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Apple Cinema Displays Due?

P

ptjh

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 14, 2008
136
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I notice your buyers guide says not to buy apple cinema displays and I am going to buy a mac pro so will need and LCD to go with it. Does anyone know when these may come and what the update is likely to be - price decrease? Increase in spec? Touch or Multi-touch perhaps (or is that far fetched this early?).

I notice the mac pro is 'mid product cycle'. Any knowledge on this in terms of dates or whar the likely updates would be?

Also I need some opinions on the mac displays. I'll be going for the 20''. They look awesome but I read the reponse time is only 16 compared to cheaper monitors that have less than 4? I will mostly be using my mac for audio production and maybe some photoshop.

Thanks
 
If you need a display, you might as well go for an ACD. They haven't been updated too recently, but they are still very nice displays and they look very nice next to other aluminum Apple products. I find that the the integration between the ACD and Apple hardware is nice (the brightness controls on the keyboard will adjust the brightness on only the ACD). You might want to wait until WWDC to see what comes of it, I hear 3G iPhone coming, but you never know what else.


BTW, the ACDs are nice for photo editing, as I hear they are color accurate, so for photoshop, that would be a plus.
 
Multi Touch- Hell no, just a gimmick for most, can be done third party if you want, very expensive.
Price Decrease- Maybe, there already pretty cheap considering the quality of them however. Yes the response is higher, simply because its not a gaming monitor, the actual real life difference is negligible anyway. However it does have a higher quality S-IPS panel.
Other features- Will likely include a built in isight.
 
I would wait until after the Keynote on June 9. If the Apple displays were going to be updated, it would probably be around that time.
 
Yeah I can't see these being updated any time soon at all. Would be nice if they made a cheaper 20" for those that didn't need a really high quality display.
 
I'm not a professional photographer, nor do I have a lot of experience with the ACD line, but I personally think they are ridiculously overpriced. You can get a 20 inch Dell LCD with the same specs, but higher contrast ratio for $399, versus *SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS* for the 20" ACD. I personally think the Dell display is pretty sharp looking as well.
 
Tallest Skil said:
There is no reason to update them other than to add HDCP. If Apple decides not to release BluperDrives at WWDC, we'll be stuck with these displays for quite some time.
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The panels in these things are way behind at this point. So there is more than just HDCP that they can add. Also, adding HDCP before blu-ray would be a good move, so that they can get those displays out there and not screw too many people.

Regardless, the panels need an update. Adding iSight and remote functionality would be a plus for those with Pros and those with Minis who have money.
 
lamina said:
...

In what way is the ACD far superior to the Dell?
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The Dell uses a TN display which is (I think) S-PVA, whereas the Cinema Display uses an S-IPS, which although apparently inferior for gaming, is far superior for Photoshop etc. so professional use.

Still I think it was quite obvious a $599 display would be higher quality than a $399 display, one think Apple don't do is rip off its high end professional customers.
 
lamina said:
I'm not a professional photographer, nor do I have a lot of experience with the ACD line, but I personally think they are ridiculously overpriced. You can get a 20 inch Dell LCD with the same specs, but higher contrast ratio for $399, versus *SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS* for the 20" ACD. I personally think the Dell display is pretty sharp looking as well.
Click to expand...

nick9191 said:
No it uses a far poorer quality panel than the ACD.
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Exactly, I wasn't too keen on why there was a price difference, but the display guys on this site filled me in. The TN panel that is used in the Dells and HPs are perfect for gaming, and give a wicked nice contrast ration and response time.

the IPS panel used in the ACDs are perfect for color specific jobs and are more costly to produce. They don't need the response time since they are dealing with wicked fast frame rates (in games) and the higher contrast ration will throw off some color specific jobs.

When it comes to photo editing, it does help to have a nice display, but if you can tone your images correctly it won't be needed, even if you are doing prints yourself. If you are sending them off, then make sure it's a good lab that will check tone and adjust for their settings.

There is one con and one pro to the 20" IMHO. It's great that it's small and cheap and not HD, it's perfect for viewing text ala Final Cut Pro's bin when using two displays, or with Aperture and viewing your library. The con is that it's not a high definition monitor, so you won't get the clarity and sharpness of the 23" or 30".

For the OP's situation, they may want to decide if they need such a quality panel (please remember that Apple doesn't make the panels when trashing the ACDs everyone :) ) if they can get by with a gaming version for $250 less. If I didn't have color to worry about, like the designers at my paper, then I'd grab a Dell or HP (if I could get past the plastic casing) 24" or 30".

Also, be weary of the 27" Dell, and others which are just a 23" resolution monitor that is stretched out.
 
Wow, thanks for all the responses so quick! I won't be using it for games (I have a wii and a xbox 360 so thats more than enough). Did one of the coments say the apple doesn't have HD?

