AGON by AOC - one of the world's leading gaming monitor and IT accessories brands - presents the AGON PRO AG344UXM, a 34" (86.4 cm) ultrawide monitor with breath-taking credentials: a MiniLED backlight with 1152 dimming zones to achieve an eye-catching high-level DisplayHDR 1000, 170 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms GtG response time for smooth motion and high UWQHD resolution of 3440x1440 for increased clarity and detail. While providing great immersion in simulation, racing, and first-person titles where extra peripheral vision benefits the user, the AG344UXM also covers home-office and streaming tasks gracefully thanks to the built-in HDMI 2.1, USB-C connectivity and an integrated KVM switch.

The AG344UXM expands the AGON PRO portfolio of high-end monitors for enthusiast gamers with an exceptional ultrawide model. With a MiniLED backlight, the AG344UXM features a superior amount of 1152 dimming zones that can individually light up or turn off to achieve localised areas in pitch black or sections illuminated at 1000 nits peak brightness within the same frame. Certified with VESA DisplayHDR 1000, this high dynamic range increases the perceived contrast immensely and creates a lifelike image, displaying scorching sunlight and deep, dark shadows simultaneously without washing out the total image. With the colour-accurate IPS panel, the AG344UXM offers wide viewing angles of 178°/178°, 10-bit colour depth and wide gamut coverage of 99% DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB, reproducing punchy and vivid hues, just as intended by the game artists.

Adobe's Premiere Pro, one of the most common video editing tools in the industry, has received a February update today with version 22.2. The new version brings a wide array of features like Adobe Remix, an advanced audio retiming tool. Alongside that, the latest update accelerates offline text-to-speech capabilities by as much as three times. However, this is not the most significant feature, as we are about to see. Adobe also enabled 10-bit 420 HDR HEVC H/W encoding on Window with Intel and NVIDIA graphics. This feature allows the software to use advanced hardware built-in the NVIDIA Quadro RTX and Intel Iris Xe graphics cards.

The company managed to run some preliminary tests, and you can see the charts below. They significantly improve export times with the latest 22.2 software version that enables HEVC 10-Bit hardware encoding. For Intel GPUs, no special drivers need to be installed. However, for NVIDIA GPUs, Adobe is advising official Studio drivers in combination with Quadro RTX GPUs.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions announces several ViewSonic ELITE professional gaming monitors with leading-edge Mini-LED technology. Ranging from 27" to 34", the ELITE XG272G-2K, ELITE XG321UG, and ELITE XG341C-2K transform gaming with Mini-LED technology for optimized contrasts and greater details even in dimly lit environments.

"In gaming, image quality is king. As gamers demand more advanced in-game details and extreme clarity, our Mini-LED ELITE monitors surpass current gaming landscapes by delivering enhanced gaming features and innovative technology. We hope to push the boundaries of gaming displays to the next level." said Oscar Lin, General Manager of the Monitor Business at ViewSonic.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announces the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform, a purpose-built platform that allows gamers the best place to play their favorite games. The platform delivers cutting-edge performance to run all Android games, play content from cloud gaming libraries, stream games from your home console or PC, and enjoy entertainment from your favorite Android apps. Amassing the entire arsenal of Snapdragon Elite Gaming technologies together to create a premium category of dedicated consumer gaming products, the platform is designed to power incredible experiences for gamers on-the-go.

To showcase the platform, Qualcomm Technologies partnered with Razer to build the first Snapdragon G3x Handheld Gaming Developer Kit, which is available exclusively for developers starting today. Razer is a global leader in gaming hardware and has already constructed one of the world's largest gamer-focused ecosystems of hardware, software, and services.

AOC via its Chinese website launched a new monitor that stands in its premium offerings. The AOC AG274QXM packs the latest Mini LED technology, enabling lighting of 576 individual zones, improving contrast and brightness enough so that it features VESA's DisplayHDR 1,000 certification. The 170 Hz IPS panel and WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution is arguably at the best performance/image quality ratio compared to the current-gen graphics cards for the most demanding raytraced games, alongside the 1 ms response time and FreeSync support.

