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Review: page 4 of 4 |
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 Docking into the Cinema HD Display
And speaking of connecting up, while I had this PowerBook 800 in my possession, I also had an Apple Cinema HD Display, that 23-inch temptress that is about the only thing that could make you feel bad about buying last year's 22-inch model. Concurrent with the release of the powerBook 800 a couple months ago, Apple also introduced its ADC to DVI converter, a box that allows you to hook up a Cinema Display to any device with a DVI connector, such as, conveniently enough, the PowerBook 800. And so I did. [an error occurred while processing this directive] The result was an experience that was simply awe-inspiring. The dual displays worked flawlessly, just as if I were running them off two separate graphics cards. I could hook a keyboard and mouse into it and use it as a sort of dock. I could watch DVDs on the big screen while working on the "small" screen. I could set the big screen as my main monitor, and the PowerBook would remember my setting the next time I hooked it up. No problems at all with the performance. For resolution, the HD display is, of course, 1,920 x 1,080, which isn't supported by all graphics cards. But it is supported by Rage 128, Radeon and GeForce 4 cards. For color and contrast, the Cinema Display is hard to beat. I have my own HD CRT monitor (the P1610), which has its own advantages. But there's a tradeoff, and, for overall performance, I have to give the edge to the Apple display. And for the drool factor, there's no contest. The Cinema D display is just gorgeous, back to front. The bottom line The PowerBook G4 800 is such an impressive piece of machinery and art that I can't help but give it a Strong Buy recommendation. The $3,200 price tag might seem a bit steep at first, but for what you get--workstation performance in a mobile package--it's well worth the price. In fact, my biggest disappointment with the PowerBook 800 was having to send it back to Apple when my review period ended. The Apple Cinema HD display is also a beautiful piece of equipment in style and performance. Coupled with Apple's ADC to DVI connector, it makes an excellent place for the PowerBook to come home to. At $3,499, it too is a bit steep at first glance. But it's hard to put a price tag on something with so much awe factor. I also give the Cinema HD at Strong Buy rating. For more information, visit http://www.apple.com. Contact the author: Dave Nagel is the producer of Creative Mac and Digital Media Designer; host of several World Wide User Groups, including Synthetik Studio Artist, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe LiveMotion, Creative Mac and Digital Media Designer; and executive producer of the Digital Media Net family of publications. You can reach him at dnagel@digitalmedianet.com. Prev 1 2 3 4  Related Forums: Related Sites: • AV Video • Creative Mac • Digital Animators • Digital Media Designer • Digital Post Production • Digital Pro Sound • Digital Producer • Digital Video Editing • DV Format • Film and Video Magazine • Film Imaging • Media Workstation • Presentation Master • The WWUG [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
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