Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

meetingpeopleiseasy · Apr 5, 2004, 03:06 AM

Hi-
I'm going to go buy a 20" Cinema Display this week. I've been hearing rumors of new displays coming out though. Anyone know any info on this? What should I do, wait?

sworthy · 12:30 PM

I'm in the same boat you are. I want to buy a 20", but new displays seem like they should be coming soon. nobody really knows when unfortunately, hopefully soon.

I'd wait if possible, new models will probably be a little better spec-wise, but probably cheaper as well - which means even bigger price drops for 'old' models.

I'd buy it now if you're using it for a desktop that currently has no monitor, otherwise just limp along with what you have.

GORDYmac · Apr 5, 2004, 10:04 AM

Well, if you need one, buy it now. Make sure the store you buy from has a good return policy. If a new one is released, return or exchange it for the new one.

milhouse · Apr 5, 2004, 10:27 AM

I love my 20" Cinema display. I doubt you'd be disappointed either way.

good luck

CheesePuff · Apr 5, 2004, 10:38 AM

Hey, I might have my (in near perfect and brand new condition with original box and papers) for sale for around $1,050.00 + $50.00 shipping. Let me know if you are interested.

yoyoman · Apr 5, 2004, 07:05 PM

y u sellin?

ryju · Apr 5, 2004, 07:44 PM

I just got a 17inch CRT Studio Display with the ADC connector (the last one they made that looks hawt) for $100CAD. Best deal, ever.

iDaver · Apr 6, 2004, 01:33 AM

I hate to say it but don't buy a Cinema Display now unless you have nothing else to use. The design is three years old, it doesn't match the current towers and it's more due for an update than any other Apple hardware. I've been ready to buy a new display for many months and am still waiting. If there were price reductions on the current (outdated) models, perhaps I'd consider one of those but not before. (I don't need a G5 so the current [brilliant savings] sale doesn't work for me.)

(Apple hates people like me.)

RooneyX · Apr 6, 2004, 01:58 AM

If announced then July would be the earliest with built in USB 2.0. Shipping would be even later.

iDaver · Apr 6, 2004, 02:08 AM

Originally posted by RooneyX:
If announced then July would be the earliest with built in USB 2.0. Shipping would be even later.

Gee, I can't help thinking these have been in production for awhile and prepared to be introduced with upgraded G5s. Maybe not.

meetingpeopleiseasy · Apr 16, 2004, 07:17 PM

So I guess I have to wait until July to see if they are even announced?
For a 3 year old design, bring em' out now! I'm going crazy with this little Lacie electron blue 19" CRT.

iDaver · Apr 16, 2004, 07:43 PM

Originally posted by meetingpeopleiseasy:
So I guess I have to wait until July to see if they are even announced?

I'm predicting a new-displays announcement next week, Sunday, April 18 at NAB or Monday or Tuesday. I don't have a guess as to availability.

This prediction is not based on any "inside information." It's just an educated guess. I think now that upgraded eMacs have been introduced, the flood gates are going to open and we'll see lots of upgrades in the next several weeks.

zigzag · Apr 16, 2004, 10:09 PM

In the recent earnings presentation, I noticed a comment by Fred Anderson that Apple's profit margins had been helped by a reduction in LCD costs. I'm hoping this will translate into new models and/or price reductions.

meetingpeopleiseasy · Apr 17, 2004, 11:17 PM

Well that's nice to hear, I only hope it occurs!
I'd love to see a price drop or an entire new line of cinema displays.

motti · Apr 18, 2004, 05:35 AM

Originally posted by meetingpeopleiseasy:
Well that's nice to hear, I only hope it occurs!
I'd love to see a price drop or an entire new line of cinema displays.

According to the rumors, everyone hopes this since last summer!

iDaver · Apr 18, 2004, 10:26 AM

Originally posted by motti:
According to the rumors, everyone hopes this since last summer!

There must not be much money for Apple in displays. A new design has been a long time coming. I really don't want one of the non-adjustable models currently available from Apple or Formac. I've actually been looking at the 20" from Dell; ugh, but it's height-adjustable.

Evan_11 · Apr 18, 2004, 12:13 PM

Originally posted by meetingpeopleiseasy:
So I guess I have to wait until July to see if they are even announced?
For a 3 year old design, bring em' out now! I'm going crazy with this little Lacie electron blue 19" CRT.

What's wrong with the Lacie? That's the monitor that I'm looking at for my new G5. Aren't they considered the best for graphics?

As an aside, with LCD's I'm not so much concerned about updated resolutions or even cheaper prices but reliability and quality control. It's still a crap shot if you'll get a display with no imperfections. Any professional who's had a dead or even worse a stuck pixel or two will attest that it ruins the benefits of owning. Add in the fact that Apple needs to put in a better back light in the things. Next time you're in the Apple store check out the 20 and 23" Cinema Displays (like you don't do that anyway). However, step back about six feet and notice the severe 'spotlighting'; the center is much brighter than the surrounding edges. This can be a problem for those doing large scale graphic design. The vertical viewing angle is rather poor too. Don't get me wrong they are still beautiful displays but at a cost.

Link · Apr 18, 2004, 09:33 PM

Heh. If you're looking for a new display right now check out samsung's 172X or that HP 23" display? the samsung has a whooping 12ms refresh rate!

motti · Apr 19, 2004, 05:44 PM

Today is a sad day, no new displays from Apple

Formac just lowered the price for their 20"...what shall I do?

Casper Crane · Apr 19, 2004, 06:28 PM

i think you just answered your own question.

Maflynn · Apr 19, 2004, 06:33 PM

Originally posted by motti:
Today is a sad day, no new displays from Apple

Formac just lowered the price for their 20"...what shall I do?

