ViewSonic Shows off "Made for iPod" Displays

[malware]

ViewSonic is showing off "Made for iPod" desktop displays at Apple's Expo in Paris. Dubbed the ViewDock, the displays have an integrated iPod dock that links to the monitor, which is up 65 times larger than an iPod screen, depending on model. The ViewDock will be available in 19 and 22in widescreen models, but no resolution details were announced. Additional features include several USB 2.0 ports, a microphone, integrated stereo speakers, and a subwoofer. The displays are expected to go on sale later in the year but pricing is not yet available.

Source: Reg Hardware

[Seany1212]

think it would be better if the iPod display turned off when you put it onto the dock so that you can use the menu from the screen as looking at this it keeps the two screens on just wasting battery and just pointless

[gerrynicol]

Chances are, being a dock and all that it will charge the ipod as well. so no battery wastage.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by gerrynicol

Chances are, being a dock and all that it will charge the ipod as well. so no battery wastage.

Indeed.

Built in ipod dock... brilliant! If I needed an LCD I would definatly be considering one of these

Too bad I just got me my 20" 204B

[shoman24v]

What's an iPod resolution? What's that monitors resolution?

[Jimmy 2004]

Well it isn't difficult to plug the iPod in using the audio/visual cables, I'd say an external dock would be better and personally consider this a waste of money.

[SkylinGTR26]

Yeah, this is prolly gonna be some bad quality video. Since when you put the video into MP4 format you are making the resolution smaller. Chances are this is really gonna be crappy.

Just a waste of money in my opinion... Id rather just buy a better quality sounddock instead of a videodock

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by SkylinGTR26

Yeah, this is prolly gonna be some bad quality video. Since when you put the video into MP4 format you are making the resolution smaller. Chances are this is really gonna be crappy.

Just a waste of money in my opinion... Id rather just buy a better quality sounddock instead of a videodock

Now, if only people realized all this is, is a normal ipod dock made by someone else.

wow. a handy place to plug it in, transfer data and have it located is such a waste of money when so many people spend the extra for a normal dock to usually place it in the same place

[wazzledoozle]

320x240 stretched to 1280x1024 will look nasty.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by wazzledoozle

320x240 stretched to 1280x1024 will look nasty.

the intention is not to directly play video on the screen!!!!(while it however, *can*.. probably..)

GOD FORBID that an ipod dock becomes a universal port like usb/firewire/etc I mean geez cars would never do that would they?! Why isnt everyone bitching about ipod docks in BMW's?

[XooM]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

the intention is not to directly play video on the screen!!!!(while it however, *can*.. probably..)

GOD FORBID that an ipod dock becomes a universal port like usb/firewire/etc I mean geez cars would never do that would they?! Why isnt everyone bitching about ipod docks in BMW's?

the picture implies that it most certainly does play back the video as well... on the ipod, that is a horrendously bad idea, considering the horrendously low output resolution... in the days of HD, half of standard TV resolution looks pretty crappy at 22" (though it's most certainly plenty at 2")

[wazzledoozle]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

the intention is not to directly play video on the screen!!!!(while it however, *can*.. probably..)

GOD FORBID that an ipod dock becomes a universal port like usb/firewire/etc I mean geez cars would never do that would they?! Why isnt everyone bitching about ipod docks in BMW's?

Are you visually impaired? Try and read the article and *maybe* take a quick look at the example pictures.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by wazzledoozle

Are you visually impaired? Try and read the article and *maybe* take a quick look at the example pictures.

Yeah, I see this:



But being an Ipod user, I actually know you cant play video while having it docked

[wazzledoozle]

Its probably not docked in the same sense as it is with a PC.

This was a pretty key line to the article-
"the displays have an integrated iPod dock that links to the monitor"

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by wazzledoozle

Its probably not docked in the same sense as it is with a PC.

This was a pretty key line to the article-
"the displays have an integrated iPod dock that links to the monitor"

I do believe it is possible to load higher res movies on an ipod it just shrinks them...

But example pictures prove nothing, because its obviously photoshopped.. it is in no way shape or form a basis of argument... don't kid yourself please!

Even if it did link to the monitor... like apples VGA out cables.....



You dont get video on the ipod still... so the picture is of no way shape or form accurate

Try again?

[wazzledoozle]

Of course its a mock up, its not like the marketing department gets to work with prototypes extensively. No matter what they do, it will look like shit splattered across a LCD. Viewsonic is too large of a company to waste time on making a LCD+Ipod dock gimmick that doesnt even display the Ipod on the LCD. Maybe the LCD will put boxes around the Ipod content?

Directly from Apple's website-

Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Low-Complexity Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by wazzledoozle

Of course its a mock up, its not like the marketing department gets to work with prototypes extensively. No matter what they do, it will look like shit splattered across a LCD. Viewsonic is too large of a company to waste time on making a LCD+Ipod dock gimmick that doesnt even display the Ipod on the LCD.

makes me wonder why you told me to look at the picture because I'm visually impaired

However.. a company waste resources? whoa.. why would someone to THAT?!!

I have watched a few movies that are lower than a high quality 640x480 for sure, and they are very viewable on my 20" samsung @ 1600x1200... I don't see any problem..

ofcourse it wont be perfect, but it would be a handy dock for many of us

[wazzledoozle]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

makes me wonder why you told me to look at the picture because I'm visually impaired

However.. a company waste resources? whoa.. why would someone to THAT?!!

I have watched a few movies that are lower than a high quality 640x480 for sure, and they are very viewable on my 20" samsung @ 1600x1200... I don't see any problem..

ofcourse it wont be perfect, but it would be a handy dock for many of us

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

the intention is not to directly play video on the screen!!!!(while it however, *can*.. probably..)

GOD FORBID that an ipod dock becomes a universal port like usb/firewire/etc I mean geez cars would never do that would they?! Why isnt everyone bitching about ipod docks in BMW's?

Answers your own question.

[POGE]

Fight nice moderators.

[malware]

Here's another image from DigiTimes.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by wazzledoozle

Answers your own question.

I guess you just dont use a dock for anything then


Sent the article to 2 of my friends that are very avid itunes store users and they LOVED the idea....


The market is their.. trust me..

[Jimmy 2004]

All very well saying the market is there but people may like it but not genuinely intend to buy it. I can't see this being a big seller myself, after all the iPods are just changing so frequenly at the moment how long before the next big thing...

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by Jimmy 2004

All very well saying the market is there but people may like it but not genuinely intend to buy it. I can't see this being a big seller myself, after all the iPods are just changing so frequenly at the moment how long before the next big thing...

yet all the docks fit Ipods. Any dock fits any ipod still and will most likely remain true.

Not positive on the new ipod shuffle, however, that comes with its own dock anyways.

New ipods come with new dock adaptors btw.

(amazing how people assume things eh?)

[Jimmy 2004]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

yet all the docks fit Ipods. Any dock fits any ipod still and will most likely remain true.

Not positive on the new ipod shuffle, however, that comes with its own dock anyways.

New ipods come with new dock adaptors btw.

(amazing how people assume things eh?)

A nano dock won't fit a 1G iPod...

With the new universal docks and adaptors what you say is true, but the older iPods didn't come with adaptors so I'm not sure they fit perfectly into newer docks.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by Jimmy 2004

A nano dock won't fit a 1G iPod...

With the new universal docks and adaptors what you say is true, but the older iPods didn't come with adaptors so I'm not sure they fit perfectly into newer docks.

Now, if only there were something known as a "nano dock"

Theres only one dock apple makes.

The new ones come with like 12 adaptors... sounds like you've never opened one