Apple Cinema Displays And Pcs

I really like Apple Cinema Display and have been thinking about purchasing either a 23 inch or 20 inch one for my PC. I have read articles online about connecting PCs and these cinema displays together. I am curious to know what's the opinion of the folks here on hooking them together?

Is it worth the financial trouble since I have to purchase a DVI video card and the ADC to DVI adapter? Will I get the same results hooking it up to a G4 as I would with a PC? What's the best hardware to get (video cards? ADC to DVI? etc?).

Thanks for any opinions.

#29336

I think the picture quality is always better on a Mac because of the color representation of the MacOS vs. WindowsOS. It has nothing to do with the graphic card or the monitor. I've seen many large LCD monitors hooked to a PC and to a Mac and for some reason it looks a tad better on the Mac. I've also seen Cinema Displays hooked to a PC and the video card you install must also support the extra wide resolution of the Cinema otherwise you will get a picture that is stretched to fill the widescreen or you will see black portions to the left & right.

I think the Cinema Display is the best in the market regardless whether you hook it to a Mac or PC. You may find cheaper PC displays with similar specs but the Cinema picture is still is better. The only bad thing about Apple is that they used to get monitors with a dead pixel ( a pixel that is not well formed and remains white or some color = forming a spot). Apple will say that due to the technology of mass productions a monitor with a dead pixel was not considered a fixable or refundable flaw but an accepted flaw by the buyer. I don't know if this is still true. Most other PC Display manufacturers now guarantee no dead pixels. If you buy from an Apple Store take a CD with several pictures each 1920x1200 JPEG picture of a canvas completely black, another completely white, another complete dark green, strong medium blue, and red. Test the monitor in the Apple store before you take it home. See if when you watch these pictures you detect a dead pixel. Take a minute or two with each picture.

#29338

Any particular recommendations for a video card? I hear the ATI 9700 is good to use.

#29340

nVidia and ATI would be the best bet. Just find an Apple Store call them or drop by. You don't want to make a large purchase and then some Apple rep tell you that is not a card they recommend or have no experience. Don't settle for an answer that says just any card with a DVI port. Ask them what popular cards they have seen used with the Cinema Display ? Press them for an answer saying you do not feel too comfortable making a large purchase without knowing beforehand what cards are known from experience to be compatible with the Cinema Display. Once you get 2 big name cards go to the website and see what extra features those cards have that are important for you.

#29341

Great Idea Videoman, thx.

I also have a question : I was thinking of getting the 23" display for my pc, problem I have is I now use one 21" CRT (along with one USB mouse, and one USB keyboard) for 4 different computers, and switch to each different computer by using a USB KVM switch.

The apple cinema displays require DVI connector from the video card; I have a DVI out on one card out of the four systems. Is there a way to use a different KVM switch that uses DVI and yet still work with normal VGA on the other 3 systems?

Anyone heard of anything like this? this is all that stands between me and that v23" cinema display.

#29343

I just went to the Apple Store where I got my mac, and I saw a 23" Cinema Display. It was FRIGGIN' HUGE!! I mean honestly, I had never imagined it would be soo big.

I would love to have my OS X on such a sweet display...

#29510

The problem w/ the 23" display is that its wiiiiiide screen, so go and play a game at a normal resolution. You get a pretty little box right in the middle of your $2000 screen.

#29514

i read that apple have eased up slightly on the dead pixel issue and will replace if the pixel is fully dead. They don't say what will happen if only 1 of the sub pixels is dead.

I'd be interested to know about a dvi switch too, you don't really have room for another display if you've got a 23" screen on your desk.

#29519

If I could buy a 23inches I buy it. Many TVs are going widescreen in the next year and many displays for computers will too. There are a couple of big monitor companies that are pushing panoramic format. If you want to play a game in another resolution it's no different than a smaller screen, but hopefully most of the time you sit in front of the monitor you will take advantage of the full screen. It's worth it I think.

#29521

Originally posted by contrasutra@May 26 2003, 08:21 PM

The problem w/ the 23" display is that its wiiiiiide screen, so go and play a game at a normal resolution. You get a pretty little box right in the middle of your $2000 screen.

Well, there was a game on the powemac when I went to the store today. It was on the 23" display, and it was stretched on the entire screen, not just in the center..

