Hola people!

I am writing this post on the latest Project: Spectrum-related updates.

Next week we will be meeting the manufacturer that we picked to handle the production of Spectrum and to formally kick off the product development stage.

Let’s first recap what we’ve got so far…

The goal of Spectrum…

…is to deliver great color performance and high refresh rates at an unprecedented price to quality ratio, so that you know you’ve made the best investment in 2019 to game, create, and enjoy all kinds of content !

The stand

In Step 3 we asked you about monitor stands and adjustments options. Here are the results:

Adjustment

VESA mount

andare must-haves, while swivel and rotation are nice-to-haves. We will take this feedback to the manufacturer to see what it would cost to add those nice-to-haves!

A lot of you are planning on using a VESA mount, so our monitor will need to support VESA mounting.

And, this gave us an idea: A quality stand that supports height and angle adjustment has an impact on the total product price. So what if the stand for Spectrum would be a separate item?

Our idea to save you money

We want to make sure that we don’t create unnecessary costs, and give you the possibility of having a tailor-made solution for your needs. About 56% percent of people voted that they are “planning on getting a VESA mount” and we do not want these people to pay for a stand that will be removed and discarded the moment they open the box.

We want to make it possible for you to buy only the monitor, without its stand so you don’t pay for something you don’t need. Of course, the “standard” stand will also be available for purchase.

I think it’s a good idea! I would be interested in buying a monitor without a stand because I would use a VESA mount.

I think it’s a good idea, but I would buy a monitor with the stand included anyway.

I think it’s a bad idea! 0 voters

The ports

Step 3.1 was all about ports. These are our findings:

The general consensus we have so far is that like VGA, a DVI port is too old-fashioned and not needed, while USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort are essential!

For USB Type-C it would be optimal to support all of the possible features, though the most important one is support for a DisplayPort signal.

@vithren had a very valid point about HDMI 2.1 as a future-proofing option, and we will investigate it with our suppliers.

The panel

After testing panels at our office and in China, reviewing your responses to Step 2.1, and evaluating suppliers, we think that panel #3 from LG is the best option available to us.

The chosen one

This is what we can tell you about its specs so far:

Why do we think that this is the best panel for us right now?

LG is a reliable supplier with high-quality standards, and will help us to minimize light leaks, dead pixels, and other potential issues.

Panel number 3 visually looks better than anything else we’ve seen in the market today.

165Hz refresh rate makes a difference even in normal OS interactions.More about that in a bit!

We think that with the state of technology today and cuirrent market prices, this panel offers the best bang for the buck!

Our sample

About colors - you know it when you see it

Our sample didn’t have any defects or even the slightest light bleed. Of course we know that consistency in mass production will be the determining factor for production quality, so we can’t draw conclusions just yet.

(sorry for the promo wallpaper It’s hard to judge the depth of colors through a photo on a screen, but we’ll show off as much as we can)

We will take exact measurements for major color spaces when we’re at the factory with very precise equipment, but I have to say that there is just something about the way colors come to life on the LG panel that feels great It gave us a feeling similar to when we first got our hands on the Sharp panel for the V!

About 165Hz

What do you think?

It’s a complete game-changer for everything from Windows apps all the way to gaming. That’s it. Having seen high-refresh rates in action, we now feel that in 2019 you have to have a panel that supports at least 120Hz, even if you will never game. Your daily experience will be so much better. There is simply no going back after trying it out!

So, how do you feel about the panel we’ve selected?

I like it!

I like it! I don’t like it!

I don’t like it! Other, I will leave a comment! 0 voters

Sensitive equipment

Oops!

After accidentally putting a bit too much voltage to one of the motherboards, we now have a cool gradient effect on half the screenThis is why we need ankey!