 Displays of Affection At InfoComm 2002, the industry embraced plasma and LCD screens and deepened its commitment to DLP |
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Rose-Colored Gases? Are we too enamored of the those tiny gas bubbles known as plasma? On many levels, plasma display panels (PDPs) deserve our attention: They are still the best option for viewing video, and they are drop-dead gorgeous. But they can run only so long before they burn out, unlike the more long-lived LCD screens. And let’s face it: Replacing a $20,000 plasma hurts a lot more than replacing a $350 CRT monitor. Some manufacturers are taking solid steps to protect your investment. NEC Solutions America (www.necvisualsystems.com), for example, has an exceptional burn-in protection system and extended warranty plan. NEC’s PlasmaSync 61MP1 now comes with a three-year limited warranty that includes parts and labor. [an error occurred while processing this directive] NEC’s smaller plasmas made some significant resolution gains for their size. The PlasmaSync 42MP4, the industry’s first 42-inch XGA-native resolution plasma with progressive scan, began shipping in late June. In terms of sheer size, Samsung (www.samsung.com) offered a glimpse of the biggest plasma display to date, the PPM63H1, which at 63 inches and with a 1,366 x 768 resolution, will eclipse Fujitsu’s (www.fujitsu.com) PDS-6101 and NEC’s PlasmaSync 61MP1. It will ship in September. BenQ (www.benq.com) showed the PDP7859, its 42-inch VGA model with the plasma-standard 16:9 aspect ratio. But BenQ’s booth featured a wall of the oddly appealing PDP7842e models, which are the industry’s first 42-inch plasmas with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Who says plasma has to be 16:9, anyway? BenQ thinks the 4:3 models will appeal to producers creating media for presentations, advertising and commercial display. Many third-party manufacturers launched expansion boards that use the open-architecture expansion slot on the recently introduced PureVision plasma displays from Pioneer Electronics (www.pioneerelectronics.com). Joining the TVP-1000 plasma television tuner announced at NAB by Aurora Multimedia (www.auroramultimedia.com) are expansion boards from ADTEC (www.adtecinc.com), Altinex (www.altinex.com) and VideoWalls USA (www.vwusa.com). The expansion boards will give Pioneer PDP users access to high-definition video, video-wall processing, wireless enabling, touch-screen capability and multi-PC functionality.
The Other Monitors When it comes to color matching, however, you can’t beat CRTs. NEC/ Mitsubishi (www.necmitsubishi.com), which has dominated the stand-alone desktop monitor space in corporate media for the past two years, has just relaunched a line of CRT monitors for content creators. The NEC MultiSync FP1375X color monitor features sRGB compatibility and an analog resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 at 80 Hz. The company’s LCD models, aimed at producers creating public displays, still account for about 50 percent of NEC/Mitsubishi’s business. The company’s new 30-inch LCD display—as big as LCD monitors get—features W-XGA resolution. It will ship in September for $4,000.
Samsung also showed its line of smaller SyncMaster displays, including the 18-inch 181T TFT LCD. Featuring a removable base, the displays can be stacked next to or on top of one another. Then there are those displays that eschew classification. 3M’s (www.3m.com/meetings) Wall Display is actually a projector, multimedia display and dry-erase board in one. With a 60-inch screen and built-in projector that swings out from a compact, motorized arm on top, the Wall Display does away with the concept of ceiling mount projectors. It is designed to suit just about any corporate environment, regardless of the available space. Source: AVVMMP RELATED FORUMS: RELATED SITES: • AV Video • Corporate Media News • Digital Producer • Presentation Master [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
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