Apple Cinema HD Display (30-inch)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: M9179LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Apple 23-inch Cinema Display is low on extras and high on price. Still, one look at this gorgeous LCD, and you'll kiss your practicality good-bye.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Apple Cinema HD Display (30-inch) price range: $1,694.00 - $1,799.99
- Reviewed by: Kristina Blachere
- Edited by: Felisa Yang
- Reviewed on: 09/14/2004
- Released on: 06/28/2004
The good: Beautiful image quality; stunning design; PC-compatible; integrated USB and FireWire ports.
The bad: A bit pricey; limited adjustability options; no home entertainment video inputs.
The bottom line: The Apple 23-inch Cinema Display is low on extras and high on price. Still, one look at this gorgeous LCD, and you'll kiss your practicality good-bye.
The Cinema HD Display's design leaves no detail overlooked. The sleek, 0.75-inch brushed-aluminum bezel is unblemished by anything so vulgar as a power button (it's tucked discreetly into the right-side edge of the display), and the aluminum neck and base form a simple, elegant L shape that's both completely stable and smooth enough on the bottom to turn and slide easily across your desktop. As you contemplate the Cinema Display's pristine beauty, you'll notice small, elegant details, such as the oval cable pass-through ringed with white plastic; the single white cord, which meets the glossy white power brick and splits into signal, power, USB, and FireWire cables; and the DVI connector, which also wears a tidy, white, iPod-style suit.
The simple design, however, limits the adjustments you can make to the display panel. The neck height is fixed, so very tall users may have to set the Cinema Display on a riser (though it's almost painful to contemplate sullying the display's minimalist appearance with such a device). Also, unlike many large LCDs, such as the Eizo FlexScan L885, the Cinema HD lacks the ability to pivot between Portrait and Landscape modes--a feature that would have made it even easier to view legal documents and Web pages. But while the display doesn't have a hinge or a lazy Susan for swiveling left and right, the slippery aluminum base lets you accomplish the same thing by sliding the monitor around. The panel also tilts back and forth about 20 degrees and 5 degrees, respectively; it's by far the smoothest, easiest tilt function we've ever seen in an LCD.
This generation of Cinema Displays marks Apple's return to a DVI connection (after years of using a proprietary ADC connection), making the Cinema HD Display PC compatible. Also, for the first time, the new Cinema Displays are compatible with VESA mounts, allowing you to attach the monitors to walls. But unlike many jumbo LCDs that incorporate home entertainment features such as picture-in-picture, a TV tuner, or composite and S-Video ports, the Cinema Display provides only two USB and two FireWire ports. We're willing to forgive these omissions because this LCD looks so pretty, but you should know that you can get these video extras in a 23-inch LCD (such as the Planar PX212M or the HP L2035) that costs several hundred dollars less than the Apple Cinema HD Display.
If you're using the Cinema Display with a Wintel machine, the only adjustment you can make to the display's image is to its brightness. The touch-sensitive brightness-control buttons are nestled out of sight along the right-side edge of the panel (below the power button) and blend perfectly with the white plastic end pieces. Luckily, the image quality is so good that the average Wintel user won't miss the ability to tweak contrast or individual color values. When we hooked it up to our Power Mac G4, we were able to tweak the image using Apple's Display Calibrator Assistant. CNET Labs' DisplayMate intensity and grayscale test screens revealed some obvious color-tracking errors; very light grays have a distinctly pinkish hue. Otherwise, we see very little hue shift in the Cinema HD Display's nicely linear progression from black to white. Our only other criticism is one that's common for LCDs: there's a fair amount of ghosting in high-contrast test screens; the display seems to have trouble switching from black to gray and back to black again without leaving reverse video trails. But overall, the display looks stunning: colors are vibrant and warm, details are crisply rendered, and video looks quite smooth and free of noise. (Video playback looks even better when you hook the display up to a G5.) Text also looks very sharp, with excellent contrast; the monitor does a great job reproducing pure, bright whites and dark blacks.
