Hitachi CML174B 16ms Response 17" LCD - $630

[linster]

This is in stock at MonitorsDirect for $630 shipped (free shipping in Octorber). This LCD has a 12ms rise and 4ms fall according to Hitachi's specs. For all those looking for next generation LCDs, this may be it.

 

[cdub]

Those are amazing specs for that price. Even has the DVI-D connector. What's the catch? 16ms is hard to believe, but they list it as a selling point for the monitor, which they wouldn't do if they were just trying to sleaze the figure by us. Very interesting.

Edit: Tax in CA is $51.98 == $681.98 total. Ouch!

 

[Kreggo]

Specs do look very nice indeed. I like the wide viewing angles. Just wish it was a little bigger. The LCD I am running now is 18" and at 1280 X 1024 the text is OK, but if it were any smaller, my old eyes would be squinting. Think I'll wait a little longer for the bigger ones to drop.

 

[arcas]

Careful. The issue of LCD performance specs recently popped up in the A/V forum over at Ars Technica. There, both the chief hardware engineer at MonitorsDirect and a marketing guy at NEC both agreed that since there's no standardized way to measure the performance of an LCD, the values companies quote are essentially useless and can be skewed to fit their marketing needs.

From Sonic Death Monkey (the NEC guy):

The IPS glass that Mitsubishi makes (Used in Apple Cinema Display and the NEC 1880SX) rates the glass @ 25ms rise and fall. That means that the LC starts at 10% open and ends at 10% open for a full rise and fall. If another pannel maker were to take the same glass and change the rating from 25% open to 25% open the response time would be roughly 16ms....Response time, view angle, contrast, and brightness can all be manipulated to warrant better numbers than are actual.

Could well be that Hitachi is using a very fast LCD panel here. Or it could be that they're merely playing the numbers game.

 

[Gamer007]

Here's a review for this monitor:

Hitachi CML174 Review

 

[tiejiba]

I am interested, do they have a 19 inches one

 

[SharkyTM]

i guess i'll have to stick to my brand new Dell 17"

 

[halik]

hahah just got a 20" dell that s gonna make me happy

 

[cleek]

Hitachi mfgs LCDs for a variety of applications including MILSPEC requirements where price isn't the primary criteria. As a rule their displays are exceptonal. Though the comment about taking monitor claims with a grain of salt is very good advice (remember this was the industry that was legally forced into disclosing "viewable" CRT size vs. outside dimensions), I would be more inclined to believe Hitachi claims than most. (/soapbox)

Great find on the deal, too - thx

 

[jcoltrane]

Word of warning on these monitors I came across while researching them.

Customer Review from PriceGrabber.com

********
Reviewed by: ybenita, from unknown Date reviewed: 04-Dec-02
Strengths:
Fast response time, clear text and high contrast ratio. Good price.

Weaknesses:
The biggest weakness of this screen is the color quality. It is a 16bit display meaning is supports up to 262K colors, compared to other similar screens that are 24 bit (16.77 million colors).

Summary:
All specifications of this screen look amazing except the color support, its easy to overlook the low number of colors supported and it is not mentioned in any press release. Compared with my Apple flat panel this screen is lifeless. All the other great features cannot compensate for the reduced color quality. Be aware of what you are buying, if you are a less demanding user, this screen can be great for you. I, for one, feel cheated by Hitachi.
********

And PriceGrabber lists them for $621 with free shipping from PCNation.com (Though I know nothing about this retailer and do not endorse them).

FWIW

 

[ivan2]

indeed, but where is the spec that shows the color is 16bit? i cant find it everywhere can you link us?

 

[jcoltrane]

I've been looking for it and have yet to find it myself.
I might have to call Hitachi to see about this, as I see nothing in the official specs.
The reviewer could be right or he could be full of it. Just wanted to bring it up as a possible problem here.
I'll be looking into it further, as I'm really interested in this monitor.

If anyone else out there can supply info on whether this is a 16 or a 24 bit display, please do.

 

[allies]

There was a discussion on this monitor a few days ago in the General Forum.
The people contributing to the thread came up with that Hitachi notebook TFTs are 16 bit and that the desktop TFTs are 24 bit...

 

[jcoltrane]

Originally posted by: allies
There was a discussion on this monitor a few days ago in the General Forum.
The people contributing to the thread came up with that Hitachi notebook TFTs are 16 bit and that the desktop TFTs are 24 bit...

Thanks for the link. Again, not official Hitachi specs and it looks like the door was left a little open for debate, but the buzz is good enough for me to take the plunge. Gonna go for it after I get my next paycheck... Xmas took out a bit too big a bite this year.

Also, Monitorsdirect.com price is $620 shipped after coupon, so it seems to be the best deal around... for now...