ibm t220 t221 lcd monitors made in china
However the truly first retina displays were the IBM T220/T221 line of computer monitors, sold between 2001 and 2005. These displays have a resolution of 3840×2400 pixels over 22.2 inch diagonal. That worked out to 204 PPI, much higher than most other monitors of the time which typically has resolutions around 100 pixels per inch. But priced at $8400 in 2003, there were few buyers of these displays.
The QXGA, or Quad eXtended Graphics Array, display standard is a resolution standard in display technology. Their high pixel counts and heavy display hardware requirements mean that there are currently few CRT and LCD monitors which have pixel counts at these levels. These terms are currently relegated to the highest-end consumer computer display hardware for those buying LCD.
WQXGA is often found in 30" displays like the Dell 3008WFP and the Apple Cinema Display. As of this date, there are few WQXGA displays in the consumer marketplace, but their price is higher than most displays used by graphic professionals, and their refresh speed is not close to that used in current consumer displays. It is unlikely that WQXGA, or next-generation HXGA, displays will be commonplace anytime soon. It should also be noted, however, that many standard 21" / 22" CRT monitors can be used at the QXGA resolution. Some of the highest-end 19" CRTs also support this resolution.
QXGA (Quad eXtended Graphics Array) is a display resolution of 2048×1536 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The name comes from the fact that it has four times as many pixels as an XGA display. As of 2007, this is the highest non-experimental and non-widescreen resolution, and the number of monitors that can display images at this resolution are somewhat limited, especially among LCDs. The number of CRT monitors offering this resolution has actually dropped off, as CRT makers such as NEC and Sony have stopped offering their higher end models. Examples of LCDs with this resolution are the IBM T210 and the Eizo G33 and R31 screens, but in CRT monitors this resolution is much more common; some examples include the ViewSonic G225fB, NEC FP2141SB or Mitsubishi DP2070SB, Iiyama Vision Master Pro 514, and Dell and HP P1230. Of these monitors, none is still in production. A related display size is WQXGA, which is a wide screen version. CRTs offer a way to achieve QXGA cheaply. Models like the Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 2045U and IBM ThinkVision C220P retailed for around 200 USD, and even higher performance ones like the ViewSonic PerfectFlat P220fB remained under 500 USD. As recently as last year, many off-lease P1230s could be found on eBay for under 150 USD. The LCDs with WQXGA or QXGA resolution typically cost 4 to 5 times more for the same resolution. IDTech manufactured a 15" QXGA IPS panel. NEC had sold laptops with QXGA screens in 2002-2005 for Japanese market
Prior to 2007, devices that could display this resolution were very rare, but many manufacturers have since come out with a 27"-30" model that is capable of WQXGA, albeit at a much higher price than lower resolution monitors of the same size. Several mainstream WQXGA monitors are available with 30 inch displays, such as the Apple Cinema Display, the Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC and 3008WFP, the Hewlett-Packard LP3065, the Gateway XHD3000, and the Samsung 305T. Specialist manufacturers like Planar Systems, Barco (LC-3001) and possibly others offer similar models. The 27" iMac and Dell U2711 monitor also feature a 27" S-IPS panel from LG Display which has 2560×1440 resolution.
One feature which is currently unique to the 30" WQXGA monitors are their ability to function as the centerpiece & main display of a three-monitor array of complementary aspect ratios, with two UXGA (1600x1200) 20" monitors turned vertically on either side. The resolutions are equal, and the size of the 1600 resolution edges (if the manufacturer is honest) is within a tenth of an inch, presenting a "picture window view" without the extreme lateral dimensions, small central panel, asymmetry, resolution differences, or dimensional difference of other three-monitor combinations. The resulting 4960x1600 composite image has a 3.1:1 aspect ratio.
Of course, this also means one UXGA 20" monitor in portrait orientation can also be flanked by two 30" WQXGA monitors for a 6320x1600 composite image with a 15.8:3 (79:15, 5.267:1) aspect ratio.
QWXGA (Quad Wide eXtended Graphics Array) is a display resolution of 2048×1152 pixels with a 16:9 aspect ratio. A few LCD QWXGA monitors are available with 23 and 27 inch displays, such as the Acer B233HU (23") and B273HU (27"), the Dell SP2309W, and the Samsung 2342BWX.
QSXGA (Quad Super Extended Graphics Array) is a display resolution of 2560×2048 pixels with a 5:4 aspect ratio. Grayscale monitors with a 2560×2048 resolution, primarily for medical use, are available from Planar Systems (Dome E5), Eizo (Radiforce G51), Barco (Nio 5,MP), WIDE (IF2105MP), IDTech (IAQS80F) and possibly others.
This resolution is exactly four times 1920x1200 (in pixels) and was released as a product in June 2001 by an IBM display panel built into the IBM T220 LCD monitor, IBM T221 (models DG1, DG3, DG4, DG5), Iiyama AQU5611DTBK, ViewSonic VP2290b IDTech MD22292 (models B0, B1, B2, B5, C0, C2; all other brands are in fact relabeled IDTech models, IDTech does not sell these monitorsdisplay cards with a DVI connector are capable of supporting the 3840x2400 resolution. However, the maximum refresh rate will be limited by the number of DVI links that are connected to the monitor. 1, 2, or 4 DVI connectors are used to drive the monitor using various tile configurations. Only the IBM T221-DG5 and IDTech MD22292B5 support the use of dual-link DVI ports using an external converter box.
Most systems using these monitors use at least 2 DVI connectors to send video to the monitor. These DVI connectors can be from the same graphics card, different graphics cards, or even different computers. Motion across the tile boundary(ies) can show tearing if the graphics card(s) are not synchronized. The display panel can be updated at a speed between 0Hz and 41Hz (48Hz for the IBM T221-DG5, and IDTech MD22292B5). The refresh rate of the video signal can be higher than 41Hz, or 48Hz, but the monitor will not update the display any faster if graphics card(s) do so.
As of January 2007, none of the WQUXGA monitors (IBM, ViewSonic, Iiyama, ADTX) are in production anymore. The highest-resolution color displays on sale are WQXGA. However, Eyevis produces a 56" LCD named EYELCD 56 QUAD HD which can deliver 3840x2160
More on the Vicious Cycle Effect, we never needed ultra-Hz until now because no such thing as a retina display existed until only a few years ago (even things like IBM T221 from less than twenty years ago was only almost retina). And we were so focussed on increasing resolutions. And increasing computer performance.
But now, with retina HDR and retina resolutions maxed, some technology progress focus can be refocussed on a refresh rate race which already began ten years ago (120Hz, followed by 144Hz, followed by 240Hz, with earlybird 480Hz, and known laboratory 1000Hz). 120Hz is recently becoming high-end-mainstream (iPad Pros, 120fps HFR studios, gaming monitors). The pressure to raise refresh rates is a bit weaker than the pressure to raise resolutions, but is definitely sufficient enough technological pros/pressures to see us whoosh past 240Hz this century. With lab displays now capable of it, and some GPUs barely capable of it (in simpler games, 1000fps GLQuake), there’s no reason to hold back 1000Hz experimentation & research. Unforeseen benefits are being discovered which some of us have seen (have you?)