30" Apple Display: Concerns about buying now

[nc7r]

I'm in a similar position but not waiting for it for a Mac Pro

I've sold my 20' Cinema Display expecting an update or release at Mac World or sometime soon. Hopefully a price drop will happen but I know they're definitely made - just not released yet.

Hopefully they'll have iSights in, much smaller bezel, LED backlit, HD ready, more inputs (for XBOX's and such) and another couple of USB and Firewire ports would be fantastic.

That'd be my ideal. 24" for £399 sounds good, as does £799 for 30".

 

[AppleNewton]

you could be waiting for ever for these new displays and who says the price wont be absurdly high or that they will be any better then the current models?

besides apple, really isnt one to add awhole lot of "inputs/outputs" unless theres a good way to conceal them or blend them into the display without making it bulky...so the chance of having alot of that may be slim, LED for sure, but not too sure about a variety of outputs.

 

[OneArmedScissor]

either way im completely torn at the moment about what display to buy for my new mac pro (ie DELL or ACD). Either way, i wish there were some kind of rumor to speculate off.

 

[zmunkz]

similar dilemma

I have a similar dilemma... I am looking to sell my current ACD 23" and turn around and purchase a new ACD 30". Do you guys think an upgrade like that is also questionable given the age of the product, or do you think it is not as bad since selling the 23" should get me a couple hundred to put towards it?

 

[dgdosen]

Same boat...

Same boat as well - I want to buy a new Mac Pro with my ADC discount and want to pick up a 30 inch ACD display as well. My renewal is in May, and I'd like to buy one before that.

I'm assuming any new ACD displays would wait until white LEDs are available, which I'm sure would be made by some far east concern. The question is - are those even out there? I was looking through news from CES and I didn't see anything point to the imminent release of this size of displays.

The other thing that concerns me is the new Dell monitor is active matrix LCD - which isn't LED - correct?

Anyone?

 

[Mylstar]

The Dell 30" are $350 off until next week! That brings the price down to $1050 right now. Tempting, very tempting.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

Same boat as well - I want to buy a new Mac Pro with my ADC discount and want to pick up a 30 inch ACD display as well. My renewal is in May, and I'd like to buy one before that.

I'm assuming any new ACD displays would wait until white LEDs are available, which I'm sure would be made by some far east concern. The question is - are those even out there? I was looking through news from CES and I didn't see anything point to the imminent release of this size of displays.

The other thing that concerns me is the new Dell monitor is active matrix LCD - which isn't LED - correct?

Anyone?

I believe the Dell is LCD. So is the HP LP3065 which is a great monitor. I have one here in our studio sitting next to an ACD 30 and an older Dell 30.

The ACD does hold it's own and has a better gamut and native gamma for Print Work, for sure. The HP has a much broader and more vibrant color gamut to be sure.

The Dell is old and tired and really can't compete with the ACD or HP, but again this is a REV 1 Dell original 30" -- great panel inside but terrible LUT.

You can't go wrong with an ACD for print specific work.

I am sure the new Dell 30 is fantastic as well. So is the HP.

As far as ACD updates, I would prepare to wait 6 to 8 months -- you will not see a new ACD until they redesign a Mac Pro case, which is obviously a ways off since Apple just upgraded these significantly to Octos.

 

[Mr.PS]

I believe the Dell is LCD. So is the HP LP3065 which is a great monitor. I have one here in our studio sitting next to an ACD 30 and an older Dell 30.

The ACD does hold it's own and has a better gamut and native gamma for Print Work, for sure. The HP has a much broader and more vibrant color gamut to be sure.

The Dell is old and tired and really can't compete with the ACD or HP, but again this is a REV 1 Dell original 30" -- great panel inside but terrible LUT.

You can't go wrong with an ACD for print specific work.

I am sure the new Dell 30 is fantastic as well. So is the HP.

As far as ACD updates, I would prepare to wait 6 to 8 months -- you will not see a new ACD until they redesign a Mac Pro case, which is obviously a ways off since Apple just upgraded these significantly to Octos.

