I’ve always found it nice to edit on a single large monitor and for the past 2 years I’ve been relatively happy with the Hanns-G 28 inch screen I use. At 1920×1200, it gives me enough editing room to work, but I always find myself jabbing at the – and = key (or Alt scroll wheel if that’s your thing) to zoom in and out of the timeline. This has always made me want just a little more screen real estate to work with. Sure I could switch over to dual 24 inch panels and rearrange my layout, but there has always been something about the bezel that distracts me.

Recently I had a chance to look at Apple’s new 27 inch thunderbolt display. After admiring it for awhile and enjoying all of the space available on the timeline I decided to check the resolution and found 2560×1440. As with all Apple products, the price is very high ($939.99), but like most Apple products there is usually a PC equivalent out there being sold for a 1/3rd the price.

Sure enough, South Korea comes to the rescue with the $300 Yamakasi Catleap Q270 27 inch IPS monitor. Besides the odd name (who calls a monitor CatLeap?), from everything I’ve been able to gather, this monitor uses the same 2560×1440 IPS display found in Apple’s thunderbolt, crammed into a stripped down case. When I say “stripped down” I mean, no built in speakers, no onscreen controls (adjustments must be made at the graphics card), and only a single dual-link DVI (DVI-D) input.

It’s a little more hassle to get the screen setup without these controls but the posted results look pretty convincing. I don’t use the on screen speakers and the GTX 285 2gb graphics card (CS5.5 mercury engine supported) I use has pretty decent color management so I don’t think I’ll really need the onscreen controls.

If your a gamer then the GTX 285 2gb graphics card probably wont keep up with a 2560×1440 display at ultra high frame rates, but for video editing I don’t think it should be a problem. If it is I might have to upgrade to the GTX 580 3gb or get another GTX 285 and go SLI.

I think the Yamakasi Catleap Q270 27 inch IPS monitor could be a very nice upgrade for desktop editing. If you’re looking at the Catleap, be sure to read the listings on ebay carefully. Some models are sold as “perfect pixel” which raises the price about $50 but guarantees that there are no dead pixels. None perfect pixel monitors are considered A- grade which usually means no more then 5 dead or hot pixels and are prices a little lower. Also make sure the monitor comes with the proper power supply for your country.

This has moved up to number 5 on my want list. I’ll let you know if I actually pull the trigger on the Yamakasi Catleap Q270 27 inch IPS monitor. I might have sell off a few of my old displays first to make room.


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