Dell’s Crystal Monitor And The Forgotten Glow Of Raj’s Desk In The Enormous Bang Precept

Followers of The Enormous Bang Precept most likely keep in mind Raj Koothrappali’s room as a monument to awkward genius, and there was one issue that constantly stood out: a 22-inch monitor with audio system that appeared to float, wrapped in a coating of glass. Dell created the Crystal (model C22W). It debuted in early 2008 for $1,199 (about $1,800 now), a time when most screens have been cheap and centered on efficiency over kind.

Dell first confirmed the Crystal at CES 2007, slipping it proper right into a sea of prototypes as a “concept” that appeared capable of ship. Then, days sooner than CES 2008 kicked off in Las Vegas, the company dropped the entire reveal from its Spherical Rock headquarters. A press launch described it as a fusion of art work and utility: a 22-inch widescreen LCD panel sealed in 4mm tempered glass, perched on a tripod of chrome-plated zinc alloy. 4 audio system tucked into the sides, wired through tiny holes inside the glass, and a 2-megapixel webcam hid up excessive, with a built-in microphone. Each factor funneled through one cable that lower up into HDMI with HDCP, DVI adapter, USB 2.0 for peripherals, power brick, and an RCA jack for an optionally accessible subwoofer Dell teased nonetheless not at all extensively provided.

In its place of plastic bezels and uncovered ports like Dell’s typical shows, designers encased the show in a perfect glass face—virtually an inch thick on excessive and bottom and three inches on the sides. Skinny copper wires snaked throughout the once more, connecting touch-sensitive buttons on the bottom and powering audio system with out a seam.

That single cable was a masterpiece of desk minimalism, combining video, music, data, and power proper right into a tidy bundle deal. Colors shine due to TrueColor experience’s 98% gamut, 2ms gray-to-gray response time, and 2000:1 distinction ratio. 4 audio system, each in its private chrome pod, produce stereo sound, louder than most built-in audio system. One catch: a beep chimes in on every button press, toggleable in settings.

The webcam fares increased—as a lot as 1600×1200 at 10fps or clear 640×480 at 30fps in pure gentle, with software program program for publicity tweaks that Dell bundled nonetheless hardly surfaces now. Pair it with a third celebration DDC app like ClickMonitor (in case your OS performs good) and you could administration the OSD from the desktop, though Vista interval glitches normally block the entire suite.