The oft-irrational quest for thin already overwhelming television R&D budgets just hit our beloved LCD monitors. Meet the BenQ V2400W billed as the "world's slimmest 24-inch LCD monitor." BenQ claims that the LCD's 2.44-inch max depth is 21% thinner than any of its chubbier competition. Unfortunately, while BenQ happily drones on and on about the monitor's B-2 stealth bomber inspired design, it remains tight-lipped on the specifications. We know it offers a 4,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 2-ms response, touch control panel and selection of ports including HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs. However, the V2400W's brightness, panel resolution or backlighting tech, color reproduction capabilities, HDCP support for that DVI jack, and something so trivial as price all remain closely held secrets. Nevertheless, it'll be available at the end of this month in Asia then heading to North America and Europe in April. You know, if you can find it.

Update: Some of the specs found: 1920 x 1200, 250 cd/m2 brightness, 16.7 million colors, and 160-degree viewing angle.

[Via Fareastgizmos, thanks Strayan]

No consumers products have been announced yet, but we have a feeling AU Optronics could be on to something with its new "world first" LCD panel size -- which seems to at least be a first of its kind for consumer applications. Instead of the traditional 1920 x 1200 resolution and aspect ratio of normal "widescreen" 24-inch LCDs, the new 1080p MoniTV display is true 16:9 and 1920 x 1080, for perfectly matching that HD signal coming from the likes of your PS3, Xbox 360 or Blu-ray player. AU Optronics is banking on the trend of people watching TV and movies at their desks, and with a mere 14mm of thickness to the panel (pictured on the left), we're guessing this'll be a pretty attractive offering once it gets into the hands of manufacturers. AUO is building a range of MoniTV 16:9 panels to go along with, starting at 15-inch and running on up to 32-inches. Most will be available Q2 this year.

Apparently, Norcent isn't the only scarcely-mentioned company busting out some new kit at CES, as SOYO is also gearing up to show off a pair of impressive HDTVs in Vegas next week. It seems as though the firm is ditching the whole "bigger is better" mantra, and is instead focusing on squeezing more pixels into tighter spaces. The unnamed 32-inch plasma will feature a presumably sub-1080p resolution, a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, 500 nits of brightness, twin HDMI inputs, a single component / two composite inputs, S/PDIF audio out and a remarkable $499 price tag. As for the LCD, this 24-incher will boast a full 1080p resolution, a pair of HDMI / component jacks, picture-in-picture functionality, 500 cd/m2 brightness, a three-millisecond response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and an MSRP of $699. Sadly, we've no clue when either of these sets will be available for purchase, but hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later.

Ingram Micro just kicked out an oddball, budget monitor under their V7 brand. How budget? Very. The 24-inch D24W33 has an MSRP of $459. That takes home a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 1,000:1 reported contrast, 250cd/m2 brightness, 160-degree viewing angles, quick 2 millisecond response, and choice of analog VGA or HDMI inputs. Yes, HDMI... no DVI or DisplayPort in sight. So if you want a rich, digital link from your laptop or PC you'll have to get a DVI to HDMI cable and burn that HDMI port. Too bad, 'cause that leaves nothing for your game console or other HDMI video source. Dell's own budget $469 E248WFP features the same 24-inches and analog VGA input but with HDCP-enabled DVI, a slower (5-ms) response, but brighter (400cd/m2) image. So what will you do when it ships in January?

Finding that 30-inch XHD3000 to be a bit too rich for your blood (or just too ginormous for your desk)? Gateway understands, and that's why it's offering up new 22- and 24-inch LCD monitors for those who demand a bit less screen real estate. Up first is the 22-inch HD2200, which features a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, four-millisecond response time and 160-degree viewing angles. The 24-inch FHD2400 delivers 1080p support with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m2 brightness and an ultra-speedy three-millisecond refresh rate. Moreover, both displays tout Faroudja DCDi video processing, DVI / HDMI / VGA / component jacks and built-in picture-in-picture functionality. As for pricing, the smaller sibling will run you $349.99 while the 24-incher will demand an extra $200, and both of 'em are available from a number of retailers as we speak.

