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There's something curious about the old saying that you can tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs. Why their backs? One would think the pioneers were running into trouble, not away from it Perhaps it has more to do with envy-back-stabbing by people who weren't quite comfortable with the enterprising spirit and new ideas espoused by individuals who push the envelope and challenge new frontiers. The world of multimedia, or "convergence" between the TV and Personal Computer (PC) domains, is just such a frontier. Rather than call it convergence, some pundits call it "collision." But pleasant or otherwise, you can bet the rent it is going to happen. As different media move toward the universal digital language of zeroes and ones, the existence of common displays is inevitable.
The Arcadia line of large-screen multimedia monitors from Princeton Graphics Systems is the first of that new breed. Like the PC Theater system by RCA and Compaq that shortly followed Princeton Graphics' lead (and the Destination multimedia package from Gateway 2000 that preceded them all), this is an attempt to use the triedand-true Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) as a monitor both for computer applications and TV-video viewing. Call it a display with boob-tube pedigree and college degree!
The sad and honest truth is that Arcadia, PC Theater and Destination haven't yet lit any fires under the buying public, although they enjoy some success in the commercial and educational fields. It might be the concept of 27-, 31and even 36-inch multimedia displays is "too much-too soon" for the average PC user. Pricing could be a factor toothis stuff doesn't come cheap.
The 27-inch Arcadia AR2.7 Multimedia Monitor reviewed here has a sticker price of $799-and that doesn't include an NTSC tuner or an audio amp and speakers (the "AV" package is available in the Arcadia AR2.7AV model at $999). You could buy a 27inch stereo TV for less, but it wouldn't be capable of hookup to a PC, for Websurfing from your couch, or switching on the fly to the evening's NBA offering. Also, it wouldn't give you that NBA match-up or even a "Seinfeld" rerun in progressively-scanned resolutionwhere a monitor like...