Using an Apple Cinema Display with a windows computer
One of the best value monitors for photographic imaging work is the range of widescreen Apple Cinema Displays (ACD). They look good, have a great reputation and they calibrate well too (more of that in another post). But there are a couple of things you are going to need to connect a shiny new ACD to your Windows computer and get full functionality.
First off, you’ll need a video card with a DVI output in your PC. Most modern video cards will have a DVI output no problem, they’ve been around for a while now. The ACD works with a digital not analogue signal which is why you need one! If you are buying the 30″ ACD you’ll need a video card with dual-DVI output. The monitor is so large that it needs twice the juice from your computer to run it.
Once you connect it up it will run fine but there will be two problems you’ll notice:
- You won’t be able to turn it off completely. Even when your PC is off the backlight will glow dimly in the dark.
- You won’t be able to use the brightness buttons on the side of the ACD to set your brightness.
The fix is by way of a small HID driver for Windows called WinACD that is not only free but will cure all your problems and give you some options about how the ACD interacts with XP.
Here are some screenshots of the application:
You can download WinACD here
PP