#29533

Yah, Yah they look cool and all but just wait. When those little pells in the pixels start to go out you will just have a great time with Apple. I read how the owner of the site Railhead Design went round and round with Apple on his 17" model. Then he got his money back and got a new 23" display instead. Well just after a few months his 23" cinema display has bit the dust and possibly taking his video card with it. I have also heard about other people with massive LCD problems come into our computer shop and ask what to do. They end up buying a standard CRT monitor. There is an article at Tom's Hardware that anyone considering buy a flat panel should read. Allot of the flat panel manufactures are being real jerks about the amount of bad pixels they feel is enough before an exchange. Some of them want at least 17 dead pixels before they exchange. And Apple will not even talk about there standards for return on pixels.

Flat LCD/TFT panels are very cool but I personally think the standards need to be issued more before I will buy one. I just bought a 21" Sony Trinitron Flat CRT monitor 1 year old for $160 US dollars. The picture is just as bright and sharp as some of the best LCD TFT displays including Apples 23" cinema display. Sure it takes much more desktop space but I don't have to worry about dead pixels showing up and a backlight that may or may not go out in a year. Oh that’s another issue. The darn backlight can start to go just as easily as the pixels can. All in all give me a CRT display any day. They will in the end last allot longer!

#29534

all laptops have LCD's - obviously. And the chance of getting dead pixels is the same on a laptop as it is on the 23" display - perhaps more on the laptop because of the wear and tear.

Also, Apple has a policy that if you have 5+dead pixels, it replaces the item... so no worries. :own:

#29537

LOL, 5+ dead pixels. One dead pixel is enough to ruin the whole experience.

When you pay $2000, you should expect NO dead pixels.

:own:

#29546

Is there a percentage or statistic of Apple Cinema Displays with dead pixels? Or even if this question is too specific, a percentage of LCD monitors with dead pixels?

I have a laptop with one dead pixel. It's irritating, but not debiliating.

I feel like this is like that Seinfeld episode with the red dot on the cashmiere sweater

#29557

Let me state that I do not consider myself anti-Apple.

The whole point of the article is that Flat panel monitor makers are not really interested in the quality of there screens as they are padding there profit margins. As far as Apple saying its five pixels, that may have been there claim in the past but Tom's Hardware is a very good site when it come to none biased info and if they said Apple won't discuss there requirements than it looks like they have changed there service strategy yet again. Before you go and blow $2000 dollars on a monitor make sure the thing is going to work long enough for you to get your moneys worth out of it. Do you really want to pay $2000 dollars for a monitor and in six months it has to go back because it blew out. And what if it takes your video card with it? Do you think Apple is going to pay for a replacement video card of any kind in a PC. Not a chance in the world. Simply because the Cinema display is meant to be used with Apples hardware! Just because you connect it to a PC and it works doesn't mean Apple is going to support the way you used it. That brings up another issue. What is Apple’s warranty on the monitor if you are not using it on a Mac but on a PC. I bet they can say you are using it incorrectly and turn down any warranty work. Do some research before you go hog wild into buying a cinema display. There are plenty of good large flat panels monitors that may not have the wide screen aspect ratio but will do the job just as good or better and you won't have to worry about the warranty getting caned because your choice of computer isn't in Apple’s stable. If you do some research you will find that Apple’s running record on hardware isn’t really that great. Look at the whole fiasco with the eMac’s monitors and how they dealt with that. At first they said there was nothing wrong and it was user error. Then after getting enough complaints they finally did a half ass recall on them. Apple has a habit of trying there best to cover up any bad press when it comes to there hardware. Just where do you think all those refurbished Macs and monitors come from that are for sale at various sites on the web. They have whole product lines that are for sale that have been refurbished in one form or another. Now I know you will say that all manufactures have the same thing. But Apple is supposed to be so much better than there competition that this shouldn’t be happening. I love Apple Computer, there designs, there software, there OS, and there hardware. I just can’t recommend to anyone to spend money on any brand new hardware from them. Try and find what you want used or refurbished. If you buy refurbished it usually has the same warranty it came with when new. But you can save hundreds of dollars and that means the buggs the in the hardware have most likly been worked out. Unlike buying new. You will be better off and won’t have spent as much money. Just some more words that mull over.

#29589

I hve been wanting to get a widescreen monitor for a while (at least for my next computer) Here's an alternative:

http://tomshardware.bizrate.com/marketplac...0T,ir--365.html

Also there is a 16:10 CRT sony monitor that I was looking at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...5507801-3221533

Someone in the reviews says this has a better picture than even the apple display.

