Heya,

Time to give a status update on Project: Spectrum! We are currently working on the industrial design of the monitor and we will soon get back to you with questions about port placement, cable management, etc. In the meantime we would like to share some more details, and answer some of your questions with new information from our meetings in Suzhou, China.

Quick look at the monitor assembly line

Let’s start with a short sneak peek into the factory that will be making Spectrum. We wanted to film on all the floors but unfortunately the guys from security didn’t like us shooting there

Here are the key parts that go into making a monitor panel. (Way fewer than go into a 2-in-1 )

In this video you can see how the back light and panel are assembled!

A recap of our specs

Project Spectrum Panel Size 27 inches Resolution 2560 x 1440 ‘Quad-HD’ Brightness 400 cd/m² HDR HDR10 Media Profile (VESA DisplayHDR400) Color depth 1.07 Billion colors (8-bit + A-FRC) Refresh rate up to 165 Hz (*TBD) Color gamut DCI-P3 98% Response time 1 ms Ports HDMI 1x DisplayPort 1x USB-C 1x w/ USB PowerDelivery up to 100 W

1x (*TBD) USB-A 2x Stand Hight adjust Yes Portrait rotation Maybe (*TBD) Horizontal rotation Maybe (*TBD) Connector to the monitor VESA Other Features Adaptive sync FreeSync 2

G-SYNC Compatible (*TBD) Speakers No Open firmware Yes (*TBD) VESA compatible Yes

A short Q&A (&Q?)

1. Is Spectrum using the same panel as the newly released 1 ms nano IPS LG 27GL850?

Yes, we can unveil at this point that our monitor is using same panel as the recently announced LG 27GL850 monitor and will enjoy the same super fast response time of 1 ms. The only difference in the panel itself is that we are using a brighter backlight of 400 nits instead of LG’s 350 nits.

2. Will Spectrum be G-SYNC Compatible and what FreeSync version will be used?

Spectrum will use the FreeSync 2 standard. NVIDIA has recently enabled adaptive sync support for non-G-SYNC monitors on their 10-series graphics cards and newer. This means that we you’ll be able to get some adaptive sync features regardless of whether you have an NVIDIA or an AMD graphics card.

Though our monitor will not have the NVIDIA scalar that will enable full G-SYNC support, we can have it certified as ‘G-SYNC Compatible’. To do this, we will need to send a sample to NVIDIA for testing. There is no downside to this apart from a one-time certification fee which we hope to amortize over volume, and the upside is that you can rest assured our monitor will play nicely with NVIDIA’s graphics cards.

Q: Should we go through NVIDIA’s G-SYNC Compatible certification?

Looks like Konsta dropped this poll and broke it. Oops! Luckily, we’d already taken note of the results:

52% Yes, I would like Spectrum to be G-SYNC Compatible

Yes, I would like Spectrum to be G-SYNC Compatible 48% I don’t think this certification is needed

3. Will Spectrum support variable overdrive?

Yes.

4. What is the frequency range for adaptive sync?

Both FreeSync 2 and G-SYNC will kick in over 10 Hz, meaning that the frequency range will be 10 Hz through 165 Hz.

5. Will the monitor run 165 Hz natively?

Great Question! The panel supports a 165 Hz native refresh rate, but the scalar we want to use (think of it as the processor that drives the display) only supports up to 144 Hz. It can be overclocked to 165 Hz.

It is also possible to upgrade to a more expensive scalar that offers a native 165 Hz refresh rate. This upgrade will add about 60 USD to the end product price, and will offer no benefits other than supporting 165 Hz without overdrive. We are really not sure here if those additional 21 Hz will be noticeable and don’t believe the value is there. But you might think differently!

Q: Should we go for the more expensive scalar?

Looks like Konsta dropped this poll and broke it. Oops! Luckily, we’d already taken note of the results:

94% 144 Hz native and 165 Hz through overdrive is good enough, I’d rather save 60 USD

144 Hz native and 165 Hz through overdrive is good enough, I’d rather save 60 USD 6% 165 Hz native is a must-have and I am ready to pay 60 USD extra for it

165 Hz native is a must-have and I am ready to pay 60 USD extra for it 0% I don’t understand the difference

I don’t understand the difference 0% I don’t care about the difference

6. Can the customer select different overdrive profiles?

Yes, please specify profiles you are interested in [this might be a good place to mention open firmware, since that should be its main purpose?]

7. Will Spectrum support HDMI 2.1?

Unfortunately not, as there are no scalars that support it on the market yet.

8. Is a Delta E calibration of <1 possible off the assembly line?

Yes, but we are evaluating the additional cost and the time it will take. Currently, most monitors are calibrated for white point only.

9. Does VESA DisplayHDR400 certification add to the cost or not? What does it really mean?

The key requirements for this certification are 400 nits brightness and covering 95% of the DCI-P3 color space. It’s not the same HDR experience that some TVs offer today with 1000 nits brightness, and it doesn’t offer OLED’s contrast ratio. But in return for a relatively small one-time certification fee, customers can be assured that our monitor offers at least this level of image quality.

10. When will Spectrum be shipping?

We aim to ship by the end of this year. More details will come when the design is locked down!

Stay tuned!

Next week we’ll take a deeper dive into the industrial design process!