The AOC AG274QXM's panel also offers color coverage at 100 percent sRGB, 99 percent Adobe RGB, 98 percent DCI-P3 and a Delta-E <2 on its 10-bit panel. There are two integrated 5 W loudspeakers with DTS support, and I/O is taken care of by 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, a USB 3.0 HUB, and 1x USB-Type C with DisplayPort alternate mode and 65 W power delivery. There is also RGB lighting on the monitor's stand. It isn't currently known whether AOC will launch the AG274QXM monitor to other markets other than the Chinese one.

A listing has surfaced on Chinese website Taobao featuring what is being described as the 2021 update for the ultra-premium Samsung Odyssey G9 gaming monitor. It keeps the DNA of the Odyssey G9 - that means the 49" VA panel, 5120×1440 resolution and 1000R curvature remain. The devil, as always, is in the details; the new monitor is expected to feature a MiniLED backlight solution featuring 2048 dimming zones, which should enable a contrast ratio of 4,000:1 and an eventual, first-of-its-kind DisplayHDR 2000 certification by VESA. The current maximum under the standard stands at DisplayHDR 1400, so it's quite the jump for maximum HDR quality.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the latest addition to its 7-series portfolio, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G 5G Mobile Platform. Snapdragon 780G is designed to deliver powerful AI performance and brilliant camera capture backed by the Qualcomm Spectra 570 triple ISP and 6th generation Qualcomm AI Engine, allowing users to capture, enhance, and share their favorite moments seamlessly. This platform enables a selection of premium-tier features for the first time in the 7-series, making next generation experiences more broadly accessible.

"Since introducing the Snapdragon 7-series three years ago, more than 350 devices have launched based on 7-series mobile platforms. Today, we are continuing this momentum by introducing the Snapdragon 780G 5G Mobile Platform," said Kedar Kondap, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Snapdragon 780G was designed to bring in-demand, premium experiences to more users around the world."

NVIDIA has today updated its video encode and decode matrix with references to the latest Ampere GPU family. The video encode/decode matrix represents a table of supported video encoding and decoding standards on different NVIDIA GPUs. The matrix has a reference dating back to the Maxwell generation of NVIDIA graphics cards, showing what video codecs are supported by each generation. That is a useful tool for reference purposes, as customers can check if their existing or upcoming GPUs support a specific codec standard if they need any for video reproduction purposes. The update to the matrix comes in a form of Ampere GPUs, which are now present there.

For example, the table shows that, while supporting all of the previous generations of encoding standards, the Ampere based GPUs feature support for HEVC B Frame standard. For decoding purposes, the Ampere lineup now includes support for AV1 8-bit and 10-bit formats, while also supporting all of the previous generation formats. For a more detailed look at the table please go toNVIDIA's website here.

Xiaomi today unveiled what it considers to be the third defining piece of technology for its 10th anniversary - the 55" Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition. As the name implies, and as Xiaomi will pridefully tell you, this is the world's first fully edge-to-edge transparent OLED display - the images are displayed on its transparent screen and thus appear to be "floating in the air" - taking a cue from most science fiction settings. Xiaomi has also taken this opportunity to announce that they've become the first China-based company in the world to produce transparent OLED TVs, as well as China's number one OLED Basic Module (OBM) manufacturer.

LG Electronics (LG) is bringing new meaning to immersive gaming with its new UltraGear (model 27GN950), the world's first 4K IPS 1 millisecond Gray-to-Gray (GTG) gaming monitor. A 2020 CES Innovation Award and Red Dot Design Award winner, the 27-inch model more than lives up to UltraGear's name and reputation for gaming excellence and is a worthy successor to the brand's first 1 ms GTG IPS gaming monitor (model 27GL850) introduced last year. Featuring advanced IPS displays, LG UltraGear monitors achieve stunning speed without compromising picture quality, contributing to the brand being named the top gaming-designed monitor in the United States.

The new UltraGear monitor builds on the fast, accurate colors of its predecessor to deliver 4K resolution for maximum gaming impact. A combination of speed, high resolution and 98 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space gives gamers a total sense of immersion. And thanks to VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC) technology, the 27GN950 can deliver virtually lossless 4K UHD images in 10-bit color with a 144 Hz refresh rate via just a single DisplayPort cable.

