3D compatible monitors are a dime a dozen these day, but very few of them come with IPS panels. One exception is the brand new Asus VG23AH; it is aso-called passive 3D monitor that uses Film-type Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology to generate stereoscopic 3D, meaning that it doesn’t need battery-powered glasses to work.
In Asus lingo this is called All-in 3D technology, and besides the stereoscopic feature it offers an 80,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (‘Asus Smart Contrast’), 1080p resolution and integrated 3W stereo speakers. The brightness is 250cd/m2 and the viewing angles are normal for an IPS panel, i.e. 178 degrees vertical as well as horizontal. As the name VG23AH implies, it’s a 23-inch monitor.
The VG23AH is bundled with a pair of lightweight 3D glasses as well as clip-ons for those already wearing glasses. One of the advantages with passive FPR technology is that additional glasses are cheap, since they don’t require power. The technology also provides a flicker-free image, which is otherwise a common problem with stereoscopic monitors. On the downside the screen resolution is effectively halved when using this technology instead of active 3D with 120Hz (twice the normal update frequency).
To hook up the VG23AH to 3D compatible sources such as Blu-ray 3D it includes two HDMI 1.4 ports, in addition to one single-link DVI-D and one VGA (D-Sub) port. 3D viewing is activated with a simple hardware button in front of the monitor. The VG23AH will be available in June 2012, according to Asus.
