Solarism LM 1503 LCD
Display
Recently I noticed that LCD
prices have come down quite a bit. Price has been about the biggest hurdle
to LCD sales thus far. Another factor that has hindered the wide adoptance
of LCD displays has been the fact that the high quality units that many professionals
use at work are out of their financial reach for home use. Many consumers
have been searching for an LCD that would offer many of the high end attributes
of a prefessional unit with a sub $700 price. Solarism recently contacted
us about their LM 1503 flat panel which they claim to be the brightest on
the market.
|
Features |
The
Board |
- 15.0" viewable
(diagonal)
- 400:1 contrast
ratio
- 160 degree viewing
angle
- Super bright
display
- Built in speakers
with 2 RCA inputs or 1 standard speaker input
- 1024x768 max
resolution
- Uses a standard
monitor cable with inputs for 2 additonal video sources and 1 additional
S-video input
|
|
First
Impressions
There were several snafus getting
the unit to me from UPS. This of course isn't Solarism's fault but the fault
of my UPS delivery man who refused to bring the unit during normal office
hours. Once I did pick up the unit I was quite impressed by the small box
it came in. Everyone familiar with the enormous boxes that most displays are
packed in will be surprised to see that Solarism's box is about the size of
a small suitcase and even has a carrying handle on top.
There are several inherent advantages
to an LCD panel. One of the biggest is their very slim size. Another big advantage
is that they use about half the electicity of a standard CRT display. This
isn't a huge concern for the average person but becomes a factor for large
companies with several work stations. One advantage of LCD panels is that
they aren't affected by refresh rates like a monitor and usually are quite
a bit easier on the eyes. The LM 1503 uses more electricity than a standard
LCD panel but still significantly less than a starndard CRT. This is due to
the extra bright and crisp display that Solarism incorporates into this display.
Is it bright? Will staring at the sun hurt your eyes? Yes, the unit is definately
the brightest display I've ever seen and that is by a far measure too. Early
LCD panels required a video card with a specific output plug that was designed
for LCD use. Luckily the industry has decided to go with standard CRT style
inputs since this means the display can be used with any available video card.