I doubt they will re-design the mac pro case anytime soon. The displays do not need to be updated design wise, case wise that is, but led's, a better color gamut, and more inputs would definitely "update" the display.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

I have a similar dilemma... I am looking to sell my current ACD 23" and turn around and purchase a new ACD 30". Do you guys think an upgrade like that is also questionable given the age of the product, or do you think it is not as bad since selling the 23" should get me a couple hundred to put towards it?

If you need the larger screen this is a great update.

The ACD more than holds its own with "newer" displays in terms of sharpness, color gamut for PRINT work and color accuracy. However, newer stuff like the HP LP3065 and offerings from Samsung and Dell have higher or broader color gamuts: note that these can throw off accuracy for print work and need calibration for precise editing.

I doubt you will see an ACD update for 6 to 8 months: read my post above for logic on this.

That ACD 23 is still a FANTASTIC monitor. We bought a new one just a month ago for use in our studio due to its superb print color accuracy and consistency.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

I doubt they will re-design the mac pro case anytime soon. The displays do not need to be updated design wise, case wise that is, but led's, a better color gamut, and more inputs would definitely "update" the display.

Agree totally.

Are LED"s shipping in mass in large panels? I have not found any.

Are the LED's consistent enough for precise color calibration? I have found those in the MacBook Pros to be very wild. We purposely bought a 17" MBP with an LCD high res just 3 weeks ago BEFORE they updated it to LED for this reason.

Thoughts?

 

[Mr.PS]

Agree totally.

Are LED"s shipping in mass in large panels? I have not found any.

Are the LED's consistent enough for precise color calibration? I have found those in the MacBook Pros to be very wild. We purposely bought a 17" MBP with an LCD high res just 3 weeks ago BEFORE they updated it to LED for this reason.

Thoughts?

It's a new technology that is significantly better then cathodes. Power savings, brightness, and longevity are all plus's. It's like CRT vs LCD - the previous eventually dies out. The new Samsung DLP's all use LED's and their colors are great. I'm sure Apple will think of something to correct any issues LED's might bring to the display arena for professionals.

 

[-Noodles]

As far as ACD updates, I would prepare to wait 6 to 8 months -- you will not see a new ACD until they redesign a Mac Pro case, which is obviously a ways off since Apple just upgraded these significantly to Octos.

this is my feeling too and ultimately what made me just decide to go with the current model. I suspect Nehalem will probably be the unveiling of a new design for both the case and monitor.

 

[theLimit]

I have a 20" ACD, but the resolution is a bit limiting for me. Spaces in Leopard helps, but I really want to upgrade to a 23" or 24" screen with higher resolution. I've only seen three 23" ACDs in person, and they all had the pinkness or flicker problems. I'm going to hold on to my 20" for the time being until an ACD update happens. I don't care about iSight or multiple inputs. I'd really like HDCP compatibility, especially since BluRay support is imminent. A bump from 23" to 24" and LED backlighting would be nice.

 

[Mr.PS]

this is my feeling too and ultimately what made me just decide to go with the current model. I suspect Nehalem will probably be the unveiling of a new design for both the case and monitor.

I'm worried about the sparkles issue as well - that's something I could not accept in a $17xx monitor.

 

[-Noodles]

I'm worried about the sparkles issue as well - that's something I could not accept in a $17xx monitor.

if the 1yr warranty isn't enough you can always extend it up to 3 even after you've purchased it -so long as it is before the 1yr expires. Since i just got a mac pro too it covers both. The firms that I've known have not had any problems with their displays and they've had them for a while. Also Apple has one lowest defect rates of any computer company if not thee lowest take some comfort in that.

 

[Mr.PS]

if the 1yr warranty isn't enough you can always extend it up to 3 even after you've purchased it -so long as it is before the 1yr expires. Since i just got a mac pro too it covers both. The firms that I've known have not had any problems with their displays and they've had them for a while. Also Apple has one lowest defect rates of any computer company if not thee lowest take some comfort in that.

