Monitor feature stagnation
 

Is it just me or have manufacturers been heavily holding out on us?
Sure, we all know the argument about the fact that monitor resolutions are pathetic when resolutions on current mobile phone screens are considered, but there's much more that is seemingly lacking.


Is illogical to think that by now monitors aught to have, or be coming out with things like:

• Built in webcams
• Built in mics
• The two above combining to form something along the likes of Kinect
• Proximity sensors to switch on/off or dim the monitor depending on your presence
• Ambient light sensors to auto-dim the screen
• The ability for light sensors to give the PC feedback, so that, for example websites (like TPU, Google, Facebook, etc) could have settings to have the site automatically switch over to 'night mode'
• Logical stands that support proper tilt, rotation, elevation, etc, not these TV stands we have now
• Touch capabilities
• Perhaps power units built into the bases of stands of 'thin' LED monitors
• and other features of this sort on the standard or at least premium monitor?

I've been seeing one model after the other released with nothing new other than perhaps 120Hz with 3D support, or LED backlights. Surely the manufactures have thought of the possibilities if just another guy like I have and it's not that inconceivable/inviable/expensive? OLEDs are coming out soon, but these & I'm sure many other features I haven't thought of wouldn't really need that to be introduced to start entering the scene. I've seen MacBook Pro screens with a few of the features and mobile phones others, so what's holding what aught to be powerhouse PC monitors back from being more than merely mini-HDTVs?

What do you guys think, is there some sort of feature-fixing or conspiracy going on? What do you think aught to be there or be getting introduced by now? ;)
(For the record, let me say in advance that this is just a discussion on where things are, aught to be and/or are going; the companies need no defense council to say how very unreasonable we are. Tx :toast:)

Agreed. The monitor/TFT industry is HUGE. But no-one is innovating or bringing a premium feature set. Don't get me started about the stagnation of resolution! Ten years ago 1600x1200 was the enthusiast resolution. Over the next years the industry went backwards with 1680x900 and 1920x1080. And now, the "next up resolutions" of 2560x1440 and 2560x1600 are incredibly expensive.

Thank you to Apple for bringing 2880x1800 to market. Let's how those laggard PC OEMs will bring us some decent desktops. THAT is the kind of resolution I want on my 21" workstation. Let's hope Apple brings out a new retina cinema display at <24" with mini-display port compatible with Windows. Then I'll upgrade my GPU and get an Apple display.

i've seen all those features before, but only implemented in cheap, terrible ways that made them not worth it.


crap monitor + webcam at twice the price of a regular screen = no sale

But before all that happens MS needs to sort the DPI scaling in Windows which is a total mess.
No point in running extreme resolutions on 21' screens if you can't see anything.

Indeed, it seems like Apple is making the waves we need in the lake placid that is the resolution front.
I would like to at least move up to 2560x1600 at 26".

Exactly my point Mussels. This sort of thing should be everywhere, not just among some gimmicks.

Well, let's hope they've worked on that for Win8, repman244.

Resolution scaling stinks in Windows. However, I am quite workable in XP on 120dpi and "large icons". Not "large fonts" and not any dpi other than the standard 96 and 120dpi.

120dpi and "large icons" works nicely on 10" netbooks at 1366x768 and my desktop at 1600x1200. I find the "size" spot on, and wouldnt want anything getting "smaller" as I increase dpi. At higher dpi like retina I'm sure Windows would fall over.

I could care less about the things in the list in the OP. I want higher resolution, better panels at a lower price.

Agreed with better longevity as well.

Well, yeah, higher resolutions is definite and goes without saying (thus I didn't, LOL).

the Price comparison between a $1000 HP or DELL screen compared to a $400 Catleap or is just atrocious. Especially when the Catleap uses the same panels as the highend HPs or DELLs

There are only two things OP listed that I care about:
-Definitely better stands
-And maybe the ambient light sensor, if implemented well, along with proper hardware color calibration

BTW, there are plenty of touchscreen monitors available, but I don't think they're usually marketed to consumers.

edit: Newegg has a whole section for touchscreen monitors. You can get a 1080p IPS monitor with multi-touch for $300 Dell ST2220T Black 21.5" Multi-touch Monitor with ...

I would like to see multiple switchable inputs like what is on my 21" crt. What I mean is have 2 or more inputs you can use simultaneous and have a switch on the front to switch between them. ( for multiple rigs)

All of my LCDs (Samsung 940BW, Acer G215HV and ASUS VG236HE) do that already. I can switch between inputs via a button. My Samsung 940BW from 2006 does it the easiest and fastest, though.

hmmm wonder why I can't find just one that does that. Must be me.

my last four screens or so have had it as well.

the cheap ones do it via the OSD, the good ones have a dedicated source button for it.


some of the latest ones let you dual screen as well, so it'll do 50/50 split or PIP for the two inputs.

Hey mussels do you have a brand and model number on the one that does 50/50 split? I would rather have one that has a switch and not do it through the OSD

no i dont, a friend has it in a 27" monitor, but i never found it its model number.

theJesus, I know what you mean, but like Mussels said early on, it's sort of the exception, not the norm. The only place I've seen touch screens as a usual feature is All-in-Ones, like those by MSI, etc.
This thing of screen features is like the Need for Speed games: one will have one feature, while lacking the other, then the other has that feature and lacks the first one, etc...:shadedshu