BenQ, a global leader in digital lifestyle devices, continues its legacy of excellence in photo and video editing monitors with the debut of SW321C. The 32" 4K UHD display lets professionals create better work, faster. Expertly calibrated screen uniformity, HDR10 support, and new Paper Color Sync for color accurate print previews make SW321C the best 4K monitor for photo and video editing.

Designed with photographers in mind, SW321C features BenQ's new Paper Color Sync, which enables screen-to-photo color matching for soft proofing images before printing. By matching the image on the display to your paper profile, SW321C allows precise results while easing workflow. The new monitor also incorporates updated Uniformity Technology to ensure edge-to-edge display consistency. Also noteworthy, the innovative panel is specially designed to reduce reflection and glare to absolute minimal levels.

EIZO Corporation (TSE: 6737) today announced the release of the ColorEdge CS2740, a 27-inch, 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) monitor for creative work, complete with USB Type-C connectivity. Whether it be photography, video editing, or design, this monitor provides everything to keep imagination flowing.

The ColorEdge CS series is a range of monitors that include many of the advanced features of EIZO's professional ColorEdge CG series, while also meeting the varying needs and budgets of hobbyists and prosumers. The ColorEdge CS2740 is the first in the CS series to implement 4K UHD resolution, which is four times the size of Full HD (1920 x 1080). The remarkable detail ensures that high resolution content is displayed crisply. The monitor also boasts a pixel density of 164 ppi for 4K image display that has never looked smoother. Alphanumeric characters and contours are distinguished with excellent sharpness, so users can check even the finest details without needing to zoom in.

EIZO Corporation today announced the release of the ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3146, a 31.1-inch, DCI-4K (4096 x 2160) HDR (high dynamic range) reference monitor for the professional post production and color grading workflow. It is the successor model to EIZO's flagship HDR reference monitor, the ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3145, and is the first to incorporate a built-in calibration sensor.

Like its predecessor, the ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3146 correctly shows both very bright and very dark areas on the screen without sacrificing the integrity of either - a process which cannot be achieved with SDR (standard dynamic range) monitors. The monitor achieves 1000 cd/m^2 (typical) high brightness and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio for true HDR display.

AOC launches the 35" (88.98 cm) AGON AG353UCG with 200 Hz refresh rate, 2 ms GtG response time, 3440 x 1440 UWQHD (21:9) resolution, VESA DisplayHDR 1000 and Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate.

Its native 3440 x 1440 UWQHD (21:9) resolution combined with the 1800R curvature creates the next level of immersion. The AG353UCG's visuals pop thanks to Quantum Dot technology, 1000 nits peak brightness with VESA DisplayHDR 1000, 2500:1 contrast and 90% DCI-P3 coverage. Finally, the monitor supports Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate, offering HDR with 1000 nits brightness, at the same time eliminating stutter, tearing and reducing latency.

AOC today announced two new entries to its monitor line-up, developed in partnership with Porsche's design studios. The U32U1 and Q27T1 are two wholly different beasts, so we'll take them one step at a time. The smaller monitor, the Q27T1, features a 27" IPS panel with a QuadHD (2560 x 1440) resolution, covering 90% of the NTSC color space and 107% of the RGB one. Brightness stands at 350 nits, just shy of an HDR certification, and connectivity is limited to 2x HDMI and 1x DisplayPort. Design-wise, it's a minimalist beauty, with its asymmetrical metal stand and a nice touch on the back of the panel. It won't absolutely break the bank if you're a design-conscious user: at £279, it depends on how much you value aesthetics.

The AOC U32U1, on the other hand, comes packing technology to the brim, and should be considerably more expensive. The 32" IPS panel features a 4K resolution, atop a 10-bit panel which offers 90% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space - a much more interesting proposition for professionals or just the most color-conscious users. There's VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, and support for HDR10. The trident-like, three-pronged stand is one we haven't seen before, and props up the monitor and its number of display connectors: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x USB-C 3.0 with 65 W output, and 4x USB 3.1 (downstream). Pricing on this piece of tech still hasn't been disclosed, and it will release closer to the end of 2019.

