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.

Phillips announced the latest in their Brilliance line of PC monitors. The 329P9H monitor features a 31.5" diagonal with a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. The panel is of the IPS type, and a fairly basic one at that when it comes to features gamers expect: a 60 Hz refresh rate and 5 ms response times aren't the most attractive for serious gaming - but then again, this monitor isn't really being marketed for serious gaming. And there's life in the PC world besides that one.

For those users that still think this monitor is interesting, the anti-glare coating and 350 nits of brightness should be interesting propositions for a more work-inspired usage scenario. The 178º angle of view and 1.07 billion colors join a wider than usual color gamut, covering 108% of the sRGB, 90% of the NTSC CIE1976, or 87% of the Adobe RGB color spaces to serve creative professionals' (or just color-correct amateurs) a precise environment. The Brilliance 329P9H also ships factory-calibrated to a Delta E < 2 accuracy. Height, tilt, and swivel are available, as well as a 90 degree rotation capability. I/O stands at 1x DisplayPort 1.2 input, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 output, 2x HDMI 2.0a, 1x USB Type-C (with DP 1.2, 65 W PD, data), as well as a 4-port USB 3.0 hub (one supports fast charging) and one Ethernet, GbE port. The recommended price for the Philips 329PH9 stands at £809, so MSRP in the US should land around the $899 mark.

Japanese company IO Data has announced a pair of monitors with a blazing fast 240 Hz refresh rate and a sub-1 ms response time. Part of the reason the response time is so low is the usage of TN (Twisted Nematic) panels on the design, which have historically presented faster response times than other mainstream panel technologies. These are available in a 24" size with varying specs according to the refresh rate: there are 60 Hz, 144 Hz, and 240 Hz panels, each with a maximum brightness of 250, 350, and 400 cd/m². Response times vary in 0.8, 0.7, and 0.6 ms, respectively. It's unclear which technology was used to achieve these response times - either some sort of strobe-based lighting, or an impressive overdrive function.

IO Data only makes its monitors available to their domestic market of Japan, so it's likely these won't be available for the global market. However, since these panels aren't manufactured in-house, but are purchased from a supplier (the amount of companies that have the capability to produce their own LCD panels is thin, to say the least), other companies are bound to introduce products based on these panels. IO Data's GigaCrysta-series displays with a sub-1 ms response time are currently available for $142 (60Hz), $265 (144 Hz) and $380 (240 Hz) on Amazon japan.

Pengo, a new power-player on the video capture market is proud to announce the availability of the Pengo 4K HDMI Grabber. The Pengo 4K HDMI Grabber works with all latest 4K enabled gaming consoles such as the Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 4 Pro. It gives you the freedom to use any UVC enabled application to capture and stream with software you like, such as OBS, XSplit, and Bandicam. With lag-free passthrough of the HDMI signal and instant display of the captured video, you can game and stream with any performance impact. Unlike other options the lightning-fast video processor can grab your video stream without needing a powerful PC. Setting up the 4K HDMI Grabber is quick and easy with only HDMI and USB cables required, while you can additionally connect a headset and/or microphone to record your voice and team chat to the stream.

LAG-FREE 4K HDMI PASS-THROUGH: YUV12 4:4:4 OUTPUT
The Pengo 4K HDMI Grabber is powerful for its compact size, with incomparable pass-through capability at 4096x2160 @ 60 Hz and UYV12 4:4:4. Being lag-free is essential for gamers that want the highest visual fidelity. The Pengo 4K HDMI Grabber performs at its best no matter your PC's hardware. It delivers lag-free, uncompressed 1080p 60Hz over USB 3.0. Older PCs with only USB 2.0 available will receive 1080p content with light color space compression.

MMD, the leading technology company and brand release partner for Philips monitors, is proud to announce its recently launched Philips 436M6VBPAB was confirmed by Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) as the first display to be officially certified for the DisplayHDR 1000 specification, capable of delivering a profoundly new viewing experience, thanks to striking brightness, deeper contrast and vibrant colours. The new Philips Momentum Line has already been honored with the Computex d & I Award 2017 by IF and Red Dot guru award: Product Design 2017 for its eye-catching and innovative design. It now proudly includes among its achievements the world-renowned VESA DisplayHDR 1000 and UHDA certification, which confirm MMD's commitment to delivering innovative products capable of satisfying even the most demanding segments of the market.

