14 DAY TRIAL // Normally, displays used DVI, HDMI or D-Sub / VGA ports to receive visuals, but PoE monitors are becoming popular on the enterprise market, which is why I-O Data has just launched one.
Power-Over-Ethernet is a technology, an Internet protocol really, that allows a LAN-connected device to live off the energy transmitted through the cable.
There are PoE cameras and other such accessories, and while monitors are rarer, they nonetheless exist all the same.
I-O Data has just released one such monitor, meant to act as a sort of outlet for servers. It's starting to become a common practice really, in large corporations.
Instead of giving all your employees a new PC, you just given them a PoE monitor they can hook up their mouse and keyboard too and voila! Full PC functionality, even though all the data comes from and is processed on a server somewhere in the building.
And it's all because LED backlighting and monitor makers' various power saving technologies allow displays to comply with the sub-60 Watt requirements of PoE.
The new LCD monitor from I-O Data is called AD221PEB and has a response time of 5 ms, a brightness of 250 cd/m2, viewing angles of 160°/170°, and, of course, a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (TFT LCD).
All in all, it measures 507 mm x 178 mm x 390 mm / €19.96 x 7 x 15.35 inches and weighs 3.5 kilograms / 7.71 pounds.
You can still use it as a normal display though, if you want, since it has DVI and D-Sub inputs. On that note, a common 3.5 mm jack is included too, allowing it to play music on those 2W stereo speakers from phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Finally, the stand can tilt, but that's about it.
I-O Data AD221PEB will sell only in Japan, at least for a while, for ¥47,800 / $471 / €347.