BenQ today announced the release of the EX2780Q monitor, a 27" affair sporting a WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution across its 10-bit IPS matrix (95% DCI-P3 color space coverage). The monitor offers an 144 Hz refresh rate which, when paired with the usage of AMD's FreeSync, should enable smooth gaming scenarios - though the 5 ms GtG response time gives us a whole lot of pause. The resolution is a good compromise one between 1080p and 4K when it comes to graphics muscle requirements, and should thus make the 144 Hz refresh rates actually attainable in most scenarios (something that just wouldn't happen in a 4K screen).

One of the things about this monitor, however, is the inclusion of an "HDRi" badge, which simply denotes the usage of some of BenQ's proprietary technologies - Visual Edge, Black eQualizer and Color Vibrance - essentially auto-adjustable screen brightness, some sort of proprietary implementation of dynamic contrast, and automatic color balance adjustments. The EX2780Q includes a remote control that allows on-the-fly changes on some of the settings; and I/O is taken care of by 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort, 1x USB-C, and a headphone port. The sound system in this monitor has been upgraded compared to others - it offers a built-in 2.1 setup of treVolo speakers (2x2 watts + 5 watts subwoofer). Pricing stands at $599.

ASUS ROG at AMD's Next horizon's event introduced the world's first Display Stream Compression (DSC) capable monitor. The new, 43" behemoth makes use of industry-standard DSC to enable 144 Hz gaming at 4K resolution via a single data cable, with no need to hack image fidelity down to pieces (potentially) by usage of chroma subsampling. AMD's Navi chips will feature this technology, which is why ASUS ROG took to AMD's event to showcase the new monitor.

FreeSync 2 HDR support is guaranteed, as is a Display HDR 1000 rating for increased contrast and improved visuals for HDR content. There's 10-bit color depth available, and the display covers up to 90% of the DCI-P3 gamut. No pricing or release date have been confirmed.

Two of the often overlooked components of a new graphics architecture are the I/O and multimedia capabilities. With its Radeon RX 5700-series "Navi 10" graphics processor, AMD gave the two their first major update in over two years, with the new Radeon Display Engine, and Radeon Multimedia Engine. The Display Engine is a hardware component that handles the graphics card's physical display I/O. The Radeon Multimedia Engine is a set of fixed-function hardware that provides CODEC-specific acceleration to offload your CPU.

The Navi Radeon Display Engine features an updated DisplayPort 1.4 HDR implementation that's capable of handling 8K displays at 60 Hz with a single cable. It can also handle 4K UHD at 240 Hz with a single cable. These also include HDR and 10-bit color. It achieves this by implementing DSC 1.2a (Display Stream Compression). The display controller also supports 30 bpp internal color-depth. The HDMI implementation remains HDMI 2.0. The multi-plane overlay protocol (MPO) implementation now supports a low-power mode. This should, in theory, reduce the GPU's power draw when idling or playing back video.

Apple today introduced the all-new Mac Pro, a completely redesigned, breakthrough workstation for pros who push the limits of what a Mac can do, and unveiled Apple Pro Display XDR, the world's best pro display. Designed for maximum performance, expansion and configurability, the all-new Mac Pro features workstation-class Xeon processors up to 28 cores, a high-performance memory system with a massive 1.5TB capacity, eight PCIe expansion slots and a graphics architecture featuring the world's most powerful graphics card. It also introduces Apple Afterburner, a game-changing accelerator card that enables playback of three streams of 8K ProRes RAW video simultaneously.

Pro Display XDR features a massive 32-inch Retina 6K display with gorgeous P3 wide and 10-bit color, an extreme 1,600 nits of peak brightness, an incredible 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a superwide viewing angle, all at a breakthrough price point. Together, the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR are the most powerful tools Apple has ever put in the hands of pro customers and will change pro workflows forever.

