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LCD5710 Launched and Showcased

The focus of the event was surely NEC's new 57" display, aimed at the commercial market and marketed to be used in airports, retail outlets, conferences and exhibitions, broadcast applications, government and financial institutions, hospitality, hotel, and reception areas. NEC are very proud of their new large display and the specification and features certainly back up what was an impressive display, used throughout the conference. The screen offers a full 1920 x 1080 resolution capable of full 1080p HD along with HDCP Encryption support. The LCD5710 features a 16ms rated Samsung S-PVA panel with 900:1 contrast ratio, 450 cd/m2 brightness and 178/178 viewing angles.

Further to the impressive specs, the screen offers a wide range of features designed to make its implementation easy and versatile. The screen offers a wealth of connectivity options including DVI-D, DSub, 5x BNC, Composite In/Out, S-Video and Audio In/Out connections. The display supports NEC's CableComp technology allowing extremely flexible working in working environments, with cable runs of up to 100m possible if required. NEC's NaviSet functionality allows remote software control over the monitor, again providing ease of use for the public display world.

The screen is designed to be left on 24/7 where required and features thermo control and adaptation to any changes in operating or surrounding temperature. The screen even houses two fans in case the display becomes too hot! Even with the potential to have this screen turned on for long periods of time, the CCFL backlighting has an estimated lifetime of 50,000 hours which equates to about 5.7 years if left on permanently!

The main part of the conference was presented on the LCD5710 and from the brief look I had at it, it looked an impressive screen. The image was sharp and bright, and the colours were vibrant. I can see the benefit of using a display like this in the corporate world, and it's probably not meant to find it's way into anyone's homes as a home cinema! There were slides shown with the 5710 set up in TileComp mode with multiple screens allowing the image to spread across them for an even larger visible area, this looked particularly impressive.

The LCD5710 is expected to retail for £6999 on it's release in November 2006.
Links:
    Press Release
    NEC Full Spec
    Data Sheet
 

LCD2690WUXi - Gaming In High Definition Colour?

Above: The LCD2690WUXi

Following on from our recent news article (14 Oct 2006), NEC proudly demonstrated their new 26"WS model with a very impressive spec and feature list. As reported previously, the screen features a 7ms G2G rated A-TW (Advanced True-White) IPS panel, a custom made offering from LG.Philips specific to the NEC portfolio. We have reported about the screens spec and features before so I won't go into the details again, but NEC had the screen looping through a HD fighter pilot clip. To watch, the screen certainly seemed to offer a nice colour range and smooth image playback. It's hard to examine from a test sequence so we will have to wait for a sample version before a fuller analysis. Next to the OptiClear coated 20WGX2 Pro however, the colours were not as vibrant, but the screen certainly has a spec to enthuse colour enthusiasts. The addition of an A-TW colour filter to the panel implemented supposedly offers a wider colour gamut and white point, while their X-Light Pro technology helps maintain brightness and colour balance.

One thing I did check from the display model was that the screen does feature options within the OSD for aspect ratio retention (see below).

Above: Reasonably chunky side view of the 2690WUXi
 

Above: OSD showing presence of aspect ratio options through hardware

Production of the 2690WUXi should start from next week with the expected release date set for early December. The expected retail price in the UK is £1500.
Links:
    Spec Sheet

The GX2 Pro Series

Above: The 'updated' 20WGX2 Pro

Scheduled for release in December 2006, NEC have updated their very popular GX2 range, offering improved specs and the new "Pro" naming for the screens. This range includes the NEC MultiSync 70GX2 Pro, the 90GX2 Pro and LCD20WGX2 Pro. The 70GX2 and 90GX2 Pro now feature an improved response time (2ms G2G as opposed to 4ms G2G) along with an improved contrast ratio of 1000: (DVM featured).

Above: The new "Pro" naming featured on the top right hand corner of the bezel

There didn't seem to be any difference in the spec for the LCD20WGX2 Pro which is bound to attract the most attention. After checking with NEC product line they confirmed there is no change to the panel used or to the specs. The model is simply now "Soundbar 20W" compatible, offering new mounting holes and power attachments to allow its use. The design of the Pro models remains unchanged apart from the "Pro" naming being added to the top of the bezel. These displays are obviously aimed primarily at the gaming market (especially the TN Film based 90GX2 and 70GX2 Pro models) and so the reduction in response time on paper is an effort to keep up with growing trends from other manufacturers. More aggressive overdrive (tagged as NEC's RapidResponse technology) is the method for achieving this, but I would imagine that in practical use, the performance remains comparable to the regular editions of these screens.

Above: The 70GX2 and 90GX2 Pro Displays

The NEC MultiSync^® 70GX²Pro and 90GX²Pro will be available in stores from November 2006, the 20WGX²Pro from December 2006.
Links:
    Press Launch
    Data Sheet of 20WGX2 Pro and 90GX2 Pro

The LCD1990FXp - Ultra Thin Bezel

A particularly attractive looking offering from NEC at the press launch was the 1990FXp. This screen features an extremely thin 6.9mm bezel (sides - 11.8mm top and bottom) and a sleek look for any office. The screen utilises a Samsung PVA panel rated at 20ms, but with an impressive 1500:1 contrast ratio and 250 cd/m2 brightness. The screen offers a multitude of adjustment functions along with NEC's CableComp and AmbiBright technologies. I liked the design of the model although the stand looked a little awkward. I could imagine this looking particularly attractive wall or desk mounted without the default stand, where the thin bezel would really look nice. The spec is obviously not aimed at the more main stream gamers market, and NEC are clearly leaving that sector to their GX2 Pro range.

Above: The LCD1990FXp pictured next to the 20WGX2 Pro

The NEC MultiSync^® LCD1990FXp is available in stores now at RRP of £349 in silver/white or black/black colour combinations.
Links:
    NEC Full Spec
    Press Launch
    Data Sheet

Above and below: The LCD1990FXp pictured next to the 20WGX2 Pro

An interesting product featured was the U-touch screen which can be attached to the front of any large format display offering quick and easy adaptation into a touch sensitive solution. What's more, these are capable of working through a sheet of glass and are designed for many applications including for instance being positioned in shop windows offering 24/7 sales and support. The models on display were set up with software catalogues for various shops as shown below. The screens boast accurate optical sensing with over 4 million touch points, support for light touch (no pressure), USB plug and play and a range of mounting and orientation solutions. U-Touch displays are available for screen sizes from 30 - 46" (LCD) and 42" - 65" (Plasma).

Above: U-Touch screens operating through a sheet of glass

Above: U-Touch screen use shown in various environments

Above: U-Touch screen OSD menu options and operation through glass

Documentation:
    Optical Sensing
    Thru Glass