I was also wondering whether it would be possible to easily watch tv on the apple displays (its for my room so it'd be handy) and whther I'd need any extra equipment. I guess if the display's not quick enough for games I couldn't use it to play xbox 360. Just out of interest what connections does it have. If not are there any good monitors that could perform as a good computer and a good tv (which I could possibly plug my xbox into? Just an idea to get some multi-purpose use and save space.

On the advice I recieved if I was to go for an apple monior I'd wait until the keynotes come out on the 9th I think (and I may be able to get something free with the student offer).

Any word on what the mac pro updates and what the might be? Anyone think this will be announced on the 9th of June? I guess it won't be much though will it? Or is there some processor technology already out that they are likely to use?
 
Yes its fine for games, response time makes for barely and difference. All I was saying was its not as good for games as a TN display, as it excels in pro work, although will still be great for games.
It is HD, just no HDMI port.
TV? You'd need some extra equipment, all it has is a DVI port IIRC.
 
ptjh said:
....
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The 20" ACD isn't HD, the other two are. If you want to use it as a TV monitor, you will have to get a DVI --> component or a DVI --> HDMI adaptor. The response time of the display won't hurt you when it comes to games or TV watching that much, really only if you are viewing HD will it be a slight concern. It will make your games a bit softer though.

If you are looking for one that can cross over, and pull double duty you may want to consider a Dell, since they were pretty much made for doing so, and some monitors have HDMI AFAIK, so you won't need that many extra parts and both your games and shows will look good.

I don't expect an update to the Mac Pros at WWDC. Apple has gotten off of the "let's update six products at one time" wagon, and jumped on the "let's just concentrate on this one product or one computer and a bunch of software" bus.

There won't be a Mac Pro, Mac Book Pro, Apple TV, iPhone 3G, .Mac, iTunes App Store, yadda yadda update/release on June 9th. Just two things and a "one more thing" is what I am expecting.

The Mac Pro update won't be that major when it comes. Most computer updates aren't. If you want this model go for it since it's sweet. The next model won't give you much improvement over what you have now, much like this model isn't much improved over the previous one.

Grab the current Mac Pro, and grab a 24" Dell and you will be set.
 
Response time matters for games and movies (Lower response time gets rid of ghosting), but for photoshop where color accuracy matters more than quick movement, 16ms doesn't matter at all.
 
m1stake said:
Response time matters for games and movies (Lower response time gets rid of ghosting), but for photoshop where color accuracy matters more than quick movement, 16ms doesn't matter at all.
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Exactly!

Jozone said:
Not to be anal, but the 20'' is capable of 720p (HD) however is not capable of 1080p.
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Exactly, but True HD starts at 1080.

The Great Wiki! said:
The resulting ITU-R Recommendation ITU-R BT.709-2 ("Rec. 709") includes the 16:9 aspect ratio, a specified colorimetry, and the scan modes 1080i (1,080 actively-interlaced lines of resolution) and 1080p (1,080 progressively-scanned lines). It also includes the alternative 1440 x 1152 HDMAC scan format. (According to some reports, a mooted 720p format (720 progressively-scanned lines) was viewed by some at the ITU as an "enhanced" television format rather than a true HDTV format[4], and so was not included, although 1920x1080 and 1280x720p systems for a range of frame and field rates were defined by several US SMPTE standards.)
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Is there a high quality monitor I could buy that would just let me directly plug my aerial ]and a digital tv box or an xbox 360 that you could use as a mac monitor as well? Then I could use it independently of my mac.
 
ptjh said:
Is there a high quality monitor I could buy that would just let me directly plug my aerial ]and a digital tv box or an xbox 360 that you could use as a mac monitor as well? Then I could use it independently of my mac.
Click to expand...

Yes, check out the Dell Ultrasharp displays, the 24" model is especially nice and is MUCH better priced than the Apple.
 
neiltc13 said:
Yes, check out the Dell Ultrasharp displays, the 24" model is especially nice and is MUCH better priced than the Apple.
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Yes. But remember the Dell 24" uses a TN panel which is better for TV viewing and gaming. The ACD uses an IPS panel which is better for color specific jobs and accuracy.

So in actuality, the ACD is better priced than the NEC and LaCie variants. Apple doesn't make bezel for any TN panels.

I agree though, the Dell 24" or even the 30" are perfect for what the OP is looking for.
 
Again, to notice the difference between TN and IPS you need to have two displays set up side by side. It's not something of any sort of magnitude.
 
As far as my knowledge goes, the ACD and Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW, use the exact same panel inside: an LG Phillips LM201W01. They use different backlights, and the Dell has four USB ports, but essentially they are the same LCD.

Unless you're going for the all-Apple look and willing to pay the premium, get a much cheaper Dell (or any other brand for that matter) screen with the same/similar panel inside.
 
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