NEC has three new LCDs ready for market, the 19-inch LCD19WMGX, 22-inch LCD22WMGX, and 24-inch LCD24WMCX. There's HDCP and HDMI across the board, with 1680 x 1050 pixels on the 22-inch and 1080p resolution on the 24-incher, along with DVI plugs for boring old desktop work. Each of the new AccuSyncs runs with a 5ms response time, and there's a 1,000:1 contrast ratio on the 1440 x 900 19-inch, while the bigger two do 2,000:1. Prices are at $280 and $380 for the small ones, which are available now, while 24-inch will hit later this month for $550.

[Via Electronista]

Read - LCD19WMGX
Read - LCD22WMGX
Read - LCD24WMCX

Looking to satisfy the demands of those yearning for more pixelated real estate, Planar has added a trio of expansive options to its PX series. The 22-inch PX2210MW checks in with a WSXGA+ resolution, built-in TrueMedia speakers, a headphone jack, HDCP-compliant DVI port, and a VGA connector for good measure. The middle child (that'd be the PX2411W) steps it up with a WUXGA resolution, Planar's RapidVideo accelerator, and six-millisecond response time, while the flagship PX2611W adds four USB 2.0 ports and a five-millisecond response time. All these units come with a three-year warranty and look to be available right now, and while the low-ender will run you right around $299, the 24- and 26-inch iterations are going for $599 and $899, respectively.

It wouldn't really be a Samsung release party without some monitors, now would it? -- and true to form, Sammy included a pair of 22- and 24-inch widescreen models in today's slew of announcements. The 245BW (pictured above) offers up a pretty standard 1920 x 1200 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, 1000:1 contrast ratio (3000:1 dynamic contrast), and 400 cd/m² of brightness, while the 226CW (pictured after the break) also features the expected specs, including 1680 x 1050 res, 300 cd/m² brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and rather snappy gray-to-gray 2-millisecond response time. Sammy is also playing up this latter unit's Wild Color Gamut CCFL backlighting technology, along with each model's suite of Magic-branded fine-tuning options that we're all so familiar with. Both monitors are shipping immediately, with the 24-incher retailing for $550 and the 22-incher asking $380.

It had been a tick since we'd heard from I-O Data's LCD department, but its latest offering steps it up from the 22-inch version seen earlier this year by expanding the screen real estate and adding new inputs. The LCD-MF241X sports a 24.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 panel, comes in black or white motifs, and offers up DVI, VGA, composite, S-Video, and twin HDCP-compliant HDMI connectors. Additionally, you'll find a trio of USB ports mounted on the side, and a wireless remote can switch the inputs for you while kicked back on your couch. Unfortunately, you'll just have to wonder what the eventual price and release date will be, but feel free to click on through to see that port assortment up close.

[Via Electronista]

Yup, it's another 24-inch, 1920 x 1200 LCD monitor with 1000:1 contrast ratio. Not that that's a bad thing. This time, it's Eizo doing the honors with this, their ¥149,800 (about $1,232) FlexScan HD2451W. That "HD" in the name gives a hint to the panel's 2x HDMI inputs for 1080p sourced content. It also packs more traditional HDCP-enabled DVI and D-Sub15 inputs for your computers as well as S-Video and composite inputs for your other AV equipment. Rounding things out are a 450cd/m2 brightness, 16ms response, DVI and D-sub 15 inputs, a 2x USB hub, and the ability to pivot into portrait mode. The only thing that seems to be missing is LED backlighting. Eizo is also offering a business-minded FlexScan S2431W without all the pesky video inputs for ¥114,800 (about $944) or a 20.1-inch, 1680 x 1050 FlexScan S2031W for ¥59,800 (about $492) if your boss is a bit tight with the budget. All should hit Japan starting June 7. Check the backside ports on the HD2451W after the break.

