It will cost as much as a car, but might still be worth it even then

Jun 7, 2012 19:11 GMT  ·  By

We've seen some super-resolution displays that put Full HD to shame (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), but most of them were large TVs instead of reasonably compact monitors.

ViewSonic has finally showcased a 4K display which, instead of playing TV broadcasts or high-quality films, is meant to help in the making and broadcasting of such things.

That is to say, rather than a consumer product it is more of a professional/business-oriented panel.

Nevertheless, we are fairly certain that the ViewSonic VP3280-LED, as it is called, will appeal to consumers as well.

Sure, it will cost several thousand dollars, but that's to be expected when the native resolution is of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels.

The density is 150 ppi (pixels per inch), which makes 8.8 million pixels in total. That's not a small count, by any means, especially for a panel with a diagonal of 35.5 31.5 inches. Also, LED backlighting makes sure colors are bright and power consumption is low.

To put things in perspective, an Eyefinity, triple-monitor setup using three Full HD displays (1,080 pixels each) has a total resolution of 6 million pixels (6 megapixels).

Furthermore, ViewSonic made it so that the display can produce 10-bit 1.07 billion colors, hence the suitability for photo and video editing.

Finally, in order for a 4K image to be displayed, the monitor needs a video feed from two dual-link DVI cables.

Retail availability is expected to ramp up later this year, but the panel on show at Computex, in Taipei, Taiwan, is just a prototype. We suppose ViewSonic will eventually demo an 8K panel as well, since the ITU has already met to discuss 4K and 8K UHDTV.

Don't hold your breath though. The ViewSonic VP3280-LED won't be out for a few months, meaning that 8K panels, if any, will make an appearance in 2013 at the earliest.