Given that the Cinema HD Display is significantly more expensive than competing LCDs, we're disappointed with its skimpy one-year warranty. The industry standard for LCDs is three years--appropriate for a piece of hardware that costs $2,000.
User reviews
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A necessity in all areas of computer endeavor
by 20dogpp on July 22, 2008
Pros: Ultra high definition in Photography view several pages at once
Cons: For ultra high tech you need some extra form of calibration
Summary: In Photography nice to have such large display to be able to view each pixel for that pro job. If you are dealing with several documents they all can be ...
Summary: In Photography nice to have such large display to be able to view each pixel for that pro job. If you are dealing with several documents they all can be available on screen at once. Receives highest industry ratings. Another way to go is two 20" Apple Cinema displays.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This says to me gaming,design,video at its best.
by JReefer on March 30, 2008
Pros: It can be used with a PC.
Cons: Its not 60 inches.
Summary: The quality is on par and unmatched.
Summary: The quality is on par and unmatched.
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Great monitor
by james.stine on January 23, 2008
Pros: Great monitor
Cons: Weird on Mac Pro
Summary: Fantastic Monitor but weird connection on my Mac Pro to get output to the right resolution. My Mac Pro had two outputs and had to use the left one or ...
Summary: Fantastic Monitor but weird connection on my Mac Pro to get output to the right resolution. My Mac Pro had two outputs and had to use the left one or didn't get the resolution needed. Wish this was in the manual, but Apple helped me resolve it. Other than that, love the monitor!
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Great display
by crazyqban67 on August 10, 2007
Pros: Workspace, picture quality, design
Cons: none to write about
Summary: I beleive that this is the best monitor out there. The colors are accurate, the work space is huge, photo editing is a joy since the image is so big! ...
Summary: I beleive that this is the best monitor out there. The colors are accurate, the work space is huge, photo editing is a joy since the image is so big! It is a bit pricey but the flexibility that you get when using a monitor of this size is worth it. It is the perfect companion to my 15" Apple Mac Book Pro.
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Worth the money
by jmarianu on May 27, 2007
Pros: Bright and Big
Cons: power cord is too short
Summary: This was a worthwhile purchase. I originally bought three LaCie 19" LCDs because the dollar per sq/inch was a better value. Then after eight months I decided to also ...
Summary: This was a worthwhile purchase. I originally bought three LaCie 19" LCDs because the dollar per sq/inch was a better value. Then after eight months I decided to also purchase the 30" Cinema. I should have only bought the cinema. I use the monitor about 10 hours per day, six days per week. I have had the monitor for 26 months. When the price drops to $1400 I will buy two more to replace my Lacie side monitors.
One complaint is the placement of the controls. I other monitors mounted immediatly to the sides of the cinema for a wraparound effect but this makes it difficult to get to the controls. I use this Cinema with a Windows PC and a Matrox video card working with small text. So far, no problems. -
Nothing better
by ryansamazingmonitor on March 19, 2007
Pros: brilliantly sharp
Cons: side buttons DONT work on pcs
Summary: absolutely amazing monitor, and worth every penny.
one problem: the on/off and brightness buttons only work if you're plugged in to an apple computer. they're tied into ...Summary: absolutely amazing monitor, and worth every penny.
one problem: the on/off and brightness buttons only work if you're plugged in to an apple computer. they're tied into the mac's OS, so on their own, they dont actually control the monitor.
...so pc users, your monitor will stay on 24 hours a day. (i called tech support and the only work-around to date is to plug the monitor into its own power strip and turn that off when you want).
the monitor's a perfect 10 for the picture. a 9 for the kludgie buttons. -
Display is perfect as-is!
by fastboxster on December 21, 2006
Pros: No need to rotate to view *perfect* page rendering; DVI-D interface
Cons: The power cord might be a little short (CNET requires some cons)
Summary: I think this product is priced right. The resolution is remarkable. I'm not sure why anyone would want to rotate this monster. It's better than two very high-end ...
