Latest Batch of Monitors Displays Big Promise

Let me say this from the start: VARs will have to get used to spending more time setting up these newer monitors and thoroughly understanding their features before they can deploy them for their customers. The old notion of just plugging into the video port on the back of the computer is gone; now, monitors sport several different types of connectors, including support for the newer digital video connectors along with those with S-Video connections for displaying broadcast television signals.

Also important to note: Monitors are being combined with two wireless networks to support Microsoft's latest initiative called Smart Displays. The idea is to have a portable display that you can carry around your home or office and use minus the rest of the computer. You basically have access to everything that is on your desktop computer, without the need to have the desktop with you. This differs from a tablet PC, which is the complete PC inside the unit--and thus a compromise because of size and weight considerations.

While only a few vendors have begun shipping these products, including the Philips DesXcape 150DM that I tested, the notion is intriguing. The monitor sits on a base station that is connected via a standard VGA adapter. The base station is also connected via a USB cable back to the system unit. The base-station display is detachable and can be carried around, along with a stylus and separate wireless keyboard. To make all of this work, you'll need to run Windows XP Professional along with at least Service Pack 1 and have a wireless network adapter on your base PC to handle the communications back to the monitor and keyboard.

The problem with the Smart Display is that it is almost too smart for its own good. There are limited configuration commands and flexibility for vendors in designing their software support for these displays. It took me several hours and numerous tech-support calls back to Philips to get the display working properly on several different vintage systems, from an older Pentium 300 to the latest Pentium 4 2.5-GHz units. If your environment is running many different wireless networks, you will have to sort out which of those are bona-fide network access points and which are the dedicated wireless adapters that will support the Smart Displays, because the wireless adapter on each computer can only do one or the other. Once working, updates to the screen were slower than I'd like, and the wireless keyboard wasn't very responsive either.

My sources at various vendors indicate they would recommend waiting until Microsoft releases version 2 of its Smart Monitor specs sometime next year before plunging into this arena. I would have to agree with that. One issue is that the drivers that come with Service Pack 1 also interfere with the updates that at least one vendor has with this monitor. All in all, this wasn't a very satisfying experience.

Moving on from Smart Displays to big displays, the Samsung SyncMaster 213T is a huge, 21-inch LCD display whose picture is crystal clear and sharp as a tack. It sports both the VGA and digital-video inputs, and a 90-degree pivot. The monitor supports a maximum resolution of 1,600-x-1,200.

But other monitors have even bigger screens, including 23-inchers from LG Electronics and ViewSonic. The L2320A and VP230mb have maximum resolutions of 1,920-x-1,200 and 1,600-x-1,200, respectively. The LG display has a unique "umbilical cord" that attaches the monitor to a connector box, which contains all the inputs and outputs, including video and audio, for the unit. This can help eliminate cord clutter. The monitor also comes with its own remote control to handle the image controls.

That said, bigger isn't always better, as BenQ, GVision and monitor-makers have decided with support for memory-card readers that are built in directly to the monitor. BenQ calls this a digital photo frame. For customers that don't want to spend time downloading these images to their computers, the new BenQ FP591 and FP791 monitors and the GVision F series come with media input readers for the various formats (including Compact Flash types I and II, MMC, Secure Digital and Smart Media cards). In fact, camera users can insert their cards right into the monitor and view their images without even having to boot their PCs. The images can be copied to the PC later.

That sounds all well and good, but in my tests, the images appeared slowly across the screen for the larger memory cards, and manipulating the controls of the BenQ monitor was somewhat cumbersome. So, although this sounds like an attractive feature, users would probably be better-served with a separate memory-card reader attached to their PCs, manipulating the files on these cards via their computers' file-management controls.

The new monitor line from BenQ supports the very rapid 16-ms response time in redrawing the screen image. The faster response times make for a more positive user experience and eliminates one of the few remaining disadvantages that LCD monitors still had over their heavier CRT cousins. In addition, Sony, ViewSonic, BenQ and others sell integrated TV tuners in their monitors.

Last but not least in the newest monitor lineup is the M730V from CTX, which includes a built-in digital camera lens at the top of the screen and microphone. The design goal of these monitors is to more easily support digital videoconferencing and telecommuting applications. These monitors also support 16-ms response times and come with a three-port USB v 2.0 hub in their bases, along with multiple in put connectors such as VGA, digital video and S-Video. Like the BenQ monitors, they also come with surround-sound support, but take things a step further with support for picture-in-picture functionality.

TV tuners, memory-card readers, a variety of inputs and outputs, and wireless features all make the world of monitors an exciting place to be.