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My department just received an "offer" on some supposedly very high-quality monitors that were formerly used in radiology elsewhere:
I'm going to quote from the email.
"They are Planar dome C3 gray scale monitors (see below for a partial descriprion, but should you be interested, please be certain that this description accurately relates to the monitors in question). He thinks he paid around $5K each and they are slightly used. They need a special video card which he does not have. We would have to buy the video cards for around $3K if we don't already have them. Would any of the science departments be interested?
Description.--http://ostg.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2265395
Planar DOME C3 Grey 20.8" LCD Monitor
(20.8", 2048x1536, .21mm, DVI, PC - SKU: 997246400)
Price Range: Not Available
Description: DOME imaging systems, one of the leaders in providing high-performance, high-resolution display controllers for medical imaging, now offers a 3-megapixel, flat-panel display system in both grayscale and color versions: the C3 digital flat-p.... Read More
Description: DOME imaging systems, one of the leaders in providing high-performance, high-resolution display controllers for medical imaging, now offers a 3-megapixel, flat-panel display system in both grayscale and color versions: the C3 digital flat-panel display system. The C3 is part of the CX family of digital flat panel displays. These display products are a natural evolution of the hardware and software components that DOME has offered to the medical-imaging market for over twelve years. The CX products provide display benefits that have never before been available, with technology and life cycle cost benefits that come only from an all-digital, flat-panel display system. The C3 is a high-resolution (1536 x 2048 pixels) flat panel that can display images in portrait or landscape mode. The grayscale C3 panels offer a 170-degree viewing angle and produce a luminance of more than 700 CD per square meter, which is high enough to mount the flat panels next to traditional medical light boxes and still have optimal viewing. The grayscale C3 uses the traditional RGB elements of the color flat panel without the color filters to provide optimal grayscale viewing. Though the color filters have been removed, the subpixel elements remain, providing additional control for each display pixel. The C3 digital flat-panel display system also combines low black levels and high luminance to provide an exceptional 600: 1 contrast ratio for outstanding grayscale image quality. The C3 provides unequaled grayscale fidelity and image quality by displaying 3061 distinct shades of gray - the highest level of displayable gray shades on the market today. The C3 also uses RightLight technology to ensure strict adherence to the DICOM standard"
Now, aside from the range of grey these things are capable of displaying, I'm pretty sure the 3007FPW blows it away in all other categories. Aside from resolution, I'm sure that the 2405FPW is better in all other categories (as I own one). Why is it so expensive, then, and why does it "need" (I'm suspicious) such an expensive video card to run?
I'm going to quote from the email.
"They are Planar dome C3 gray scale monitors (see below for a partial descriprion, but should you be interested, please be certain that this description accurately relates to the monitors in question). He thinks he paid around $5K each and they are slightly used. They need a special video card which he does not have. We would have to buy the video cards for around $3K if we don't already have them. Would any of the science departments be interested?
Description.--http://ostg.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2265395
Planar DOME C3 Grey 20.8" LCD Monitor
(20.8", 2048x1536, .21mm, DVI, PC - SKU: 997246400)
Price Range: Not Available
Description: DOME imaging systems, one of the leaders in providing high-performance, high-resolution display controllers for medical imaging, now offers a 3-megapixel, flat-panel display system in both grayscale and color versions: the C3 digital flat-p.... Read More
Description: DOME imaging systems, one of the leaders in providing high-performance, high-resolution display controllers for medical imaging, now offers a 3-megapixel, flat-panel display system in both grayscale and color versions: the C3 digital flat-panel display system. The C3 is part of the CX family of digital flat panel displays. These display products are a natural evolution of the hardware and software components that DOME has offered to the medical-imaging market for over twelve years. The CX products provide display benefits that have never before been available, with technology and life cycle cost benefits that come only from an all-digital, flat-panel display system. The C3 is a high-resolution (1536 x 2048 pixels) flat panel that can display images in portrait or landscape mode. The grayscale C3 panels offer a 170-degree viewing angle and produce a luminance of more than 700 CD per square meter, which is high enough to mount the flat panels next to traditional medical light boxes and still have optimal viewing. The grayscale C3 uses the traditional RGB elements of the color flat panel without the color filters to provide optimal grayscale viewing. Though the color filters have been removed, the subpixel elements remain, providing additional control for each display pixel. The C3 digital flat-panel display system also combines low black levels and high luminance to provide an exceptional 600: 1 contrast ratio for outstanding grayscale image quality. The C3 provides unequaled grayscale fidelity and image quality by displaying 3061 distinct shades of gray - the highest level of displayable gray shades on the market today. The C3 also uses RightLight technology to ensure strict adherence to the DICOM standard"
Now, aside from the range of grey these things are capable of displaying, I'm pretty sure the 3007FPW blows it away in all other categories. Aside from resolution, I'm sure that the 2405FPW is better in all other categories (as I own one). Why is it so expensive, then, and why does it "need" (I'm suspicious) such an expensive video card to run?