got the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display in Thursday, and well, it looks nice. No idea how it performs yet, as thanks to Apple's commitment to Mini DisplayPort it's currently only compatible with the new MacBooks that include the connection.
We're hoping to get a MacBook in from Apple on Friday, and then we can test away. In the meantime, check out a few shots we took.
The spotlight may have been on MacBooks at Tuesday's Apple press conference, but there was one other product on the stage: Apple's new 24-inch Cinema Display.
Admittedly, a monitor is hardly as exciting as an aluminum MacBook, but I do find myself intrigued. The 24-inch display is Apple's first with LED backlighting, which is not only thinner but also reportedly produces more accurate colors while using less energy than traditional monitors. It incorporates an iSight camera, built-in microphone, and speakers. And it includes a second cable at the rear of the display with branches for a MagSafe adapter, USB, and mini-DisplayPort connector.
This last feature is what appeals to me most; combined with three USB ports on the back of the display, it turns the display into a de facto dock for the MacBook and MacBook Pro. The end result is just one cord on your desk, and no more than three connections to unplug when you leave.
Of course, as Apple has shown us time and again, simplicity like that doesn't come cheap: the 24-inch Cinema Display costs $899. To quote CNET Labs' Eric Franklin, "There is no way a 24-inch monitor is worth 900 dollars." Indeed, the HP w2408h is just $500 at HP.com, and Dell currently sells the UltraSharp 2408WFP for $619 on its site. Even the Lenovo ThinkVision L2440x, which also uses LED backlights, costs $750.
So is the unified look and docking function of Apple's 24-inch Cinema Display worth the extra dough? You'll have a little time to decide, because it doesn't start shipping until November.
For complete coverage of the Apple notebook news, see "Apple polishes up its MacBook line."
MacRumors.com is reporting on a rumor that Apple will announce its new Cinema Displays at MacWorld San Francisco 2009, set to take place January 5 through 9.
It's been nearly four years since CNET reviewed Apple's 20-inch, 23-inch, and 30-inch Cinema Displays, all of which used normal lamp-based backlighting to illuminate the displays. The most exciting prospect for the new versions is that they are expected to use LED-based backlighting.
LED technology in displays is kind of the new hotness right now, with good reason. Lamp-based LCD solutions are never able to achieve true, deep blacks because there is always enough "bleed-through" of light that it lightens the blacks, making them technically dark grays. In an LED-based LCD, the backlight is made of an array of individual LEDs that can each be individually dimmed or turned off completely. If you're watching a scene from a movie, for example, where a portion of that scene is much darker than other parts, the LEDs for that dark section of the screen can turn off automatically, making that dark portion of the scene even darker and closer to true black. Another advantage is that LED backlights consume a lot less power, making them more energy efficient.
There are still some cons, however--the main one being price. The current 30-inch Apple Cinema Display can be found for as low as $1,639 online, but LED-based LCDs at 30 inches and even 24 inches are, at least at this point, much more cost prohibitive.
I hope this rumor pans out. I'm very excited about the idea of LED technology in displays, even if there are some kinks still to work out. If this does come to fruition, hopefully it's only because Apple has been able to get it to a reasonable price point.
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