Summary: I think this product is priced right. The resolution is remarkable. I'm not sure why anyone would want to rotate this monster. It's better than two very high-end 19" monitors rotated (I can't think of a single thing you could view better if the monitor were rotated????).
Also, given the DVI, it will work with all of the high-end equipment. Buying this to watch DVD's on would be silly (since you could buy a much bigger, but lower resolution TV for half the cost). But on the other hand, if you work on your computer, it is well worth the price.
I'd like to see a comparison to the DELL 3007 WFP. -
Try saying it suck with two of them
by mrpiddly1 on November 13, 2006
Pros: Sharp, beautiful
Cons: Are there any?
Summary: I would like to have someone tell me it sucks after playing a game on two of these *******.
Summary: I would like to have someone tell me it sucks after playing a game on two of these *******.
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its HUGE!!!
by Alex_715 on September 17, 2006
Pros: Gigantic, extreemely high resolution, you' NEVER have to scroll in a web browser!
Cons: It can take up to 15 minutes to look from one corner to the other!!
Summary: holy crap, this thing is at least three times larger than it looked in all of the reviws. IT BARELY FITS ON MY DESK!
%!@#$ YEAH!
the biggest con... YOU DONT ...Summary: holy crap, this thing is at least three times larger than it looked in all of the reviws. IT BARELY FITS ON MY DESK!
%!@#$ YEAH!
the biggest con... YOU DONT HAVE IT!
HAHAHAHAHAH NAH NAH NAH NAH!!!!!!!! SUCKAA!!!! -
Great for multimedia users and gamers
by heirdt on December 22, 2005
Pros: Excellent colour accuracy for an lcd
Cons: Typical Bad Black levels, Pricey
Summary: Image quality is something to speak about, colour accuracy is much better compared with other lcd's, however black levels are not that great.
This monitor is PC compatible, you ...Summary: Image quality is something to speak about, colour accuracy is much better compared with other lcd's, however black levels are not that great.
This monitor is PC compatible, you can use this monitor with any PC card at a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800, if you want to use it at maximum resolution you will need to get an ati x1800 xl or xt or something like that.
Also if you have a new 15" or 17" powerbook you can run it at full resolution, if you have a powermac you will need a similar PC card.
You have to consider brightness level doensn't look that perfect in every inch of the lcd, which means colour may look a little bit different in some areas ( I am extremely demanding ) however image quality in general is simply something that you will not find everywhere.
I have a trinitron monitor too and this display has a very close colour accuracy, colours are breathteaking in practice, response time is adecuate for gamers, I AM ONE.
I am not very sure if I should recommend this display for real professional graphic designers or photographers, I mean c'mon! nobody will belive an lcd is a good display for graphic designers! they should know colour accuracy is always better on tube based monitors, not lcd's, not plasmas no projection tv's nothing like that.
In terms of LCD technology this is a great item, easily one of the greatest LCD monitors I've seen.
This is an expensive item and you need to see it in action with your own eyes, and try to test the black levels, they are a little bit dissappoing. Anyway you will never see true black levels in any regular lcd with a back lamp, I've heard about led iluminated lcd's, but image resolution is not that great.
When watching HD movies and games you will destroy all those plasmas and TUBE based monitors, this is due to the sharpness level, is something that you need to see in action to believe, 1080p displays are NOTHING if you compare them with this, believe when I say image is soooo sharp.
Everytime I play games you will see beautiful colours and you will be saying OHHHH AWWWWW don't believe it.