[Via Impress]

Forget all that nonsense about 22-inch monitors being ideal for Vista. Samsung is now telling us that 24-inch panels are where it's at. That extra 2-inches makes room for a pair of A4 sheets side-by-side as well as the Vista right-side bar and margins. Shame those "industry experts" weren't more clear about this before Samsung managed to sell-out their stock of 22-inch panels, eh? Anyway, Sammy's new 1,920 x 1,200 LCD panel is LED-backlit and covers an industry-high 111% of the NTSC color gamut; an ideal resolution for watching HD flicks with the color saturation required to keep photogs and designers whistling while they work. Rounding out the specs are a 180-degree viewing angle, contrast ratio "greater than 1000:1," and 250cd/m2 brightness. Samsung is ramping up production in Q2 (i.e., now) so we should see the new panels sneaking out in monitors by the end of Q2 or early Q3.

[Via Photography Blog]

While not quite as flashy as IO2's floating M3 Heliodisplay, Pavonine's forthcoming 24-incher still manages to put an interesting twist on your average computer LCD. Aside from touting a respectable 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, front-panel controls, and a DVI input, the MIRACUBE monitor boasts stereoscopic abilities most commonly associated with those gaudy head-mounted displays and cheap 3D gimmicks. The screen can only muster 1,920 x 600 resolution while displaying in the third-dimension, and requires (a presumably bundled) pair of glasses in order to experience the full effect. No word just yet on how much Pavonine plans on charging for the G240S once it departs the CeBIT floor, but we'd probably wait for a hands-on review before plunking down for such hit-and-miss technology.

Acer's recently carpet bombed the US with no less than five new LCD monitors in its entry-level xSeries lineup, with models ranging from 17- to 24-inches that are rather obliquely said to be designed for "multimedia, gaming and video applications." Since the specs on these two standard and three widescreen displays are average at best, we're not sure that pros in any of the above mentioned fields would really be interested -- but with prices ranging from $180 (17-inch x171s) to just $600 (24-inch widescreen x241Wsd), they could certainly give Dell, Samsung, and friends a run for their money. Specifically, the two square models (the 17-incher and 19-inch x191sd) share the exact same configuration save for maximum viewing angles, with both displays offering up 1,280 x 1,024 resolutions, eight millisecond response times, 700:1 contrast ratios, and 300cd/m² maximum brightness. The widescreen models do just a little bit better: the 19-inch x191Wsd and 22-inch x221Wsd rock 1,440 x 900 and 1,680 x 1,050 resolutions, respectively, along with five millisecond response times, 800:1 contrast ratios. and the same max brightness as their buddies; meanwhile, the 24-incher steps up the resolution to a pretty standard 1,920 x 1,200, contrast ratio to 1000:1, and brightness to 400cd/m², but retains the five millisecond response time of the other widescreens. Should be in stores now, so go nuts.

[Via PC Launches]

Talk about your incremental upgrades: PC hardware manufacturer IO-Data has just introduced an update to that 24-inch LCD-TV241XBR WUXGA display we saw last spring, but for the life of us, we can't figure out exactly what improvements the LCD-TV241XBR-2 offers. Just like its predecessor, this new full HD monitor sports a 1000:1 contrast ratio, maximum brightness of 500cd/m², built-in analog TV tuner, and a DVI input supporting HDCP encryption. Sure its not the most stylish 24-incher around -- if aesthetics are your main concern, BenQ, Dell, and heck, even Gateway offer snazzier looking models -- but with a suggested retail price of only €740 ($972), you'll be able to pick this one up for well under a grand. And hey, this must be the "upgrade" that IO Data's talking about: the XBR-2 is going for at least $250 less than the XBR did at its debut.

Looks like we've got two more "Vista Premium certified" monitors on our hands, and these two are from none other than ViewSonic. The 24-inch VX2435wm and 28-inch VX2835wm both sport 1,920 x 1,200 native resolutions, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 5-millisecond response time, 176-degree viewing angle, "smart color engine," and a bevy of inputs including VGA, DVI, composite, S-Video, and even component. Additionally, both units can be wall-mounted and even tout HDMI ports that are HDCP-compliant, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with those DRM-laden files you try to play on it. The VX2435wm will start shipping next month for $699, while the larger sibling won't land until April for $879, but they could be worth the wait if you're planning on passing copy-protected films over HDMI.