VMD-L Mailing List

From: Benjamin Goldsteen (bzgnyc_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Mon May 22 2006 - 11:15:44 CDT

On May 22, 2006, at 5:33 AM, Marc Baaden wrote:

>
> Hi,
> our stereo CRT monitor just broke and I was trying to get a
> replacement.
> It appears that nowadays it is extremely difficult to obtain CRT
> screens
> with high refresh rates [1] that are suitable for stereo
> representation. It
> seems as if fabrication of those models has stopped.
> So I wonder what viable (and affordable if possible) stereo
> solutions do
> exist when one wants to go to resolutions of 1280x1024 or higher?
> Certainly
> manufacturers of stereo goggles like NuVision must worry about this
> evolution?
>
> I would be very interested to know what other people on this list
> use for
> stereo representations that work with software like VMD (eg OpenGL
> stereo).
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Marc Baaden
>
> [1] high refresh rates as in 1280x1024_at_120 Hz or 1600x1200_at_111 Hz

Mark, I am forwarding this to the whole list as it might be useful to
others; also I just happened across a monitor with a 142kHz scanning
rate. It claims 1600x1200 @ 113Hz and 1280x1024 @ 133Hz. $700:
http://www.iiyama.us/default.asp?
SID=&LNG=US&NAV=236&PCAT=1&PROD=2752&CE=F&PARAMS=DATASHEET

I have no experience with any of these monitors.

Good luck,
Ben

[Original message]
Hi Marc,
I am not aware of any mainstream CRT that does 1600x1200_at_100+. If
such exists, I am guessing it will be a high $$$ niche product.

Even 1280x1024_at_120Hz is becoming hard to find as the major
manufacturers have abandoned CRTs in favor of LCDs (or just gotten
out of the business all together). The ones that still make CRTs
tend to only offer the economy models. They are not even flat tube
not to mention stereo-ready.

StereoGraphics (now part of Real D) maintains a list of stereo-ready
monitors:
http://www.reald.com/scientific/stereo_ready_monitors.asp

The list does not appear complete as it does not include the Philips
monitor that another poster also mentioned. Currently they are on
the 202P73/27 model which is a 22" tube (20" viewable) with a 160HZ
maximum refresh, 130kHz scanning rate, and a maximum bandwidth/video
dot rate of 360MHz. The limiting factor here will be the scanning
rate. While 120Hz * 1024 lines = 123 kHz <130kHZ, that does not
allow for non-visible portions of the video signal such as blanking,
syncing, etc. SGI IRIX-based workstations included a file (moninfo?
it was somewhere under /usr/gfx) that listed the required signal
parameters for various monitors. One could use those parameters to
calculate the precise limits of a monitor. I suspect that you won't
quite hit 120HZ refresh at 1280x1024 even with the latest Philips
model, but at $500 USD it a pretty good deal for a professional class
monitor.

http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/catalog/catalog.jsp?
fhquery=fh_secondid%3D202p73_27_us_professional%26fh_location%3D%2F%
2Fprofessional%2Fen_US%2Fcategories%3Ccatalog_us_professional%
2Fcategories%3Cmonitors_pc_peripherals_gr_us_professional%2Fcategories
%3Ccrt_monitors_ca_us_professional%2Fcategories%
3Ccrt_monitors_gt19_su_us_professional%
26&productId=202P73_27_US_PROFESSIONAL&activeCategory=MONITORS_PC_PERIPH
ERALS_GR_US_PROFESSIONAL&fredhopperpage=detail.jsp&activeTab=specificati
ons&language=en&country=US&catalogType=PROFESSIONAL&proxybuster=GXXZEJI1
TQRD5J0RMRCSHP3HKFSESI5P

P.S.The NEC Diamondttron UWG RDF225WG is going for about $5000 on the
Internet. It features, among other things, a 140kHz scanning rate.