Samsung Central Station: The Future of Laptop Docking?
by Kristian Vättö on June 14, 2011 11:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Displays
- Samsung
- Central Station
- Laptops
Features and specifications
Central Station is not available yet but Samsung has updated their product page to include specifications for two soon-to-be released monitors utilizing Central Station:
| Central Station Product Comparison | ||
| C23A750X | C27A750X | |
| Screen size | 23" | 27" |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Brightness | 250 cd/m2 | 250 cd/m2 |
| Response time | 2ms | 2ms |
| Viewing angles | 170°/160° | 170°/160° |
| Color support | 16.7 million | 16.7 million |
| Video inputs | HDMI, VGA | HDMI, VGA |
| Other inputs | 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, Megabit Ethernet | 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, Megabit Ethernet |
| Outputs | Audio out (3.5mm), USB 3.0 | Audio out (3.5mm), USB 3.0 |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 21.7" x 17.1" x 9.2" | 25.1" x 19.1" x 9.2" |
| Weight | 9.7 lbs | 11.5 lbs |
| Price | $449 | $599 |
As the table shows, the only differences between these two are the screen size, dimensions, and price. Both offer the same resolution, brightness, viewing angles, and other features.
Update: Best Buy is selling the 23" model for $449 and Micro Center is selling the 27" model for $599 so it appears that the rumored prices were correct.
The Screen
Screen wise these new monitors remind me of Samsung’s Class 550 Series monitors which offer the same screen sizes, resolution, brightness etc. It could be that these monitors are actually using the same panels with just the Central Station hardware bundled with them. The viewing angles suggest that the panel type is TN, which might be bad news for people who need more accurate colors, or just an overall better quality display.
Ports
Each monitor has a total of four USB ports. Two of them are USB 3.0 but here comes the downside of using a wireless connection: your bandwidth will be limited to USB 2.0 speeds when connecting wirelessly. Samsung acknowledges that USB 2.0 speeds may not always be enough, and thus a USB 3.0 output is also present so if you want to enjoy USB 3.0 speeds; you just plug in a single USB 3.0 cable to your laptop and you can use the USB 3.0 devices connected to your monitor at full speed. However, this kind of kills the idea of paying extra for Central Station technology as there are plenty of other monitors and USB 3.0 hubs that can basically do the same thing for less money.
Samsung says that the wireless range is 5 feet, which means that you have to be on the same desk to use this feature without lag, so don’t imagine sitting across the room and using the screen as it won’t work. While wireless connection is the selling point of Central Station, these monitors also come with VGA and HDMI connections, so for instance you can plug in a Blu-Ray player and use the monitor “normally”. There is also a 100Mb Ethernet port (yeah, you heard it right, Megabit) which can be useful for businesses if there is no WiFi due to possible security concerns.
Ergonomics
The stand offers height adjustment so using the monitor should be comfortable no matter how tall you or your desk are. For a dual display setup, it’s even handier because you can adjust the display to be on the level of your laptop’s display (or very close to it). There is also something that Samsung calls MagicAngle which lets you to adjust the angle of the monitor.
System Requirements
Windows XP and Windows 7 will be supported at launch, but users of Windows Vista and Mac OS X will have to wait for a driver, which is set to be released later in 2011 (NY Times quotes October). On the hardware side, Samsung states that a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo or better is required along with 2GB of RAM. Intel, ATI/AMD, and NVIDIA graphics are supported but it’s unclear whether this includes all GPUs made by these companies or only certain models. A 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo actually sounds pretty high as a requirement; personally I would expect Central Station to run fine on a 2010 MacBook Air, which has a slower CPU.
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DigitalFreak - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
They probably compress the hell out of it.DanNeely - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
Probably, but USB2 monitor adapters have always stank above very low resolutions (no smooth animation or video playback); unless they're offering a USB3 dongle this is unlikely to be usable.(Only offering USB2 data even with a USB3 level hookup isn't unreasonable since the video would need most of the bandwidth.)
Hrel - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
I want a wireless hub, with built in usb dongle. But I wanna use it with whatever tv/keyboard/mouse/speakers etc I want. I don't wanna be forced into that rather mediocre Samsung display. Personally I like my 37" HDTV best for my bedroom. So if I could just set the laptop on the nightstand, grab my bluetooth keyboard/mouse or 360 controller or whatever and just start using it on my tv without having to fuss with cables that'd be great.You know what. I've been wondering when I'll finally ditch desktops all together. Being a bit of a power user and all. I think when the day that everything I want from a dock comes that will be the day I decide to never build another desktop again.
Also hopefully by then EVERY laptop part is standardized and interchangeable like desktops are now, mostly. Seriously guys, it's not that hard to just certify a specific chassis for 55W TDP GPU and 45W CPU or whatever. Then people like us, who read sites like this all the time, could mess around with customizing heatsinks and fans and what not. Liquid cooling in a laptop? One day friends, one day:)
SlinkyDink - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
You'll still need to connect the laptop for power, so might as well just plug in a mini display port instead.Apple has the right idea with it's recent patent showing a magsafe connector that has Lightpeak built in (just one cable for power, display, NAS, devices, etc)
Kristian Vättö - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
If you have a laptop with long battery life, there may not be a need to connect the power cord every time. Apple's patents are always interesting but most of the time they never see the daylight. I think Central Station does have a market and a future. Like I said in the article, these are the first gen monitors so they left a lot to be desired.velis - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
For mentioning the 2560 resolution.I think review sites such as Anandtech should really push for resolutions because the manufacturers aren't listening to us enthusiasts.
Given enough "demand" from review sites, there's bound to be a manufacturer that would take the plunge and try a decent high-res monitor so that we at least have a choice.
Otherwise we'll be stuck with 1080p for years to come...
Kristian Vättö - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
In this case, I actually understand the low resolution. Since it's wireless, there are bandwidth limitations. A higher res requires more bandwidth and might be that this technology isn't advanced enough to support 2560 resolutions. Otherwise I'm totally with you, we need more 2560 displays at better prices :)viktory - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
Plugging in one VGA/DVI Cable, which is also standardised, is now too much to ask for? Not sold.I would like to see an open standard for video-out on phones running meego/android/ios.
Turn your phone into your all-purpose computing device. That may sell some new monitors.
Peanutsrevenge - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
I've been talking a bit recently about the whole docking thing (Asus transformer & Padfone).So, how long until we just have our (super)smartphones doing all the work and just dock them to whatever size screen /peripheral is best for whatever situation?
Gaming/DTP/Graphics etc will continue to demand high end desktops, but most people just browse the web (cloud computing anyone?) and process some words, so such technology would be brilliant.
Oh technology, how I love you so!
krackel - Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - link
I have one of these and it uses UWB for the wireless connection which is way it doesn't suffer any interference issues with my WiFi or BT. The thing i like the best about it is the quick connect/disconnect time. Exactly as they described i use this for business and when i come in and out of my office it quickly and easily connects and disconnects allowing me to both use the monitor and quickly print something to my USB printer that is connected to the monitor. I don't do a ton of gaming or watching movies, but it works perfect for typical video clips and watching streams while I am working.