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Cinemassive Will Give You 12 Linked Displays For Just 13 Grand

Andy Salisbury — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:40:10 -0500

So you’ve got a heavy chunk of change just burning a hole in your pocket, and you don’t feel that just one monitor is enough for you, huh? Well, the folks at Cinemassive are out to fix that, and they’ve got a price tag to match it.

While in the past there have been imitators, who only hook a measly six monitors together, the new hotness is a very impressive 12 monitors. This display, offered for $12,995 will pack a total screen resolution of 7,860 x 3,600 with a total of 27.6 million pixels. What’s more impressive is that your investment will be well worth it, this bad boy will come along with a 3-year warranty and a very unheard of (especially with a setup like this) zero dead pixel policy.

Should if you have the cash, and live on a street that will allow a fleet of UPS trucks to drive down it, feel free to boast your nerd cred with a monitor that can be seen from space (and hey, if you’re throwing around cash like that, why not buy a nice lunch for us here at Maximum PC?).

Large-Size LCDs Plummeting in Cost. Is It Time to Splurge on That 30" Display?

Andy Salisbury — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:54:08 -0500

Thanks to everybody’s favorite economy, the prices of large-size LCD monitors are on the way down again. After stabilizing for about a month, a lower than expected demand is putting pressure on monitor vendors to drop their prices.

After October prices are expected to drop 5-7%, with that trend continuing in the future. Large financial challenges are expected for the fourth quarter of 2008.

So if you’ve been waiting around to pick up a fancy 30” display, just wait a bit longer and you’ll get the price you’ve always wanted! If you’ve already picked up a 30” display, why not snag another? If you’ve already got three 30” displays, then Al Gore, I’m going to have to ask you to get back to work, sir.

Everything You Need to Know about Nvidia’s 3D Goggle Gamble

Norman Chan — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:54:37 -0500

Take note, Rainier Wolfcastle, because these goggles may actually do something. Nvidia’s latest visual computing venture is a serious foray into stereoscopic 3D, a technology that has not found success among mainstream consumers (or even enthusiasts) in recent history. 3D movies and gaming at home have always been seen as gimmicky, a perception that can largely be attributed to the fact that you have to wear some pretty goofy glasses to experience the effect. In fact, past iterations of 3D stereographic technology (including efforts by the now-defunct company ELSA) have been especially troublesome because they required bulky headgear (that had to be tethered to your PC) that had a tendency to give gamers headaches after just a few minutes of use. Nvidia wants to reinvigorate the 3D stereoscopic market by developing its own glasses hardware and driver software, which they hope will avoid the pitfalls of previous efforts.

Do we have the technology to make stereoscopic 3D tech practical? And more importantly, is this something that, as a gamer, you’d be open to embrace?

The New Wave of LCDs

David Murphy — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Buying a new monitor can be tricky. First, you must decipher the manufacturer doublespeak. Not all specifications are created equal, nor are they measured fairly: You truly can’t tell a book by its cover, nor a monitor by its box copy. And then there are the displays themselves. A monitor by itself might look good to you, but you won’t know what you’re missing unless you compare it against the competition.

We’re going to walk you through the basics of today’s LCD monitor technology and what it means to you, a consumer who wants the best picture for your pennies. But we’re not going to leave you hanging: We’re also going to review 10 monitors across a wide swath of sizes and prices to give you a head start on your purchasing decision.

Hit the jump to find out more!

Westinghouse L2610NM

David Murphy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Taking a cue from ViewSonic’s playbook, Westinghouse’s L2610NM produces a crappy image out of the box. We haven’t seen a display ship with such a whited-out picture in a long time.

And unlike ViewSonic’s VX2240w, adjusting the L2610NM’s brightness and contrast settings does little to help matters.

More of this sin against nature after the jump.

Hannspree HF289HJB

David Murphy — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

Size is important, but so is quality. Hannspree’s 27.5-inch HF289HJB fits the former just fine, but its average performance makes us yearn for a better-quality picture to fill the massive screen.

Dim news after the jump.

Dell 2408WFP

David Murphy — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Dell’s 2408WFP is the latest in the company’s line of 24-inch panels, following on the heels of the much-beloved Dell 2407WFP (reviewed September 2006). Unfortunately for Dell, improving upon its predecessor isn’t enough to push the 2408WFP above other tested displays.

That said, there's much to like about the 2408WFP after the jump.

Samsung 245T

David Murphy — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

It’s no secret that the expensive Samsung 245T hosts an S-PVA panel beneath its slim black exterior. But this display’s performance is certainly worth the price. The 245T offers a stunning picture for its class, trumping our longtime favorite 24-inch panel, Dell’s 2407WFP, and even its latest rev, the 2408WFP.

This 1920x1200 display boasts a 97-percent color gamut and the effect is clear. The 245T dishes out notably vibrant blues, reds, and greens, and its color saturation remains strong at even very light levels. To us, the display’s colors feel just right: crisp and bold without any hint of oversaturation. But even if you disagree, the monitor comes with a number of preset options for tweaking the coloration to your exact preferences. We found success using the Mild preset, as Normal made images appear drab and Brilliant made our images look like a supernova.

Check out this superb display post-jump.