My Vision of an Apple 30" FP Display

[Shrek]

There are rumors about a coming Apple 30" flat-panel display about. If these rumors are true, then I just want to give you some insight on my imagination; my vision of such a display.

My vision of an Apple 30" FP display is one that is made for the entertainment user that wants to use it as a way to watch TV, movies and more on it.

First and foremost, the screen would be need to be a plasma display. This would allow for the sharpest, brightest screen possible.

It would have it's own built in TV Tuner; there is no need for a computer to watch TV on it. It will have volume control, channel control, and other controls right on the display and even comes with a handy remote control. You can plug a VCR/DVD-player, use a game console or even plug in a cable box into the TV Tuner all without using a computer; basically anything you can plug into a TV you can plug into this display.

It would also have built in two-channel surround sound stereo speakers. It would have RCA ports to plug in an external stereo system that you can use with your remote.

The screen can also be used as a computer monitor and is compatible with both Macs and PCs. It has two monitor ports, so you can hook up two different computers at the same time! Now you can play both your Mac and PC games on your Apple 30" FP Display!

All in all, this would be the ultimate entertainment display for the consumer or professional user.

Would you buy such a display? How much would you be willing to pay for it?

 

[Over Achiever]

These type of displays exist i think. Anyway, a really cool idea is my Samsung I think, I don't remember. But its a 40" LCD with a wireless A/V solution! That sounds cool. I'll look for it tomorrow...

 

[thedude]

an apple 30" is exciting news, if it is true, and if id doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I hope it isn't plasma because of their burn-in problems, but I wonder how much a monster like that would end up costing? $5000? $7400? OUCH

 

[vniow]

Gateway now has a 42" plasme display under $3000.

 

[Shrek]

Screw Gateway! They can kiss their a**es goodbye! Besides, their screen is not even compatible with a Mac, so .

 

[wrylachlan]

Originally posted by edvniow
Gateway now has a 42" plasme display under $3000.

And it's specs are here:


42" Wide Screen Flat Plasma Monitor
852x480 native pixel with progressive scan

Yes you read that native resolution correctly. You get what you pay for. This is a TV that doesn't even come near the 1080p HDTV standard. Would you want to use this as a monitor?

 

[vniow]

Actualy most of the plasma displays don't go much above that rez.
The highest only a few go is 1280x720, still pathetic rez, but it's expensive to make those pixels smaller.

None of the big screen TVs fully supports the 1080i standard. Maybe 720p, but definately not 1080i.

The biggest LCD screens you're gonna see with good rez is Apple's 23" Cinema, Samsug's 241T, Sun's 24" and Sony's 23", all with 1920x1200.

The bigger you go, the smaller the rez. It's not entirely uncommon for a 42" display like that to have only 852x480, even some of the more expensive ones.

 

[Shrek]

If anyone can make a plasma display with hi-res, it's Apple.

 

[vniow]

You should know that Apple doesn't make screens.

Samsung supplies most of the LCDs that go in Apple displays.

If no one else can get good rez out of a plasma or any other screen it's not going to be Apple.

 

[alex_ant]

If Apple were to come out with a 30" plasma display and market it to the consumer who wants an integrated media/computer station, they would sell about 7 of them total before cancelling them. Gateway tried just this in the mid-'90s, with a computer designed to sit in a stereo rack and a 32" 800x600 monitor/television, and it flopped like a dead fish. Who wants to type e-mail on a display that's 12 feet away from their face and supports a maximum resolution of 1280x720? Who wants to have to change the batteries in their wireless keyboard every month? Who wants to scroll their optical mouse along their pant leg because there's no flat surface on the couch? I can see a display like this being great for video games, but why buy a huge, expensive 30" Apple flat panel display when you can buy a 32" TV and a PS2 for thousands less? Or presentations, but why buy this when you can just buy an LCD projector? Etc.

 

[Sherman]

Hey, you want to know what's fun?

Using your 26" LCD hooked up to a tricked out linux box to play CS.

Yea, that's fun. And I do it too.

 

[solvs]

Ah Shrek, always the dreamer. This would be a very kick-*** screen indeed, but I don't expect Apple to be including a TV-Tuner (it would be nice, though). If they did come out with a 30" screen, it would be REALLY expensive, but it would make most of us drool. And it would make the PC world envy Apple even more. Maybe they would even be nice enough to give it those dual inputs, or at least include a VGA/DVI to ADC adapter free.

There are some really bright 50"+ Plasma screens that have 1366x768 resolution with multiple inputs (gotta watch out for that HDTV "ready" part), but I agree that I wouldn't want to use that as my primary display. That and the price tags. $$$. There's a reason that the Gateway Dimensions failed (actually there were a couple of very obvious reasons). Samsung has a nice 24" FP with multiple inputs and bright, HDTV (1920 x 1200) resolution. Of course, it's $3000...

Anybody else wish some of Apple's products were more Digital Hub-like? Like TV-Out and -In, better sound options, etc. Who'd need TiVo, Home Theaters, CD/DVD players, or a game console - you'd have everything you need right there on your Mac. Don't say it's not needed, I know a lot of people who'd love to do things like input their old analog footage to DVD and record TV shows to their Macs.

I know there are add on options to do these types of things, but some of them are a pain in the *** to configure, if they even work. It would be better if these things were built-in, Apple implemented, and pre-configured. Ready to use. I think this kind-of display would be perfect for such things, provided it isn't TOO expensive. Imagine a true Complete Digital Hub. Kind-of like those new HP WinXP Multimedia PCs except, you know... good.

I think Gateway just had it backwards.

 

[DreaminDirector]

Fry's electronics...

Fry's Electronics in the City of Industry in CA had four huge plasma screens hooked up to four (sadly) PCs all running Warcraft 3. It was insane. There was a crowd of at least 20 people behind each screen waiting to get a chance to play. I might have to say that the screens were those new 60" (and $15,000) ones. WAY WAY WAY out of my price bracket, but damn good on the eyes.

 

[WannabeSQ]

If Apple does make some new large 30" screen, All I care about is are the other ones going to see a big price drop? Doesnt apple usually introduce a new better one at the same price as the old best one?

 

[Freyr]

Video image quality on LCD screens made for computers

LCD panels made for use as luxury consumer
flat screen televisions are commonly larger
than screens made for computer displays. These televisions are thousands of dollars more expensive yet actually have inferior resolution and contrast ratios. Do they, however, have any advantage (other than their larger screen size) when displaying video, such as refresh rate?
How well do the best Apple and Formac flat panel displays handle live action video from DVD?
As good or better than flat screen televisions? As good or better than tube televisions?