I see, I will wait till June, by then I will have my Macbook air, that will hold me over until when ever the new Macpro and ACD's come out.

 

[dgdosen]

Samsung SyncMaster XL30

I can see several posts from early 2007 about the XL30 from Samsung that notes it should be LED BLU - but then the news drops off, and I can't see it on Samsung's web site.

Although a quick search on Google just now shows this dated 1/7/08

http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/23864/news.htm

Could there be a widescreen Samsung out there somewhere?

 

[OneArmedScissor]

"To eliminate mercury in our displays, we need to transition from fluorescent lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the displays. Fortunately, all iPod displays already use LEDs for illumination, and therefore contain no mercury. We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007. Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays." -steve jobs, macrumors

^ rememeber this statement last may? i wonder what happened...maybe the iPhone said "no steve! pay attention to me, ill make you more money!"

 

[-Noodles]

"To eliminate mercury in our displays, we need to transition from fluorescent lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the displays. Fortunately, all iPod displays already use LEDs for illumination, and therefore contain no mercury. We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007. Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays." -steve jobs, macrumors

^ rememeber this statement last may? i wonder what happened...maybe the iPhone said "no steve! pay attention to me, ill make you more money!"

probably a matter of getting the cost down for larger displays or technical things like color accuracy for pro users

 

[ddarko]

My take

Given that there's a 30" display in every apple store I've seen it in use enough times to feel comfortable with its performance (colors, brightness, etc).

It seems to me you've answered your own question. If the monitor is still too expensive, I can see why you would want to wait. But if you're simply waiting for the next-gen, why? You say you're satisfied with the current display when you've seen it in person. The quality of the display won't diminish just because a new display is introduced. Or is there some feature you need or really desire that's not available on the current 30"?

- A built-in camera? It's hard to believe someone would wait just for that.

- LED display? Affordable, mass-produced 30" LED panels don't exist yet so unless you're willing to wait until 2009 or 2010, I wouldn't hold your breath.

- DisplayPort or HDMI? Well, none of the current Macs offer HDMI support so you should also be prepared to change computers as well (if you own a Windows video card, different story).

- Built-in video scaler? Some of the new panels are coming with video scalers, making them more suitable for movie playback. This is up to you and how you intend to use the display.

Even the newer panels from other manufacturers aren't head-and-shoulders above the 30" cinema display so whatever improvement you might see in a new 30" cinema display will be incremental, not revolutionary. Even when you compare the LED vs. CFL displays on the Macbooks, it's not a knockout. And as I said, LED isn't coming to the 30" any time soon so LED technology shouldn't be part of your evaluation.

My personal experience: after working with 21" CRT monitor for ages, I finally decided to go LCD. I got a 30" because portrait-oriented images would have been smaller on the 23" cinema display than it was on my CRT monitor and I didn't want that. I am happy with the monitor.

"We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007. Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays." -steve jobs, macrumors

^ rememeber this statement last may? i wonder what happened...maybe the iPhone said "no steve! pay attention to me, ill make you more money!"

He said they'd START to introduce LED's in 2007, which Apple did. He then qualified it by noting it will take a while to go completely LED for bigger display sizes because of current technical limitations. What's so hard to understand?

 

[AppleNewton]

I just placed an order for anew 30" display and hopefully this will come without any dead/stuck pixels or white spot burn-ins otherwise it will be agreat purchase and something id be glad to own.

like the previous poster befor eme stated, there will be a time until LED displays reach 30" displays and there wont be much of an incremental difference between the ones now and the LED ones, judging by the fact NEC released a 24" LED display at above $3000 gives you an idea at the price premium. and since alot of gfx cards ESPECIALLY for Apple Mac systems dont take advantage of the HDMI option i dont see a whole alot of reasons why all these imputs would be the reason not oget one (or a silly camera).
the 30" still are above alot of monitors with color accuracy and eveness with backlighting, and thats good enough for me.

i can do my work on the display. theyve been unchanged and trusted for years, so that right that there is another good enough for me point where i wont have to sacrifice for the latest and "maybe greatest" out there.
theres a lot of compromise whenit comes to an "all in one", who knows if the full quality of a HDMI connect, S-video, Composite connections could reproduce the intended color accuracy or display perfection that these displays currently have?

what other issues or setbacks do these other brand monitors have with regards to their impedance of inputs/outputs?