Don't complain about price, you already know every apple item is expensive, but for the first time of my life I don't feel this item is really overpriced.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: M9179LL/A
- Description: The 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display delivers an amazing 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution. Designed specifically for the creative professional, this display provides more space for easier access to all the tools and palettes needed to edit, format and composite your work. Combine this display with a PowerMac G5 and there's no limit to what you can achieve. The Cinema HD features an active-matrix liquid crystal display that produces flicker-free images that deliver twice the brightness, twice the sharpness and twice the contrast ratio of a typical CRT display. Unlike other flat panels, it's designed with a pure digital interface to deliver distortion-free images that never need adjusting. With over 4 million digital pixels, the display is uniquely suited for scientific and technical applications such as visualizing molecular structures or analyzing geological data. Offering accurate, brilliant color performance, the Cinema HD delivers up to 16.7 million colors across a wide gamut allowing you to see subtle nuances between colors from soft pastels to rich jewel tones. A wide viewing angle ensures uniform color from edge to edge. Apple's ColorSync technology allows you to create custom profiles to maintain consistent color onscreen and in print. The result: You can confidently use this display in all your color-critical applications. Housed in a new aluminum design, the display has a very thin bezel that enhances visual accuracy. Each display features two FireWire 400 ports and two USB 2.0 ports, making attachment of desktop peripherals, such as iSight, iPod, digital and still cameras, hard drives, printers and scanners, even more accessible and convenient. Taking advantage of the much thinner and lighter footprint of an LCD, the new displays support the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) mounting interface standard. Customers with the optional Cinema Display VESA Mount Adapter kit gain the flexibility to mount their display in locations most appropriate for their work environment. The Cinema HD features a single cable design with elegant breakout for the USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and a pure digital connection using the industry standard Digital Video Interface (DVI) interface. The DVI connection allows for a direct pure-digital connection to Apple's latest aluminum Power Mac and PowerBook systems, as well as to Windows-based desktops.
General
- Display Type LCD display / TFT active matrix
- Built-in Devices USB hub, FireWire hub
- Width 27.1 in
- Depth 8.5 in
- Height 21.4 in
- Weight 27.6 lbs
Image
- Display (projector) image aspect ratio 16:10
- Image brightness 400 cd/m2
- Image Contrast Ratio 700:1
- Max horizontal view angle 178
- Max vertical view angle 178
Display
- Diagonal Size 30 in
- Viewable Size 29.7 in
- Dot Pitch / Pixel Pitch 0.25 mm
- Max Resolution 2560 x 1600
- Color Support 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
- Response Time 14 ms
- Controls / Adjustments Tilt, Brightness
- Display Screen Coating Anti-glare, Hard coating
- Video Output None
- Signal Input DVI-I
Video Input
- Digital Video Standard Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Audio Output
- Type None
Input Device
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x Hi-Speed USB upstream - 4 pin USB Type B, 2 x Hi-Speed USB downstream - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x DVI-I, 2 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 6 pin FireWire
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x USB / IEEE 1394 / DVI cable
- Flat Panel Mount Interface 100 x 100 mm
- Features Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
- Compliant Standards MPR II, EN55024, TCO '03, EN 60950, UL 60950, IEC 60950, VESA FDMI, ISO 13406-2, FCC Part 15 B, EN55022 Class B, ICES-003 Class B, VCCI Class B ITE, AS/NZ 3548 Class B, CSA 22.2 No. 60950, BSMI CNS 13438 Class B
Power
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V
- Operational power consumption 150 Watt
- Operational power consumption (standby) 3 Watt
Software / System Requirements
- Software type Drivers & Utilities
Environmental Parameters
- Min operating temperature 50 °F
- Max operating temperature 95 °F
- Operating humidity range 20 - 80%
- Max operating altitude 9840 ft
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year, Technical support - Phone consulting - 90 days
Sustainability
- EPA Energy Star Compliant Yes
- EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Silver
Product series
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Apple Cinema HD Display (30-inch)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: LCD display / TFT active matrix, 30 in, 2560 x 1600, Silver, 0.25 mm, 14 ms
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Apple Cinema Display (23-inch)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: LCD display / TFT active matrix, 23 in - Widescreen, 1920 x 1200, Silver, 0.258 mm, 14 ms
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Apple Cinema Display (20-inch)
Manufacturer: Apple
Specs: LCD display / TFT active matrix, 20 in - Widescreen, 1680 x 1050, Silver, 0.258 mm, 14 ms
Manufacturer info
- Apple
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.apple.com
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
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