AOC Q2963PM 29" 21:9 Super Wide Screen HD Monitor Preview

AOC's Q2963PM 29" HD monitor is a bit of an enigma. If you are like me, you view any odd aspect ratio display with a skeptical eye. The switch from 4:3 to 16:9 made perfect sense. The 4:3 ratio was something that was foisted upon us as a stop-gap while movies, the progenitor of video content, had moved on to the 16:9 format. The switch was very late in the game, admittedly, but it made sense. But when other, less already used in the industry, formats show up, I think one thing:

What, the people's use of the hated "stretch-mode" isn't bad enough?

My theory is that some people do it to feel better about themselves, when even Victoria Secret models look like Honey Boo Boo because of improperly set modes. But we don't really need to make this worse, do we?

Then I took a closer look at the AOC Q2963PM. This $500 (yes, you read the correctly) display sports a 21:9 aspect ratio. This equates to 2160x1080 or about two 4:3 monitors in the same box. If you have 21:9 content, you can watch it without bars. But, really that's not what this monitor is all about.

At 29", the AOC Q2963PM is obviously meant to be viewed at fairly close range. As you might have guessed, the AOC Q2963PM is designed to be a desktop monitor for the serious multitaskers among us. While you could see how all that screen real-estate could be useful for opening windows, AOC has taken it much farther.

The AOC Q2963PM has built-in software (called Screen+) which allows the screen to be split into individual work areas, making it easy to multitask and view multiple documents simultaneously. On top of that, the AOC has multiple inputs including an HDCP-compatible HDMI port, DVI-D and D-Sub ports, and DisplayPort in and DisplayPort out connections. With Display Port 1.2a with HBR2 multi-stream transport technology, you can interconnect multiple monitors to create a single daisy chain configuration. If you have a DP 1.2a compliant PC device, you will be able to configure these monitors into a single huge screen, or independent screens depending on your application requirement. In addition, the Q2963PM has a MHL HD link for mirroring your Android smartphone on your large screen (charging your phone simultaneously). Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture are both supported using the different inputs so that you can use half of your monitor for viewing a video from one source and a working on your PC on the other half. Why are we particularly excited about a display monitor? Because we happen to do a lot with home theater video reviews.

The AOC Q2963PM is VESA compliant for use with most mounting systems, is Energy Star qualified (26 watts at full power, .0.5 watts in standby), has an IPS LCD panel, and a response time of 5ms. This is a display that will do just as well for work as it will for play. At $500, it may have sounded a bit expensive at the onset, but, with all the technology built in by AOC, the Q2963PM certainly justifies its price tag.

Conclusion

The AOC Q2963PM has a extreme aspect ratio (21:9) with a 29" diagonal measurement. But instead of just giving you a lot of screen space and letting you figure out what to do with it, AOC has really packed the Q2963PM with features. With their Screen+ software, you can do both PiP and PbP from different inputs. A MHL HD input mirrors your Android phone while charging it, and Display Port 1.2a allows you to daisy-chain multiple screens together as you see fit. With an IPS LCD screen, 5ms response time, and a 1000:1 (typical) 50,000,000:1 (dynamic) contrast ratio, this is a display that will do equally well with entertainment and work duties.

For more information, please visit www.aocmonitorap.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.