Asus MS238H 23-inch LED-backlit LCD monitor headed to Europe, possibly Asia soon

If you think Asus has been beaten by the likes of LG and even AOC when it comes to LED-backlit LCD monitors, think again. The Taiwanese company has been selling its own LED-backlit LCD monitor in the U.S. since last last year under the model name MS238H. It follows the same design concept as Samsung's Lapfit series of monitors which have unusually large bezels along the bottom of the screen and a small stand around the back.

The Asus MS238H has a native resolution of 1920x1080, a 2ms response time (G2G), dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1 and 23-inches of diagonal screen real estate. It comes with a VGA and HDMI port for input and is said to sell for as low as 212 Euro or about 13,000 Pesos. If Asus wants to sell this thing with a premium, it's their business, but why did they have to go with this bizarre design? Continue reading for another photo.

LED-backlit LCD monitors expected to become mainstream in 2011

So we just got started in 2010. CES is coming up and there's a lot of new tech to be showcased there. But what are market sources in Taiwan and China dreaming up while seated in their big comfy office chairs? That LED-backlit monitors will become mainstream, effectively replacing and phasing out CCFL-backlit monitors in desktop PC usage by the year 2011. Currently, there are only a handful of LED-backlit LCD monitors available in the market, and I can tell you, they are not sold in the same price level as their CCFL-backlit counterparts. This LED-backlit monitor from LG called the W2286L only comes with a 22-inch LCD screen that has a native resolution of 1680x1050 and yet it sells for a not-so-sweet 13,000 Pesos -- about 4,000 Pesos more expensive than its most expensive counterpart from Dell (the E228WFP). Go figure. In any case, LED does offer some significant improvements over CCFL, so I hope it does become mainstream (and that prices drop accordingly) in the near future.

Source: [DigiTimes]

Sapphire's DisplayPort-to-DVI adapter enables Eyefinity on DisplayPort-less monitors

Eyefinity. It's a feature in all of AMD's new 5800-series and 5700-series GPUs which enables the use of three monitors on a single video card. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as just plugging in three different monitors into any of the four available display ports. Eyefinity requires the use of the two dual-DVI ports plus a single DisplayPort-out port. And you know how rare DisplayPort is found on monitors these days.

To eliminate this hindrance, Sapphire has introduced an active DisplayPort-to-DVI adapter, so you can use a third monitor via dual-link DVI instead of DisplayPort for Eyefinity. It will cost around $60-70 if Nordic Hardware isn't mistaken, but it's a lot cheaper than having to buy an entirely new monitor with a DisplayPort connector.

Source: [Nordic Hardware]

LG previews 42” LCD prototype with 2.6mm-thin profile

As it gears up for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in Las Vegas, LG Electronics has shown off a prototype LCD TV with a 42-inch screen and a shockingly thin 2.6mm profile. And as if that's not enough, it also has a response time of 120Hz, making it a great monitor for fast-paced gaming. Hopefully, we'll get a better look at it come CES 2010.

Source: [Nordic Hardware]

Chi Mei Optoelectronics pleads guilty to LCD price fixing with five other unnamed companies

TFT-LCD maker Chi Mei Optoelectronics has plead guilty to LCD price fixing and has been ordered to pay a $220 million fine by the U.S. Department of Justice. Chi Mei conspired with five other unnamed companies to fix the prices of TFT-LCD panels during a five-year long period from Sept. 14, 2001, to Dec. 1, 2006. According to the DOJ, the total value of the TFT-LCD market was $70 billion after the price fixing period ended. The market sure grew a lot during the five years this went on unnoticed.

Source: [eWeek]

Samsung loses LCD patent dispute with Sharp

Samsung may have to make some adjustments in their LCD TV and monitor shipments starting next year due to losing an LCD patent dispute with Sharp recently. The US International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Sharp in the patent dispute which was about LCD contrast control technology. Samsung will be forced to stop selling TV screen and LCD monitors using the said LCD contrast control technology as soon as the US president approves. Unless a compromise is met between Samsung and Sharp, it is likely that Samsung LCD TV and monitor prices will rise soon, though Samsung claims it will use an alternative new technique for their products come next year.

Source: [The Chosun Ilbo]