#29593

I'm writing this reply on a 23 HD Cinema attached through the convertor to a Radeon 9500pro. I absolutley love the monitor and think it's worth the cash, however I have a one dead pixel in the corner and NO they won't exchange it. It has to be a significant amount of dead pixels. It's really not a big deal, not nearly as much as I thought it was when I first bought the monitor. It's in the corner and only noticable on a completely black screen. Another thing you may want to take into consideration is that on most radeon cards DVI is not enabled during boot. So I have my trusty viewsonic 19 lcd connected so I can enter bios settings and such. Otherwise you'll have a black screen until the driver is initialized. Good luck with your monitor choices.

#29614

your pixels not completely dead is the reason they won't take it i think

#29615

Any suggestions or alternatives to the Apple Cinema display? I'd like to make a good investment in a monitor. I've been looking at zdnet.com, but I think they are a bit biased sometimes.

I also looked at the previous suggestions above. I think a 100 lb CRT monitor might be a bit too heavy

The samsung one was a little pricey too (even more than the apple display)

#29640

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=22194

take a read... It's an abnormaly high number, and there is no specific number. Remember apple is one of the worst/best customer support companies out. They may be friendly, but don't expect them to pay for jack, including a $75 dollar fee just to plug your monitor in to see if the pixel is dead. So I don't mind my small problem, but I'ld hate to think how I would feel if I had 3-4 and they wouldn't return it.

#29649

this is a nice alternative to original apple displays. looking very apple-style!

http://www.formac.com/p_bin/

check it out, cool stuff!

#29659

Flux-

Would it be worth the cash if the pixel(s) were in the centre of the screen and Apple wouldn't return or exchange?

#29666

Originally posted by lombdude@May 27 2003, 06:46 PM

this is a nice alternative to original apple displays. looking very apple-style!

http://www.formac.com/p_bin/

check it out, cool stuff!

Yup

I was gonna recommend this one too.

But I couldn't remember its name..

#29670

The monitor displays on www.formac.com look cool, very comperable to the Apple Cinema display.

Any one out there use these monitors? Got any thoughts on them?

#29677

I don't think there is a perfect choice for monitors at this point. Large CRT monitors tend to be a little blurry and the bigger they are the more distortion of text/straight lines/pictures as you approach the last inch on the lateral edges.

CRTs

Pros: Cheaper, better color rendition, overall better brightness/contrast, better overall for watching movies due to the fast MHz refresh rate of the screen using diferent technology than LCDs

Cons: Bulky, more energy usage, little blurry compared to LCDs, Distortion with size increase. Large variability in color reproduction since most manufacturers do not do good standard calibrations

LCDs:

Pros: Light, energy efficient, compact, excellent contrast with sharp images

Cons: Expensive, cheaper LCDs have ghosting on fast video, more manufacturing flaws

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We need stronger consumer rights for no manufacturing-fault on LCDs. Some companies in the PC will replace the monitors with dead pixels but I cannot remember which ones. The manufacturing process is improving. Maybe a class action suit from somewhere will force a better standard, because companies are moving very slow in this.

LCDs is definitely the future and with more and more monitors coming each year cost will go down and quality/reliability up. I'm not aware of LCDs that are 1 year old going bad. Remember that this will be the start of the second generation LCDs. . The CRT market will shrink dramatically in the next 1-2 years since the cost of manufacturing a CRT is very cheap, which translates to too much competition at rock-bottom profit margins for companies. CRT will remain for some traditional graphic companies that are very conservative in nature. LCDs will be the future and I expect that practically 80%-90% of the people or more will have LCDs in the next 3 years. Flat LCDs for TV will also boost the manufacturing convergence for flat panels overall due to highdefinition TV entering the market. Irrespective whether HDTV is here or not the manufacturers will force you to buy flat screen panels because they need to pay for their future manufacturing plants and because they need to develop future product lines with better profits for them.

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Maybe the best way to buy anything is using a Credit Card because even if Apple does not take it you can make the Credit Card Company force them to take it due to their policy of what constitutes a manufacturing flaw. Irrespective of how Apple defines it, they enter a contract againts defective merchandise with the Credit Card Co. meaning if the buyer is disatisfied with the quality of the purchase not living to "commonly perceived quality" you may return the product and have the Credit Card do a "Reverse Charge"= Credit you for the full amount. You tell the VISA or MasterCharge that when you buy a product you expect no flaws which is the normal consumer expectation. It may take 15-30 days to get credit and maybe a re-stocking fee but you get 85% of your money.

#29681