AOC has partnered with Studio F.A. Porsche to bring a duo of monitors to market, bridging the gap between AOC's expertise and Porsche's design capabilities. The partnership has resulted in two monitors: the U32U1, which features a large, 31.5" diagonal, and the Q27T1, which sees a smaller 27" footprint. The change in size brings a change in resolution as well, with the U32U1 featuring a 4K resolution, while its 27" sibling does with a QHD resolution (2560 x 1440). Both monitors carry an IPS panel with 90% DCI-P3 coverage, but the U32U1 offers HDR 600 certification and HDR 10 support on its 10-bit panel. The Q27T1 shaves all of that in favor of an anti-glare coating.

At The National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB Show) today, Intel and Netflix announced a new high-performance video codec that is available as open source and royalty-free to content creators, developers and service providers. Scalable Video Technology for AV1 (SVT-AV1) offers performance and scalability in video processing.

"The SVT-AV1 codec offers both high performance and efficiency. And compared to today's most popular codec (H.264 AVC), SVT-AV1 can help service providers save up to half their bandwidth, delivering leading-edge user experiences that can be quickly and cost-effectively delivered at a global scale. This codec makes it possible for services ranging from video on demand to live broadcast of 4Kp60/10-bit content on Intel Xeon Scalable processors, including the recently launched 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor," said Lynn Comp, Intel vice president of the Network Platforms Group and general manager of the Visual Cloud Division.

If you were waiting for another OLED solution in the PC monitor space to enter the market, the ASUS ProArt PQ22UC may be answering part of your prayers. However, it likely doesn't fit your bill at all when it comes to affordability or choice of features for a gaming-centered solution. The ProArt PQ22UC features an OLED panel with 4K resolution, support for HDR, and a 10-bit panel for increased color reproduction. Aiding in color reproduction and accuracy for its professional aspirations is the fact that this monitor already comes factory-calibrated for a Delta E < 2 color accuracy rating.

The ASUS ProArt PQ22UC has an announced 1000000:1 contrast ratio (remember the pure blacks of OLED), 14-bit internal lookup table, and support for Gamma values of 2.6, 2.4, 2.2, 2.0, and 1.8. There's Micro HDMI and dual USB-CTM ports which support AC power input, data transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps and 4K UHD output. Pricing? You'd rather not know it: it's going for €5.160,90 (Austrian retailer) or £4,699.00 in the UK.

ASUS today released the latest into their line of ProArt monitors, especially geared for professionals, where color accuracy is paramount. The ProArt PA34VC features a 21:9 aspect ratio over a 3440 x 1440 IPS panel, which guarantees double the widescreen space of conventional 1080p monitors. The panel already comes factory-calibrated, so there's no need to mix things up in post-buy tinkering (though it does support ASUS' ProArt Calibration Technology,

There's HDR 10 VESA certification with 100% sRGB color gamut coverage, dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for video connectivity and data-transfers at speeds of up to 40 Gbps. These Thunderbolt ports also enable Power Delivery of up to 60W to external devices. It also features built-in Picture-in-Picture (PiP) and Picture-by-Picture (PbP). Gray-to-gray response time is being rated at 0.1ms, according to ASUS, while typical brightness caps out at 300 cd/m².

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the global leading motherboard, Mini-PC, Notebooks, mobile device and smart city solutions provider, is pleased to announce the LIVA Q2 - the silent, energy efficient multi-functional mini PC designed for various smart solutions such as home entertainment, smart offices, and modern classroom. It can also be used with digital signage and successfully used in smart retail solutions. Ultra-mini body design, but the applications are beyond imagination.

With the beautifully designed LIVA Q2 mini PC can meet all the device connections you need by providing full I / O support. The mini PC support for Microsoft's latest Windows 10 operating system. The LIVA Q2 is integrated with Intel Pentium Silver/Celeron processor. Simply by using the Intel Unite application on client's device, which clients can easily integrate participants, solutions and platforms into one.

GIGABYTE's gaming brand AORUS has been expanding its product portfolio to just about any piece of kit a PC gamer can and will buy. From graphics cards to motherboards, RAM, and all manner of peripherals, there's little pieces of hardware that were missing - and AORUS is apparently preparing the last piece of the puzzle in the form of a FreeSync compatible monitor.