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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Sabresiberian - Thursday, June 16, 2011 - link
$600 for a 1920x1080 27" monitor??First of all, I'm not buying anyone's 27" monitor for any price with truck-sized pixels. Second, you can buy a GOOD 27" monitor for $225-250 more with a 2560x1440 screen and decent pixel pitch (excellent by today's standards). I paid $825 for the Dell U2711 by waiting for the right time to buy it. From Dell. There are other good manufacturer options that sell in that price range - and in the U.K. and I believe the rest of Europe, Hazro offers the 2560x1440 27" at around the $600 price (we just can't get them in the U.S.).
I'm not sure what the big deal is about connecting wireless anyway. I mean, my Mom's $400 laptop came with a VGA connector on the back - don't most laptops provide a connector for another monitor? No limitation in bandwidth or degradation in signal - really, what's the point of these things again?
hucklongfin - Thursday, June 16, 2011 - link
No wires is the point. You go to your desk with your laptop and just use the KVM there without attaching anything. When you want to go mobile just grab the laptop and go. As is, I attach my monitor with an HDMI cable, plug in the speakers and the power. Not that big a deal especially since I switched to a wireless mouse and keyboard.HMTK - Friday, June 17, 2011 - link
Crappy resolution: I hate 16:9. That's nice for TV but useless for work. Actually I don't like 16:10 either. 4:3 is far superior but along the way some fucking idiots decided to use widescreen panels on business laptopsIt also needs drivers. Docking stations normally don't (except the crappy USB "docks"). I'd prefer an industry standard connector for video/sound/USB/Firewire/whatever and even power to the monitor. Just 2 cables to plug in on the laptop: power and monitor. And NO drivers. For home use this seems nice, for serious business use less so.
Anon_12345 - Friday, June 17, 2011 - link
http://www.alereon.com/This product uses UWB technology from this company Alereon, they even link to this article on their homepage. They also have some other cool products for wireless HDMI linking and the like, very cool company.
StormyParis - Friday, June 17, 2011 - link
hopefully we'll get a generic version not bundled with a monitor, too.Conficio - Sunday, June 19, 2011 - link
In my eyes this is wasted money:* No open standard, so it only works between Samsung equipment. Well, its an USB dongle, but still...
* USB dongle, that means it also steals a USB port. So the limited number of ports laptps have these days are reduced.
* it connects USB, but USB devices need to be ejected in order to disconnect properly. So just walking away is not an option.
* While many laptops these days dow hold power for a long time. when I'm at my desk I really would liek to charge them at the same time. So now I still have to plugin and unplug a cable.
* The number of USB ports is actually rather low. If I plug in a simple keyboard, a mouse, and a CD drive, what is left? You mean a dockign station just for the screen? Ha, ha, ha, if I dock I want a better keyboard and a mouse. That's me.
* If this central station also would contain a backup and storage server, which also woudl be accessible over the Wired ethernet port and wifi, we might be talking.
Also many questions:
* Is the USB dongle included in the Monitor purchase? If not what is its price?
* Multiple laptops? All off a suden my colleague comes over with his Samsung enabled laptop does it interfear with my conection?
* Can I use my colleagues screen to demo something from my laptop? Is there some on screen menu to choose from teh multipel laptops in the receiving range?
* Are there extender stations for the receiving antennae and projectors (or large TV screens) available? Conference room use, where I want to decide which laptop does project.
roycecrazy - Tuesday, June 21, 2011 - link
It's perfect for business use. I've already got the Samsung Series 9 at work, and with this I'll have a dream setup. A nice looking, ultraportable laptop with great specs, and a superslick wireless docking solution for my office.I can't really see anyone challenging the combo of the Samsung Central station and the Samsung Series 9 laptop for business use.
HN55 - Friday, June 24, 2011 - link
I have a Series 9 and just got the Central Station. Can't seem to make the 9 talk to the CS via WiDi. And, the CS USB dongle is too small to fit into the 9's recessed USB ports.If you figure out how to attach via WiDi, I'd appreciate hearing how you did it.
roycecrazy - Monday, July 4, 2011 - link
This comment is from CNET:"Samsung support tells me that the Series 9 will NOT connect to the CS without the dongle. The realize (now) that the dongle will not fit into the S9, so they are providing a new dongle. Just call Samsung support with the serial numbers of your S9 and CS.
Does seem a bit strange that Samsung's two newest products can't connect wirelessly without an extra dongle."
I'd like to get Kristian Vättö to comment on this. He claims in this article that:
"Update: As noted in the comments, Samsung uses UWB
(Ultra-wideband) for wireless connection. It's the most suitable for
small range connections which explains Central Station's 5 feet range.
Some laptops even have UWB built-in (e.g. Samsung 9 Series) so they can
connect to Central Station without the USB dongle."
I will call Samsung and have them send me a new Dongle, but I'd still like to be able to connect without the dongle.
katepop79 - Friday, January 27, 2012 - link
I do NOT recommend buying a Samsung Central Station monitor - after spending nearly $400 more vs regular monitors for wireless connectivity and docking, it is full of bugs. It has tremendous trouble sensing my laptop at all (despite being 3 inches away) and constantly shuts itself off or doesn't sense the laptop at all. Samsung customer service told me that's because it works best when NOT plugged into a surge protector! Best Buy Geek Squad told me they would never NOT plug office equipment into surge protector. It's too late to return this monitor and honestly I wasted so much money on it. VERY DISSATISFIED and samsung said there is nothing they can do to help. I was pretty apauled that they are aware of these flaws and do not clearly label that on the product or make their retail partners aware. That's the last time I buy anything that Samsung makes.