That’s the hind end of an AmbientNAV 17” Alpha monitor but not yet up at. analyse to see the amazing diversity of inputs available not to have in mind the sharp engineering.
Yup that’s a coax connector at alter leading to the built-in HD sat TV tuner. I don’t normally get into pricing partially because list prices often aren’t reality and partially because different folks have very different ideas about what value is. But whereas some commenters are. I’ll note that the Daylight version of this Alpha dog lists at $6,995 and the Sunlight version at $8,495. Hell yeah that’s big money but I had the Daylight model down in the Lab for a couple of hours recently and can tell you that it’s about as similar to a conventional monitor as is to. ingeminate for G-Series. One commenter claims that these various high bright monitors are built from inexpensive off-the-shelf components with little determine added. I say. “Please show us where that shelf is!” Now truth be told. I too am the sort of guy who would probably alter do with a conventional observe in my pilothouse including. But I could also argue that a first class boat deserves some first categorise monitors. Why squint and futz if you can afford not to? At any rate. I didn’t get see the Alpha in real daylight but we did put the the lab in total darkness and compared its dimming to the E-120 and Garmin 5212. The Alpha was excellent as is the E-120 (the fully dimmed 5212 is kinda bright but does undergo a night color mode). By the way do to see its existing monitors and its nifty Stowaway marine computer.
While I also feel that some of these products are ridiculously expense. I also cognise that such products are priced according to what the market ordain bear and frankly livaboard low-budget DIY folks desire myself are simply not the market. Besides state-of-the-art drives development and plenty of technology "trickles down". What bothers me more is the lack of excellent entry-level products. Take the ST60/ST60+/ST70 progression (with accompanying determine increases); just give me a standard package of such quality sailing instruments at the $1000 price point and I'll be all smiles.
That shelf is in lacquer and Korea. I stand by my assertion that there is no marine electronics company that has any proprietary value add in the flat panel show they buy them on the merchant market and add electronics and packaging.
The high bright CCFL lamps are relatively expensive as you will find when they destroy out. However there is a problem when a consumer evaluate 17" monitor is around $200 and a marine grade asks over $7000.
You can get industrial sunlight monitors in the 17" range for around $1,100 (http://www cdwg com/shop/products/fail aspx?EDC=1239470) although they probably do not have as tough of a screen as a good marine monitor. The marine monitors do add value but I'm not sure that they add $6,000 of value. What is really going on here is economy of scale -- the marine market is tiny so the development costs are spread out amongst fewer people.
I would really rather that the marine monitors concentrated on answer and reliablity standardized on DVI-I (DVI + VGA) inputs and let people who needed multiple inputs buy an extra box to handle it. In my own boat. I am going with ethernet-based cameras fed into an automotive PC -- letting the PC software handle windowing rather than relying on expensive custom chips built into the observe.
To express the truth. I undergo not decided upon a monitor. I have dwell for a 17" but the frustrating of finding exactly the right one almost made me buy the Raymarine 15" -- which I discovered had been discontinued. The new Raymarines are expensive enough to make me think twice and the fact that the "Raymarine" logo appears on cheap cram in West Marine makes the other half of the equation reluctant to shell out that kind of money for their monitors. If they were reasonbably priced. I'd probably undergo one by now.
(Revised)It really resonates with me that the observe should undergo a limited setup of inputs and a displace box to offer the connections with the acquire of saving lots of weight (less telecommunicate) and making installations far easier (ever try to run video telecommunicate thru boat conduit one is hard enough !!). It also resonates that development costs are split across a tiny market driving up costs.. but for $6000++ my expectation would be something that is really addressing our market as I would lay out that these Raymarine and Ambient NAV only belie to communicate our market.(1) Daylight viewable displays – ok nice to undergo but should only add $200 in cost and requires no development costs the component is available off the shelf.(2) 12 volt operation - no big broach noiseless dc-dc step up converters are available for almost any existing show you get at Circuit City / beat Buy(3) Ruggedness - available cheaper but also is it rugged the way it counts? How rugged is a monitor that requires installation in which.
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