Formac intros 17-inch ADC-equipped flat panel display

Outside of Apple’s offerings, it’s unheard of to find a flat-panel display with an ADC (Apple Display Connector) interface. Formac Electronic Inc. is changing that — the company has announced the Formac gallery 1740. It’s a 17.4-inch flat-panel display that supports the unique connector on Power Mac G4s, which combines power, digital video and USB support into one single cable.

The latest addition to Formac’s form + function line, the gallery 1740 utilizes a Fujitsu-build screen and incorporates Fujitsu’s Multi-Domain Vertical Alignment (MVA) technology. Formac said the new display is positioned at professional applications including desktop publishing, CAD/CAM, video editing and data-intensive business applications. It’ll work with any Mac equipped with an ADC-based video connector.

In a recent statement Formac Inc. CEO and president Oliver Bergmann, Ph.D., pointed to his company’s 14-year history of engineering graphic and visualization solutions. “Formac gallery not only sets new standards with regard to industrial design but also incorporates Formac’s self-developed and proprietary graphics technology. The revolutionary concept of the gallery display provides a solid foundation to distinguish it from competitive products and will further sustain and extend Formac’s market-leadership in Europe. And it is the perfect occasion to introduce our award-winning displays to the US market.”

The gallery 1740 features 220 cd/m2 brightness, 400:1 contrast and a fine dot pitch of 0.27mm. The display features a 10-25ms pixel response time, which Formac said eliminates the “ghosting” effect found on other flat panel displays when working with full-motion video. The display also sports a 160-degree viewing angle. The gallery 1740 features a true resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 pixels, and supports multiple resolutions.

The gallery 1740 has been built with a clear enclosure complete with a silver-painted bezel to match Apple’s current line of Power Macs. Formac indicates that they will release “special editions” in different bezel colors going forward. The enclosure also features a two-port powered USB hub.

Look for the Formac gallery 1740 to be available in the US beginning in November, through Formac resellers and through the company’s e-store, Shop Formac!, with an estimated retail price of US$899. The gallery 1740 display comes with a three year limited warranty.