First Look: 24-inch LCD CinemaView Display

ByMike Moffit

This week we wanted to bring your attention to the new 24-inch LCD CinemaView Display. This monitor has similar good looks as the Apple LED Cinema Display, and is also the first non-Apple display to use a Mini DisplayPort connector. However, it costs half as much as the Apple LED Cinema Display, which many of us will appreciate in these lean times .

The current iMac, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Xserve models all use Mini DisplayPort as their sole video out port, while the Mac Mini and Mac Pro models have both a Mini DisplayPort and either a DVI port (Mac Pro) or an HDMI port (Mac Mini). One of the major advantages of the CinemaView Display is that it is plug and play with all current Macs – no adapter required. Many computers from Dell, Lenovo, HP, Fujitsu, and Toshiba also use Mini DisplayPort for video out.

The CinemaView Display has a 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio that is well suited for viewing movies, HD TV, or Mac desktop data. The CinemaView Display also has four USB ports on the back, making it easy to attach important peripherals.

The CinemaView Display senses when your Mac is turned on or wakes from sleep and turns itself on automatically — and importantly, it also turns itself off when your Mac is switched off or drops into sleep mode. A master power switch permits simply turning the display fully ‘off’ when not being used.

The CinemaView Display’s only limitations are that it only supports desktop spanning, but not mirroring (or cloning, as some people call it), and it’s not eligible for AppleCare. Also, it uses the older (but still attractive) LCD technology, rather than the more energy efficient LED technology Apple has adopted across the board.

We’re offering the CinemaView Display for $399.99 with free shipping for the rest of this summer. If you’re looking for a nicely priced display that works beautifully with your newer Mac, the CinemaView Display is an excellent option.

Click here to read a review of the CinemaView Display from Macsimumnews.com.

Click here to read a review from Unplggd.com.

Click here to see the CinemaView Display at Smalldog.com

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