It's not every day that a brand-new panel technology debuts. Panel type is one of the most important factors governing the quality of the images your computer monitor displays.
So, I found myself fairly excited last year when Samsung announced that its new Super Plane to Line Switching (S-PLS) panel technology would have wider viewing angles, higher brightness, and be 15 percent cheaper than In-Plane Switching (IPS) tech.
We first got a glimpse of PLS in action last month with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which uses the tech to great effect. In July, Samsung will debut its SA850 line, the first full-size monitors to use PLS panels and their underlining mechanics.
Samsung is targeting graphics pros for the SA850, and the company's press release states, "The PLS panel's wide viewing angle, high static contrast ratios, and 100 percent coverage of the sRGB spectrum make the technology ideal for meticulous graphic or video editing work," making me look forward to seeing just how its tested contrast ratio compares to the the super high ones in some Vertical Alignment (VA) panels.
The SA850 comes in both 24-inch and 27-inch versions, including 1,920x1,080-pixel and 2,560x1,440-pixel 16:9 resolutions, respectively. This is particularly exciting to me as I absolutely love the high picture quality of a 2,560x1,440-pixel monitor and have been known to dream about it at least a couple times per week.
Other features include LED backlighting, both proximity and ambient light sensors, and four-way ergonomic support: height adjustment, 90-degree pivot, swivel, and tilt.
Samsung disappointingly leaves HDMI off the chassis, but picks up DisplayPort, two DVI ports, three USB downstream, and one upstream, a headphone jack, and audio-in port.
The monitor includes a matte screen with antiglare coating, but how severe that coating is, I can't say until I get the display in for some in-depth testing.
One of my favorite new Samsung monitor features is MagicAngle, which allows monitors employing traditionally narrow viewing angle technology, like the Twisted Nematic (TN) panel in the PX2370, to be viewed from specific angles without experiencing color errors or a darkening of the screen. The SA850 includes this feature, but since its viewing angle is purportedly wide, the inclusion of this feature leaves us a bit baffled.
I'm expecting a review unit soon, so hopefully I'll see first hand whether the SA850 lives up to its full potential.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20072002-1/new-panel-tech-in-samsung-sa850/#ixzz1PrTEbnAV
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