20" iMac display same as 20" cinema?

[ChrisWes]

Is the display on the 20" iMac the same quality and spec as the separate 20" cinema display? If not, how different are they? I ask as a photographer who currently has the older g4 cinema display that has been calibrated with a Macbeth Display 2 colorimeter.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

The 20" iMac has a better screen than the current ACD 20". It has a brighter one.

 

[ChrisWes]

Thanks for your comment, though brightness is not the only criteria. How about angle of view and other specs like pixel pitch, response time, and color gamut? Apple gives these detailed specs on their cinema displays, but nothing on their iMac displays. Just wondering if they're cutting corners on the iMac since it's a combo product, and isn't used as much by critical professional photographers the way the separate cinema displays usually are.

 

[mcpix]

I did some research on this too, and I never found a definitive answer.

However, I looked at the specs on Apple's website:
http://www.apple.com/imac/whatsinside.html

I also looked at the LG Phillips website (I read somewhere that they make both the 17" and 20" displays):
http://www.lgphilips-lcd.com/homeContain/jsp/eng/prd/prd201_j_e.jsp

The LG Phillips display has very similar specs and it is an S-IPS type that is supposed to offer a superior viewing angle.

So bottom line, from what I've read, it may not be the exact same display, but it's a really good one, better than the 17" display.

 

[bigandy]

iMac screen:
1680x1050
280 cd/m2 (brightness in candle power)
800:1 Contrast ratio
16ms response time (iMac G5 anyway - no details specific to Intel iMac)

Apple 20" LCD:
1680x1050
250 cd/m2
400:1 Contrast
14ms response time

 

[dmw007]

I believe that they are very similar in quality. Either one is quite nice.

 

[ChrisWes]

Thanks all for the info. My father has the old 17" iMac (the one with the pod base) from a few years ago, and that screen is quite poor in my opinion, similar to a notebook screen. But it now appears the newer iMac 20" is an impressive display.

 

[The Mad Kiwi]

Screen technology has come a long way since those old G4 iMacs, even the new 17" iMac screen is heaps and heaps better than those.

Pop into an Apple store and have a look, they're all fantastic displays these days.

 

[ChrisWes]

Thanks all. Viewing angle is comparable too.