Collins America (http://www.cinemaview.com) has announced a group of
display and TV products engineered to radically expand the
capabilities of the Mac. The new products include 24-inch and 47-inch
HD LCD displays, both with native Mini DisplayPort connections, and a
full featured headless TV system with full HD TV features, as well as
Mini DisplayPort connections both in and out.
The folks at Collins America say they believe “that tomorrow’s
graphics and video experiences simply are not going to be the same as
yesterday’s, and that Apple will continue to lead and define the path
forward for consumer video entertainment.” With Apple’s
implementation of Mini DisplayPort connectors on its computers, and
with HDMI on its Apple TV, these two interfaces define the future of
Apple-centric video, they add.
The two new CinemaView displays have the 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio
and 1920×1080 resolution that’s well suited for viewing either
movies, HD TV, or data. The 24-inch CinemaView routes USB 2.0 through
the same cable from the Mac to the display’s four-port USB 2.0 hub.
The CinemaView TV product turns a CinemaView display into a
full-blown HD television system, in addition to enabling direct
connection to both a Mac and an Apple TV, too. You can plug a 24-inch
or 47-inch CinemaView display into the MIni DisplayPort output,
connect your favorite TV peripherals by HDMI, composite, or component
links, connect your Mac to the Mini DisplayPort input and your Apple
TV to an HDMI input.
CinemaView TV has dual cable-ready HD tuners with picture-in-picture,
and includes on-screen controls, and an RF wireless remote. Inserting
a CinemaView TV box between a Mac and either an Apple LED LCD Cinema
Display or a CinemaView display purportedly turns any new Mac system
into a complete HD home television system.
The CinemaView 24-inch LCD display will be available in October with
a list price of US$499. The CinemaView 47-inch LCD display will be
available in January 2010 with a list price of $1,499. And, the
CInemaView TV will be available in January with a list price of $399.
All three products are built using an “UniFrame Aluminum”
construction that matches the design theme of current Macs.
CinemaView products will be available from the CinemaView web site,
from Apple Specialist retailers across the USA, and from independent
Apple product and custom home theater and AV contractors and
resellers around the world.