backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 53 comment(s) - last by noirsoft.. on Jan 15 at 12:22 PM

NEC CRVD-42DWX+ curved display  (Source: NEC)
NEC and Alienware seem to be pulling form the same playbook

At CES 2008 last week Alienware announced a curved computer display geared for gamers and making people more productive through more screen space while working on a computer.

NEC must feel that the market for long, curved displays is a up and coming category as it announced its own curved display called the NEC CRVD-42DWX+. The NEC display has a screen resolution of 2880 x 900 with a response time of under 0.02 milliseconds. The NTSC color gamut the display is capable of is 170% and the dynamic range is 12-bit. In all the display can reproduce 68.7 billion colors.

NEC spokeswomen emphasized that the Alienware prototype and the NEC CRVD-42DWX+ "have nothing to do with each other."

While NEC claims the two displays share no common manufacturer, both displays are built with the same bezel and housing. Both displays use two LED-backlit DLP images to "stitch" the 2880 pixel-wide image across the curved display as well.  The likelihood that these two displays are not made in the same place would be an unusually odd coincidence.

The display has a typical brightness of 350 nits with a contrast ratio greater than 10,000:1. The screen has an aspect ratio of 3.2:1 and weighs 25 pounds without a stand. The overall dimensions of the screen are 40.4-inches wide x 12.6-inches high.

NEC declined to comment on pricing or availability of the display at this time.  However, given the high-markup nature of Alienware proprietary technology, NEC could be sitting on a goldmine if it markets the CRVD-42DWX+ just right. 


Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
Comes down to Cost
By Keeir on 1/14/2008 1:31:14 PM , Rating: 3
I can see the use for gaming, as most games do not support multi-screen technology. But for day to day productivity, wouldn't 2 20" Widescreen displays be better and more versitile. (3260 x 1050). I even set my work ones at slight angles to each other already.

As a peice of technology, this thing looks amazing... but unless its priced in the sub-750 dollar range, I don't think I could even justify a purchase.




RE: Comes down to Cost
By isorfir on 1/14/2008 1:41:18 PM , Rating: 2
I do the same thing with 2 22" screens, slightly angled at each other. The only problem is if I maximized a window across both screens there's a gap in the middle, which this monitor would fix. The 900 vertical res is a little low though, even the 1050 I'm at seems a little short.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By kkwst2 on 1/14/2008 3:00:16 PM , Rating: 2
Yup. I've been using one 19" 4:3 and one 24" WS for a while now. I like that combo as some things do better with widescreen and some things I like 4:3 better. I put my Windows takbar on the 19" since I don't like it taking up precious height on the widescreen.

Only problem is a virtual bump that windows get caught on when dragging from the 19" to the 24". You just learn how to drag things.

Agreed that 900 pixels is not enough height.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By bighairycamel on 1/14/2008 3:37:44 PM , Rating: 2
I'm in the same boat. I use 2 22" widescreens but I never stretch something across both screens... dont really see a reason to either. While this curved monitor would be cool for games and stuff, it would take away the usefulness of the 2nd monitor (I can play a game on screen 1 and have a stategy guide/map/tips on screen 2 or even watch a movie). I would stick to my dual screens over this curved setup anyday, but it's only a matter of my own preference and opinion.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By spluurfg on 1/14/2008 5:47:28 PM , Rating: 2
I'd love a flat, 4:3 one just for the color gamut...


RE: Comes down to Cost
By spluurfg on 1/14/2008 5:50:41 PM , Rating: 2
Or if I could choose anything, 3:2. Photo editors rejoice... with the new 12 bit SLRs.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By mWMA on 1/14/2008 6:23:05 PM , Rating: 2
I ran into the same problem with 2 20inch (1600x1200) samsung at my desk. Decide to add a 24inch (1920x1200) Samsung in the middle of two and I no longer wander about the bezel in the side of screen..


RE: Comes down to Cost
By LeviBeckerson (blog) on 1/14/2008 1:56:53 PM , Rating: 3
It will be interesting to see how this monitor would handle multiple maximized windows. If works like a pair of monitors, it would be great for programming, web design, writing, etc. If it can't maximize to each half, or possibly even each quarter, it would just be clunky.

