20" Apple cinema display

[cyrusmekon]

Im thinking of getting one especially after the price drop but i need advice. Setup is

G4 iBook
1.2GHz
1.25GB RAM
60GB HD

I know iBooks can only mirror and i know there is a hack for screen spanning and clamshell mode but should i delve in?

I would appreciate any advice, anyone done such a thing? How do you find it??

Thanks

[Luca]

The iBook only has VGA output, though, so even if you apply the hack you'd have to buy a very, very expensive VGA to DVI adapter (we're talking several hundred dollars) in order to use it.

If you want a 20" widescreen with VGA input, Dell's 2005FPW has it, and there are probably several others that do too. I know the price drop makes the Cinema display tempting, and I can finally respect Apple for their pricing. The 20" is finally at least sort of competitive, and the styling and the Firewire/USB hub make it a good alternative to the Dell. But it still costs several hundred dollars more, and it only has DVI input... no VGA at all.

[Koodari]

If you want a 20" widescreen with VGA input, Dell's 2005FPW has it, and there are probably several others that do too.To my knowledge, no, there are no other manufacturers using the 20" widescreen panel. It's just Apple and Dell.

It sounds like a really bad idea to go out of your way to get a DVI-only display for an iBook when practically all other displays would have VGA.

[brutox]

I found one for $19.88.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000952Y2/qid=1115045778/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl23/002-3994376-8458406?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846

[brutox]

Or even the apple one for $19
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/72001/wo/yS11vdOOoUOY2Nn4j1hiap66B7I/2.0.13.1.0.6.25.7.11.0.3

[Luca]

Whoa... I always thought those converters were very expensive. Does the cinema display have a detachable cable that would let you plug in that cable? And are you totally sure it would work both ways? I am kind of wondering whether the cable would actually let you use a DVI display on a VGA port, or if it would only work to use a VGA display on a DVI port.

EDIT: Actually, those both only work one way. The DVI spec contains an analog signal, so you can connect an analog monitor to a DVI port. You just need to use an adapter to rearrange the pins properly. DVI to VGA adapters are everyday things you get with video cards all the time. I probably have two or three of them lying around. I wasn't so sure with the cable, but I'm sure the cable would only work one way (allowing a VGA monitor to be used on a DVI port). See the missing pins in the Amazon image? That's the pattern used by many DVI-VGA adapters, because those are the only pins necessary to use the analog signal.

If you want to use a DVI display on a VGA port, you have to use something like this (http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=1310).

Also, links to the Apple store will stop working within about 20 minutes or so.

[MCQ]

To my knowledge, no, there are no other manufacturers using the 20" widescreen panel. It's just Apple and Dell.


I saw this one pointed out somewhere recently, Acer 20" widescreen for $599:

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=739568

Someone on Newegg claims that it doesn't run in 1680x1050 properly, but will be fixed soon... no clue what that's about.

[Koodari]

I saw this one pointed out somewhere recently, Acer 20" widescreen for $599:

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=739568

Someone on Newegg claims that it doesn't run in 1680x1050 properly, but will be fixed soon... no clue what that's about.Acknowledged. It seems my market is too remote and too small that most companies would bother to compete in it. :\

[Wraven]

Luca,
No detachable cable on mine.

[Luca]

It's more likely that it's his graphics card that doesn't support the resolution. Acer's "fix" might involve including a custom driver CD that allows Windows users with older video cards to use that resolution. I doubt the display itself has any problems with the resolution.

[holbox]

PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP!

I have a 20" Apple Cinema display. Love it.

Why go the Apple route (certainly not the cheapest way to own a computer) and then "crap it up" with off-brand stuff.

Hell, half the fun of the Mac Cult is having the Mac products. They are good merchandise. Treat yourself to the whole experence.

Cheaper is usually just that .......cheaper!

[MCQ]

PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP!

I have a 20" Apple Cinema display. Love it.

Why go the Apple route (certainly not the cheapest way to own a computer) and then "crap it up" with off-brand stuff.

Hell, half the fun of the Mac Cult is having the Mac products. They are good merchandise. Treat yourself to the whole experence.

Cheaper is usually just that .......cheaper!

Because sometimes the other brand is better suited for one's purpose?

Let me know when Apple makes a 20" widescreen display that has both DVI and VGA so that I can connect both my PowerBook and PC, and has rotating capability for portrait mode. At $499. Hell, do it at $799. Then, maybe I'd consider it.

For me, I can't justify the difference. It's not like the computer, where it's form + function + OS differences that justify the price versus the PC.

With the display: for less functionality, I get to pay $300 more than if I buy the Dell 2005fpw that has all the features listed above (plus S-Video/composite inputs). Sorry, an aluminum casing and better aesthetics don't cut it.

[bostongeek]

Especially since the Dell 2005FPW and the Apple 20" use the exact same LG/Phillips LCD. I know the Dell kinda looks like ass compared to the Apple, but that is a huge price gap only for aesthetics.