20" iMac display x 20" Cinema display the same?

[Locatel]

Are the displays of the 20" iMac and Cinema display the same? The specs seem the same, but are they really the same? If I could look them without knowing wich was wich, could I tell any difference?

 

[gman71882]

I haven't used both the 20" Imac & Cinema Display side by side, but i would assume that since they have the exact same dimensions and resolutions they are most likely the same internal LCD.

That just shows you how much the markup is on the Apple Displays. With the computer costing $1700 & the Apple display itself being $800.
(you can get a brighter 20" DELL display for ~350-400ish)

 

[BlizzardBomb]

They probably are at the moment, but I expect ACDs to be given a major update at WWDC.

 

[Blue Velvet]

I suspect not. The display I've seen on my friend's iMac is far more unevenly illuminated and has a definitely narrower viewing angle than the ACDs I've seen... and I've never seen a mention of iMacs ever being swop-certified.

 

[BlizzardBomb]

I suspect not. The display I've seen on my friend's iMac is far more unevenly illuminated and has a definitely narrower viewing angle than the ACDs I've seen... and I've never seen a mention of iMacs ever being swop-certified.

Probably same on paper, but not in the real world.

 

[Locatel]

Probably same on paper, but not in the real world.

That's the point! Anyone out there who has made this comparison in the real world?

 

[mkrishnan]

I suspect not. The display I've seen on my friend's iMac is far more unevenly illuminated and has a definitely narrower viewing angle than the ACDs I've seen... and I've never seen a mention of iMacs ever being swop-certified.

It can have the same LCD panel but different assemblies including the lights, bezels, etc, can't it? The backlights and the light shielding probably make a big difference in the quality difference between the two. And of course using hardware to do the callibration etc that are entailed by SWOP....

 

[Blue Velvet]

It can have the same LCD panel but different assemblies including the lights, bezels, etc, can't it?

I wouldn't know, except for the evidence of my own eyes.

Besides, I'm sure there have been plenty of people here who have seen them next to each other in Apple stores and other retailers.

 

[mkrishnan]

I wouldn't know, except for the evidence of my own eyes.

Very true, my friend. And I trust your eyes more than mine.

But what I mean is that when you look at the characteristics of a display, some things are related to some parts, and other things related to other parts.

For instance:

- Pixel response speed -- this can't have anything to do with backlight engineering -- the only thing that drives this is the pixel on the LCD panel and the electronics backing it up.

- Contrast -- again, the only thing that can affect contrast is the LCD

- Brightness -- on the other hand, the backlight is a strong driver of this, although the max transparency of the LCD is also important.

- Uniformity -- I don't think the LCD has a uniformity problem. This is going to be the backlight and case engineering.

- Color -- a mixture -- the LCD is the primary color generator, but the backlight has to provide a true white, or you will never get good colors across the spectrum. Also the backlight has to be predictable in its decay or again, you will not get predictable colors....