Acer T232HL - Touch Comes to the Desktop
by Chris Heinonen on February 6, 2013 9:00 AM ESTDisplay Uniformity
For some reason, display uniformity is where I see a big issue with the Acer T232HL. Using a 5x5 ANSI grid, there is a clear drop in light output on the right side of the screen. While the center is at 200 nits, this whole column of values is below 180 nits, for at least a 10% reduction in light output.
| Top | ||||||
| Left | 218.2 | 215.4 | 197.2 | 172.3 | 188.1 | Right |
| 206.1 | 206.4 | 192.9 | 179.9 | 188.9 | ||
| 213.2 | 207.3 | 199.7 | 179.0 | 179.5 | ||
| 207.5 | 206.1 | 193.4 | 180.8 | 187.9 | ||
| 217.9 | 209.8 | 187.5 | 167.9 | 193.5 | ||
| Bottom | ||||||
Additionally the left side of the screen is really bright, leading to variations across the screen of up to 50.3 nits. This is a huge difference and one that is easily noticeable by average users. I really haven’t seen anything come close to this before, as usually the smaller differences in screen brightness are something I can accept. Looking strictly at the average values the screen looks good, but with the raw values and the surface chart you can see that something is clearly wrong here.
Looking at the black uniformity this issue is still there. It’s not as easy to see because of the lower numbers, but you can see it drop in the same area as before. The incredibly bright spot at the bottom is a bit strange, but I did the reading multiple times to verify that it was correct. All of the corners except for the upper-right have a good bit of light bleed in them as well.
Because both black and white levels have issues in the same part of the screen, contrast uniformity is actually pretty good on the Acer! That’s a bit of damning with faint praise, but since the contrast ratios are very good, it is a bit of a bright side. There is a big drop in the center-bottom reading, but overall the contrast stays pretty close to the 1000:1 level that we measured earlier.
As expected, the weird uniformity issues are here to mess with the color uniformity as well. The average dE for the screen is 1.77 relative to the 1.61 for the center, but the average for the right side is 2.16, a good amount above the center figure. The largest issue seems to be in the grayscale, as the right side produces the three worst results for the grayscale on the whole. All of the values stay at or below 3.0, but it is still much worse on that side than on the center or left side of the display.
Unfortunately, the Acer has a serious issue with panel uniformity, one that could be the result of a number of things. In the end, it is a serious flaw on the display and one that I haven’t seen be so bad in the past.
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JimmiG - Friday, February 8, 2013 - link
"Do you actually think people will sit with a mouse and keyboard in 20 years to the same extent they do today?"No, but I don't think we'll be leaning over our desks, arms stretched forward in order to use oversized touch-displays, nor will we be waving our arms in front of motion sensing devices all day either.
Voice control is another technology that was thought to replace the keyboard ("Keyboard. How quaint."), and the technology exists today. Yet it's rarely used because it's impractical in an office environment.
When realtime 3D graphics became possible, there were a lot of experimental 3D UI's being designed. It was also thought that the whole web would eventually become fully 3D. While we have 3D MMORPG's etc., the web and user interfaces are still 2D because it's the most convenient way to present information. In fact, Windows 8 is even going back to a more "flat" UI than what we've had since the late 1980's.
Just a few examples of how new technology isn't "better" just because it seems exciting and forward thinking at the time. All these technologies have their applications and uses (easily control mixer faders and pan pots in a DAW, for example), but there's a temptation to shoehorn new tech into everything just because it's the current buzzword.
Beaver M. - Friday, February 8, 2013 - link
Why should one think that? But 20 years ago they already hinted that thought-control would be the next big thing. Instead you now see crap like touch-control, which SIMPLY doesnt work well on desktop computers. Touch-control was invented for simple input and mobile input, where you cant have complex inputs.It would be like controlling a kitchen with a steering wheel. It simply isnt effective!
Seriously, it bothers me a lot that even on a site like this, that such simple things isnt grasped by many people.
Patanjali - Friday, April 5, 2013 - link
Touch doesn't have to REPLACE everything else, but it is nice to have as one of many altenate interaction methods. With Windows, you never use ONLY a mouse OR a keyboard, so why should having the availability of touch suddenly preclude those other methods?I find which I use depoends on what I am mainly using at the time. If typing a lot, I tend to use keyboard shortcuts more. If shifting things around a lot, the mouse gets used. Now with touch, I can opt to just reach out and touch a link or swipe to scroll a web page. Horses for couses!
Icehawk - Friday, February 8, 2013 - link
Just saw my friend's Dell version of this (basically) and I don't get it - first off with the screen where it normally goes, and his was, you can't reach the screen without leaning all the way forward and/or hitching yourself forward on the seat. Then you get to leave nice fingerprints everywhere. In that time I could have used the mouse like six times over to do the same thing.And Win 8 looks TERRIBLE. Both the "Metro" skin - too much going on, ugly, ugly, too much clutter - and the old desktop, 'cause no one wants the Start button /sarcasm.
Last thing - while one of my Samsung monitors is going on 7+ years I've had other LCDs last just 2. Would kinda suck if the monitor on one of these goes out since you are pretty much out the whole PC.
ryanbrancel - Friday, February 8, 2013 - link
Do you need to use HDMI for the touchscreen to communicate with the PC? Or does all that transport over the video signal, even for CRT?Lonyo - Saturday, February 9, 2013 - link
USB connection for the touch data.HDMI/VGA/DVI for video.
3.5mm cable for sound when using VGA/DVI (I assume sound can go over HDMI but I haven't tried yet on mine).
Magnus101 - Friday, February 8, 2013 - link
I use a Nexus 7 with TouchDAW installed as a remote control for Cubase.I can move mixer sliders, pots and a lot of things with the tablet, at the same time looking att he big monitors.
I think they have gotten this totally the wrong way around.
It would be awkward to have to have your arms raised so high all the time.
It will also obscure parts of the screen when you point with your hand.
Patanjali - Friday, April 5, 2013 - link
Touchscreen monitors with Windows means that ANY window or dialog can be touch WITHOUT anf setup.Try setting up TouchDAW to control only the Control Room as quickly as just moving the dialog to a touchscreen.
I have Cubase setup with two touchscreens at low angles with the mixers, control room and other dialogs spread across them. And I wish the LG 2560x1080 monitors were touchscreen as they would be perfect for such use.
Patanjali - Friday, April 5, 2013 - link
If you duplicate a local and remote monitor, you can control the dialogs from both.It is a pity the remote display software people that produce MaxiVista and Air Display, which allow using another computer's display, haven't got their Win8 act together.
JKflipflop98 - Saturday, February 9, 2013 - link
LeapMotion is leagues better than this.