Why is today a sad day. the current crop of display's are excellent, go and enjoy. I've had mine for almost a year and its great. there will always be somthing better around the corner. the trick is to enjoy what you have now, not what may happen in the future - like you can do anything about it anyways.

Mike

Turias · Apr 19, 2004, 06:34 PM

Originally posted by motti:
Today is a sad day, no new displays from Apple

Formac just lowered the price for their 20"...what shall I do?

If you need a new monitor, go buy one. New Apple displays might not be announced until June, or later.

motti · Apr 20, 2004, 01:00 PM

Originally posted by Turias:
If you need a new monitor, go buy one. New Apple displays might not be announced until June, or later.

You're right, it's just that I think the current display are outdated (technically) and they should've lowered the price by now. Have a look at the Samsung displays, you can buy a 20" for half the price of Apple's and the have beautiful thin borders.

If I didn't see the benefit of a 16:9 display, I would have bought a Formac 2010. But the quality of the Apple Cinema Display itself (not the image) is outstanding. So basically, I can't decide...

Stradlater · Apr 20, 2004, 02:36 PM

Originally posted by motti:
You're right, it's just that I think the current display are outdated (technically) and they should've lowered the price by now. Have a look at the Samsung displays, you can buy a 20" for half the price of Apple's and the have beautiful thin borders.

Then buy a Samsung display?

iDaver · Apr 20, 2004, 10:05 PM

Originally posted by Link:
Heh. If you're looking for a new display right now check out samsung's 172X or that HP 23" display? the samsung has a whooping 12ms refresh rate!

That HP 2335 is a nice display. It's hard to tell from their specs but it sounds like it's an analog display, like many of the larger monitors intended for television.

motti · Apr 24, 2004, 05:58 AM

Originally posted by iDaver:
That HP 2335 is a nice display. It's hard to tell from their specs but it sounds like it's an analog display, like many of the larger monitors intended for television.

But it has a DVI-I input, thought this would mean it's a digital display?

iDaver · Apr 24, 2004, 08:35 AM

Originally posted by motti:
But it has a DVI-I input, thought this would mean it's a digital display?

Well, this is what it says under specs for signal input: one 15-pin mini D-sub VGA, one DVI-I (VGA analog and digital input), one composite video, one s-video, component video
HP L2335 Specs

The fact that the word analog is in there at all, and that it has composite video inputs makes me suspect it's an analog display. The information is confusing but usually a digital display clearly states that it is "pure digital" or something like that. I really like the looks of that display. If Apple doesn't get their act together soon, I might look into it further and start asking HP some questions.

sworthy · Apr 25, 2004, 06:37 PM

I think it just means it has two inputs, one dvi, one vga. This is fairly common.

iDaver · Apr 26, 2004, 12:56 AM

Originally posted by sworthy:
I think it just means it has two inputs, one dvi, one vga. This is fairly common.

With a built in digital to analog converter, I suppose, for those who don't have DVI out on their PCs.

meetingpeopleiseasy · Apr 26, 2004, 03:16 AM

And not a peep about new cinema displays. I'm getting weak, did I tell you I bought a 20", used it for a week, heard rumors of the new displays and returned mine to the apple store to wait for the new ones? Wish I just kept it now. Although it did have some dust particle crusties inside the left leg, kinda odd. No dead pixels though! AHHHHH!

tooki · Apr 26, 2004, 03:54 AM

Every LCD is natively digital. "Analog" LCDs contain an analog-to-digital converter. "Digital" LCDs have (sometimes in place of, more often in addition to, the analog-to-digital converter) the DVI interface. (DVI-D to analog converters exist, but cost a fortune.)

There is nothing to stop a manufacturer from adding extra inputs. But they all ultimately get converted to digital inside the display.

tooki

motti · Apr 26, 2004, 08:13 AM

Originally posted by tooki:
There is nothing to stop a manufacturer from adding extra inputs. But they all ultimately get converted to digital inside the display.

tooki

Then why don't all the displays have ADC oder DVI inputs? Are those pricey? Or is it too expensive to then add a VGA input in addition to ADC resp. DVI? Thank you for your response tooki, I always learn a lot from them!

chabig · Apr 26, 2004, 08:58 AM

But they all ultimately get converted to digital inside the display.But they all ultimately get converted to digital inside the display.

Tooki, are you sure? Even an analog CRT displays a picture that is ultimately digital since it's composed of pixels. I always thought that analog LCDs operated like that. Yes. each pixel is a physical transistor, but transistors can be biased to operate linearly, rather than digitally.

Chris

zigzag · Apr 26, 2004, 09:43 AM

Originally posted by chabig:
Tooki, are you sure? Even an analog CRT displays a picture that is ultimately digital since it's composed of pixels.

I don't think so - a CRT is an inherently analog device. It shoots electron beams at the back of the screen and makes the phosphor dots glow, which results in an image consisting of pixels, but the presence of pixels doesn't make it "digital," i.e. binary.

There are CRTs with DVI inputs, but that just means the digital-to-analog conversion is done inside the CRT rather than by the PC's video card.

An LCD, on the other hand, can directly interpret binary data.

I hope I've stated it correctly.

iDaver · Apr 26, 2004, 09:59 AM

Thanks for all the input, everyone. With regard to the HP L2335 display mentioned above, what's DVI-I and is it compatable with the DVI out on PowerBooks and Power Macs?

CambAngst · Apr 26, 2004, 02:58 PM

Just for everyone's information, I was at Staples yesterday and, for the first time, I noticed some prices on 18-20 inch LCD monitors that seem to be coming down. They had a couple of 19" flat-panel displays for under $600 (a Samsung and a Sony, if I remember correctly), as well as a 20" for right around $700. Maybe supply has finally begun to catch up to demand and prices are starting to fall?