Components & Peripherals News
7 High-Tech Attention-Getters From 2013 (So Far)
Edward J. Correia
Think that 1,920-x-1,080 monitor looks good? The next wave in digital displays will quadruple the resolution currently known as high definition and give newscasters' blemishes no cover. Among the first is the Sharp PN-K321 Ultra HD monitor, which pumps a dazzling 3,840-x-2,160 pixels for medical imaging, CAD/CAM, and video production and digital editing applications. Sharp employs an IGZO panel, an indium gallium zinc oxide technology developed by Sharp as a thinner, more responsive alternative to the amorphous silicon used in most of today's LCD panels. A thinner active layer means that more light passes through more densely packed pixels at faster refresh rates using less energy. IGZO also exhibits persistence characteristics that permit it to display unchanged portions of the screen without help from the GPU, a potential boon to mobile devices. Haswell-equipped systems can drive this many pixels (at 30Hz) thanks to support for DisplayPort 1.2 in the latest chipset. To drive Ultra HD at its maximum 60Hz might require a dedicated graphics board. The Sharp PN-K321 lists for $5,250.