 

[DH Miller]

30"

Is anyone using their Macs primiarily for HD video? That' my application and I need to decide whether the ACD is the best choice for the money (to match up with the new 3.0 system I'm buying). Matching print output is not an issue, but seeing (accurate) high-speed, large moving images on the screen (typically fine art animation) is the task. (ghosting? response time?)
Any thoughts on the best 30" for this application?
best.
d.

 

[Mr.PS]

It seems to me you've answered your own question. If the monitor is still too expensive, I can see why you would want to wait. But if you're simply waiting for the next-gen, why? You say you're satisfied with the current display when you've seen it in person. The quality of the display won't diminish just because a new display is introduced. Or is there some feature you need or really desire that's not available on the current 30"?

- A built-in camera? It's hard to believe someone would wait just for that.

- LED display? Affordable, mass-produced 30" LED panels don't exist yet so unless you're willing to wait until 2009 or 2010, I wouldn't hold your breath.

- DisplayPort or HDMI? Well, none of the current Macs offer HDMI support so you should also be prepared to change computers as well (if you own a Windows video card, different story).

- Built-in video scaler? Some of the new panels are coming with video scalers, making them more suitable for movie playback. This is up to you and how you intend to use the display.

Even the newer panels from other manufacturers aren't head-and-shoulders above the 30" cinema display so whatever improvement you might see in a new 30" cinema display will be incremental, not revolutionary. Even when you compare the LED vs. CFL displays on the Macbooks, it's not a knockout. And as I said, LED isn't coming to the 30" any time soon so LED technology shouldn't be part of your evaluation.

My personal experience: after working with 21" CRT monitor for ages, I finally decided to go LCD. I got a 30" because portrait-oriented images would have been smaller on the 23" cinema display than it was on my CRT monitor and I didn't want that. I am happy with the monitor.



He said they'd START to introduce LED's in 2007, which Apple did. He then qualified it by noting it will take a while to go completely LED for bigger display sizes because of current technical limitations. What's so hard to understand?

How are you so sure that LED powered displays will be here by 2008-2010. Samsung already has a 30" LED monitor, it was introduced in early 2007, but is not yet released.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

Is anyone using their Macs primiarily for HD video? That' my application and I need to decide whether the ACD is the best choice for the money (to match up with the new 3.0 system I'm buying). Matching print output is not an issue, but seeing (accurate) high-speed, large moving images on the screen (typically fine art animation) is the task. (ghosting? response time?)
Any thoughts on the best 30" for this application?
best.
d.

The HP LP3065 works fairly well for this application.

You will still find some fault with the full screen high res tweening between images on very fine stuff but it is pretty good.

We use it with Motion, FInal Cut, Keynote, etc and add a lot of cinematic transitions. Playback is good but not excellent. I am not sure what is at this size and res.

 

[DH Miller]

30"

Thanks for the feedback. I'm also wondering about the different aspect ratios 16:10 vs 16:9. When you are doing your HD work, do you also preview out to an HD (RGB) monitor of some sort? Any issues dealing with the two aspect ratios?
I have a nice 13" Sony RGB monitor that I use for preview purposes (not HD, though), and will probably continue to use that. Just curious if you rely on your main monitor for previewing and/or other type of layout or framing of the image on the screen.
D.

The HP LP3065 works fairly well for this application.

You will still find some fault with the full screen high res tweening between images on very fine stuff but it is pretty good.

We use it with Motion, FInal Cut, Keynote, etc and add a lot of cinematic transitions. Playback is good but not excellent. I am not sure what is at this size and res.