I'm also curious as to the effect of the curvature on screen fonts and, say, video playback or image editing where you kind of want an inferred, visible straight line. Or at least I do.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By Oroka on 1/14/2008 2:09:26 PM , Rating: 2
That is what I was thinking, for people who use multi displays. I would trade in my 2 19" LCDs for 1 looooooong curved display if the price was right.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By masher2 (blog) on 1/14/2008 2:19:31 PM , Rating: 2
> "It will be interesting to see how this monitor would handle multiple maximized windows."

I would hope that the software driver for the monitor would allow you choice-- maximize to the full screen, or to a half-sized "virtual" monitor.

However, the 900-pixel vertical resolution is the real killer for me. I don't see me trading in my two 24" monitors for this.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By LeviBeckerson (blog) on 1/14/2008 2:30:48 PM , Rating: 2
I can understand that. Once you are accustomed to a certain amount of space, it's hard to give it up. But I use a 17" 1280x1024 for my work space and a 20" 1680x1050 for my research slash what's-it-going-to-look-like-in-Firefox space, so 900 doesn't seem like it would be much of a drop for me.

Then again, my laptop is the standard 1280x800 and I can't imagine trying to do much work on it as it's so "short."

I also off-handedly wonder if it's going to be a single or dual connections to drive the screen. If it's a native dual-screen type connection, problems solved. It's the single input that'll cause problems, I'd think.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By jjabrams on 1/15/2008 7:20:20 AM , Rating: 2
is there any software that enhances what can be viewed on a webpage or other because not all pages/programs are designed with a high or wide resolution in mind - you just get white bars on the side.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By kkwst2 on 1/14/2008 3:15:04 PM , Rating: 2
Is the maximizing thing really that big a deal? It's simple enough to tile two or more windows with a couple clicks. If you really want it to act as two separate monitors, just get two separate monitors. It acting as a single panel seems to kind of be the point. I think for the tasks you describe, acting as one monitor would be more desirable. Just tile your separate windows as desired.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By TomZ on 1/14/2008 3:45:03 PM , Rating: 2
Maximizing is quicker and more convenient than manually tiling windows.

What I would want with a very large monitor like this, is desktop management software that would allow me to define "zones" or "cells" where applications could be maximized into. This mimics the way a lot of people currently work successfully with multiple monitors.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By kalgriffen on 1/14/2008 4:30:08 PM , Rating: 2
Nvidia's drivers allow you to split the screen into segments. I use it to divide my widescreen into two segments for viewing various documents.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By The Sword 88 on 1/14/2008 5:09:23 PM , Rating: 2
Really? How?


RE: Comes down to Cost
By Lonyo on 1/14/2008 6:45:30 PM , Rating: 3
It's somewhere in the drivers.
You can choose your own splits IIRC, although I never played with it that much.
Nvidia has some quite nice multiple monitor stuff.


RE: Comes down to Cost
By mWMA on 1/14/2008 6:28:49 PM , Rating: 2
There is software that lets you manage multiple display and let you assign application to certain places easily. as well other things like different wallpaper and taskbar assignment etc.
The one I use is Ultramon. (http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/)


Incorrect Perspective
By noirsoft on 1/14/2008 2:24:35 PM , Rating: 2
Of course, the math for 3d perspective rendering only works for a flat display, and a curved display would result in an incorrect image.

You could do a different projective transform for each vertical line of the display and get a correct image, if the engine knew the curvature of the screens. It would be easiest if the curve was a circular arc and it was assumed that the head is at the circle's center. You would need to know what portion of a circle the monitor represented (a 60 degree arc would have avery different set of transforms than a 90 degree arc)

It would probably still be too slow on most hardware.

In short, I think I'll stick to flat displays for now, and this monitor is not really well-suited for serious gamers.




RE: Incorrect Perspective
By andrinoaa on 1/14/2008 4:16:42 PM , Rating: 2
How would it work as a touch screen? I think the touch screen will be the UI of choice in the not too distant future.


RE: Incorrect Perspective
By TomZ on 1/14/2008 4:37:40 PM , Rating: 2
I disagree - for desktop monitors at least, touchscreen has a number of undesirable attributes. For one, the optimal distance for visibility is greater than the optimal distance for touch. This results in the display being either too close for viewing or too far for touching.

Then there is the problem of smudged, dirty displays.

I think touchscreen use will certainly grow in some segments (e.g., handheld devices, kiosks), but I think the mouse will continue to be used on the desktop until a new technology is widely-used, e.g., sensors that can track eye movement and move focus based on that.


<