Philips have been on a roll not only with their OLED TVs, which have become some of the highest-esteemed in the market, but want to bring that premium quality to their PC monitors as well. Enter the Momentum 436M6VBPAB monitor, a 43" MVA panel affair that supports 4K resolution, features true Display HDR with 1000 maximum nits brightness, and Active Sync tech to bring it up to speed to users' interests and the latest tech (tough sadly, it's being listed as a 60 Hz panel). Have we mentioned integration of Philips' excellently mesmerizing Ambiglow technology?

Philips is promising 97.6% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space, a peak brightness of over 1000 nits (needed fot that HDR 1000 certification), local dimming for deeper blacks, and support for 10-bit colour (8-bit + FRC). The display will support HDMI 2.0, Displayport 1.2, mini DisplayPort and USB Type-C (DP alt mode) inputs. This monitor may well release in the near future, but expect its pricing to be adequate to the technology it offers.

Yes, you've definitely read that right. Iiyama have silently come out with what has to be one of the best price/performance ratio monitors in the high pixel density races. The XB2779QQS is a 27" affair with a 60 Hz IPS panel trucking along in delivering its 5K (5120 x 2880) resolution. The contrast ratio is also a good selling point for the monitor, at 440 cd/m² (we've been seeing one too many 250 cd/m² brightness monitors as of late), and the contrast ratio is rated at 1200:1. For this price, however, the panel remains an 8-bit one, which is still more than enough, as years have shown us. The aspect ratio is the usual 16:9 (which means no fidgeting required with games or other content, as you likely would with most content on a 21:9 screen).

When it comes to connectivity, there are 3x HDMI ports (limited at 3840 x 2160 pixels and 60 Hz), 1x DisplayPort 1.3 (able to display the full resolution and refresh rate) of 5120 x 2880 pixels and 60 Hz. The XB2779QQS is listed at roughly €799 in the EU, which likely means our US readers should be able to snag it for as low as $799. Here's hoping.

Lenovo announced the addition of two new monitors to its ThinkVision lineup. The X24 and P32U are distinct in both diagonal sizes and feature-sets, so let's start with the bigger of the two. The P32U is being touted as a professional-grade display, featuring a 32" diagonal, 4K resolution IPS panel with a maximum 300 cd/m² brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, a 6 ms GtG response time, 178°/178° viewing angles as well as a 60 Hz maximum refresh. The monitor covers 99.5% of the AdobeRGB color space, which means that its capabilities exceed those required to display 100% of the sRGB spectrum. Another interesting feature is the support for Thunderbolt 3 daisy-chaining of multiple monitors, external storage sub-systems, or any other TB3 devices. Connectors on this display include 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x Thunderbolt 3 input, and 1x Thunderbolt 3 output.

AOC is introducing another monitor to their already extensive lineup, in the form of the Q3279VWF. This monitor, whose product name reads "unintelligible", has an interesting feature set: it counts with a 31.5", 2560 x 1440 MVA-based panel, which ticks at a 60 Hz refresh rate and 5 ms response time. The refresh rate may seem a tad low for users used to über-fast 144 Hz panels, but this one should actually be a more interesting mainstream monitor option, since the lower refresh rate doesn't require an extremely expensive, high-end graphics card option. The adoption of AMD's FreeSync should keep those lower refresh rates in check with added fluidity and no screen tearing, besides keeping the price lower than equivalent NVIDIA offerings (of which this particular editor wishes there was a 60 Hz option to choose from.)

The monitor delivers a 10-bit experience, through usage of an 8-bit panel that achieves 10-bit "virtual" color depth due to the usage of FRC technology. Brightness is a sore point for this one, though; at only 250 cd/m², it's one of the lowest we've seen recently, and definitely wouldn't allow for true display of HDR content - not even on AMD's somewhat relaxed 400 nits brightness requirement. Display options include 1x VGA, 1x DVI Dual Link, 1x HDMI 1.4, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2. Expect this monitor to go on sale this November, with a MSRP of £249 (likely $299).