On Fri, 1 Apr 2016, Paul Koning wrote:
I remember looking at an SGI PC years ago, with a plasma panel display. That was when plasma displays cost thousands of dollars and LCD displays hadn't quite arrived yet.
I wonder if it was one of these that you saw: http://www.geocities.ws/hinv.geo/sgipics/flatpanel/indy_presenters.jpg or perhaps this one: http://www.bytecellar.com/2008/02/13/the_sgi_1600sw/
I almost bought one but decided against it. It sure was impressive to look at.
If it was the Indy Presenter, then it's too bad you didn't snag one, they go for a pretty penny on Ebay these days. The 1600SW used to fetch quite a bit, too, but nowadays it's relatively dim next to a modern LCD. The only advantage to getting a 1600SW now is that it does a slightly higher resolution with the O2 than it'll do out of the HD15 VGA port. That and it matches the style of the O2.
Plasma displays have a reputation for excellent brightness and contrast.
A well deserved reputation.
(I may be partial; I have fond memories, and an actual working copy of, a 512 x 512 "orange and white" plasma display...)
I remember seeing those. I also remember a few laptops that had them. For certain applications they were terrific. I know the military used them for displays in some of their gear since they didn't easily wash out with sunlight. Some even thrived on sunlight by backing the plasma display with what was basically a half-silvered mirror.
-Swift
