Issue #787
I wasn't all that excited after using for two weeks a 30" monitor Lenonvo loaned me. (See upFront.eZine #786.) But my readers love their 30"ers:
"I've used a 30" monitor since 2003. With the breath of work that I do, I need the bigger monitor. It is so important for CAD work that I can't go back to anything smaller. It has to do with allowing me to see more of the model. (It's a Dell, and it cost about $1750 when I bought it.)
"All the other stuff you said is the same with mine, both pros and cons. But, I use a 24" for emails and writing on a box that's connected to the internet. It's big like that [24"] so the text can be bigger for my old-man eyesight. My CAD station is disconnected from anything but the thumb drive that transfers data."
- Chris
"I have been using Dell's 30" Ultrsharp U3011 (2560x1600) and Ultrasharp U2312HM 23" (1920x1080) side-by-side for about 18 months now. I got the 30" for about $1,100 and the 23" for $210 by tracking Dell sales daily for a couple weeks.
"The motivation for changing from a single Dell 24" monitor was to improve the ergonomics of my workspace; I sustained neck/shoulder injuries in an MVA [motor vehicle accident] about four years ago. (I do a lot of 2D structural CAD, some 3D CAD, and a fair amount of 2D and 3D FEA/ modeling.) Because I could adopt a more distant and relaxed position, I found that the strain on my upper body was reduced. My efficiency/workflow in analysis, design, and drafting greatly improved also. Now I rarely need to plot hardcopy 2D drawings for review/proofing, because the 30" image is so large."
- Alex Apostoli, P.Eng.
AAE Structural Ltd.
"On 30" monitors, you mentioned you divided the cables into easy to get to/hard to get to categories. I don't agree: I want some cables to not be in my way, or spouting out the side of my monitor like a wayward broccoli plant. Which ones? The video cables that, once connected, just stay there. Also, I leave the USB for mouse and keyboard plugged in all the time, daisy chaining three USB hubs in three monitors with A-B USB cables (the square ports you didn't know the name of).
"Another thought on daisy-chaining the USB ports from three monitors together: two of the three lose the use of their USB ports, because they are adjacent to other monitors, so it is a good thing some ports are on the bottom where they are not lost! This gives me side-mount USB connectors for plugging in temporary USB devices/sd cards; cables that remain plugged in stay out of sight under the back of the monitor.
"Another reason for using large monitors that you didn't think of:
- I am getting older, and my eyes don't focus up close like they used to
- I have my 3 30" monitors positioned further away be a foot or so than smaller monitors/desks allow
- Guess what? that puts me just beyond the out-of-focus-without-my-glasses zone and I can work without any glasses at all.
"Much better than the keyhole-of-focus that bifocals force on me; small bifocal area means I have to move my head around to see the whole screen in focus.
"You are right, however, when you hinted that software needs to catch up with bigger monitors. I use Windows and Linux and both need to make significant advances in displaying things on high-density screens, without having them too small to read quickly.
"Having the plethora of video outputs is great for reasons you didn't mention, as well. I like being able to hook a security camera input right into the monitor for watching experiments in another lab. I appreciate having the extra video ports when hooking microprocessor development boards to the monitor: I have code up in one window, and the microprocessor video output in another window; I can see them both well.
"Another use for large monitors during programing is having several windows open at once: code, reference material, browser for online resources, output window, and several copies of XEmacs for different things. This is glorious, and makes switching between tabbed applications look like the hard way to get things done."
- Steve Mitchell
"Here are some miscellaneous thoughts and questions prompted by your recent review of the Lenovo ThinkVision LT3053p monitor (upFront.eZine #786):
"Does the monitor include a 10-bit-capable color calibration device? If not, does Lenovo sell an optional device, or recommend suitable devices from other manufacturers? (The NEC link below shows a monitor and colorimeter).
"Did you use a 10-bit graphics card, or an 8-bit graphics card when testing the monitor? How did the Lenovo colors look in comparison to colors on a traditional monitor with 8-bit color, and a more modest Adobe RGB gamut? Less banding in color gradients? More vivid colors?
"You wrote, 'I found the 25-pound unit big and heavy to move'. As I recall, 21-inch CRTs [cathode ray tubes] were about 75 pounds. In comparison, the Lenovo is lighter than a helium balloon.
"Questions for Lenovo (and other monitor manufacturers):
- What are the pros/cons/issues of 10-bit high-gamut vs. 8-bit color modest-gamut monitors?
- What laptop brands/models can take full advantage of an external 10-bit high-gamut monitor?
- What ports/cables/graphics cards/printers/operating systems/software/color-calibration devices are required to take full advantage of the 10-bit monitor's capabilities?
- What are the issues (if any) when connecting a 10-bit monitor to an 8-bit graphics card?
- What CAD software is 10-bit-compatible?
- What CAD rendering programs support 10-bit color?
- Suppose a portrait photographer uses PhotoShop on an 8-bit modest-gamut monitor to remove skin blemishes, and the edits appear to be blended smoothly on the 8-bit monitor. Will the edits look posterized when viewed on a 10-bit monitor? (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterization.)
- Will files produced on a 10-bit monitor look "muddy" (ie. low contrast) when viewed on an 8-bit monitor? If so, what can be done to restore a more natural look?
- What file formats are compatible with 10-bit color?
- What issues can be expected when exchanging 10-bit files with clients? when printing files? when saving to PDF? when preparing images for the Web?
- Will all monitors eventually be 10-bit, high-gamut? When?
"Some other high-performance monitors:
ASUS: http://hothardware.com/Reviews/ASUS-PQ321-Ultra-HD-4K-315inch-Monitor-Review/
LG: http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-27EA83-D-led-monitor
Dell: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6890/dell-u3014-lcd-review
NEC: http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop%20-monitors/pa301w-bk-sv
"I've been tempted to buy a 10-bit high-gamut monitor, but have held off because of the cost, and possible incompatibilities in hardware, software, file format, and data viewing and sharing. If I had clear answers to my questions, I might be more willing to spend the extra cash to get a high-performance monitor."
- Don Beaton
The editor replies: "I did not test the monitor's 10-bit color capability, because CAD's 2D and 3D vector displays do not take advantage of it."
Out of the Inbox
Randall Newton leaves Jon Peddie Associates to become the new managing editor of Tenlinks CADdigest.com. Former managing editor Ralph Grabowski (that's me) is the new senior editor. http://www.caddigest.com/exclusive
3D Systems buys up TeamPlatform. https://www.teamplatform.com
In other 3D Systems news, the company releases Cubify Sculpt ($129) for sculpting models in 3D and giving its 3D printer customers something to print. I am useless with freeform design software, but you can try it out for 14 days from http://cubify.com/sculpt
Autodesk continues its acquisition binge, like 3D Systems. Autodesk acquired Firehole Technologies for its composite materials software, and now re-releases it under the names of Simulation Composite Design and Simulation Composite Analysis for laminate design and simplified structures.
And then today Autodesk acquired technology from UK-based Bestech Systems (Sam software for analysis of small- and medium-span bridges) and Savoy Computing Services (AutoTrack vehicle swept paths). http://www.autodesk.com
At these rates, there won't be anything left to buy up in a year or two!
Notable Quotable
"Customers give you [ie, corporations] data to use for certain purposes, but they may not have allowed you to start crunching it to answer all kinds of questions."
- Tony Lock, program director, Freeform Dynamics
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/19/big_data_security_considerations/
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