Displays/Monitors

Ampronix Inc. has become a retail and supply source for Barco Medical Imaging Systems' products. The agreement, unveiled at SCAR, noted that Ampronix also will provide pre- and post-sales support for Barco display monitors.

Ampronix also specializes in service, repair and replacement for medical imaging peripherals.



NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America Inc. and Richardson Electronics Ltd. revealed at SCAR 2004 a new strategic partnership.

Richardson will now deliver the NEC MultiSync MD series displays as part of an integrated display system.

NEC provides medically certified high-resolution LCD (liquid crystal display) grayscale monitors to the diagnostic imaging industry. The company says it plans to launch a number of new displays this fall, including a 21.3-inch 2 and 3 megapixel grayscale display. The displays will be equipped with enhanced black level adjustment for control of images, GammaComp technology for accurate grayscales, ultra-thin frame designs, an internal power supply and an anti-glare/low reflection SA-IPS module.



Planar Systems Inc. showed the newest addition to its portfolio -- the Dome QX line of grayscale displays for referral review in a distributed PACS environment. These 2- and 3-megapixel displays are available with Dome CXtra software that offers DICOM calibration and enterprise management options.

Planar also showcased its Dome CX all-digital flat panels for radiology. The Dome CX line includes 2-, 3- and 5-megapixel grayscale, as well as 3-megapixel color displays.

The company also promoted its "Fat to Flat" trade-in program. Until July 16, the company will take a facility's 2-megapixel or higher grayscale analog display controllers - regardless of make and model - and in return offer special incentive pricing on the purchase of dual sets of Dome C3 3-megapixel and Dome C5i 5-megapixel grayscale flat-panel displays.



Eizo Nanao Technologies Inc. introduced at SCAR its RadiCS calibration and quality control (QC) management software and RadiNet and RadiNet Pro network QC software. Eizo says the new products will ensure stable, consistent image quality on all of its RadiForce monitors and track and record monitor performance from a central location.

RadiCS' tasks include acceptance and consistency testing, calibration to DICOM part 14, and pattern and self-diagnostic checks. RadiNet and RadiNet Pro offer centralized management of monitors distributed throughout a facility. Administrators can check and modify settings for each monitor directly from a host server. The software includes ToneCurve Tuning Utility for individual adjustment of grayscale and color tones and RadiCS GX2 and RX1 calibration kits for monochrome and color Radiforce models.

Eizo also has begun shipments of its RadiForce R22 2-megapixel LCD monitor for CT, MRI and PET (positron emission tomography) viewing. The R22 replaces Eizo's R21 monitor. New features to the R22 include DICOM image modes with both clear base and blue base settings and factory adjustment of gamma for color and grayscale reproduction between units. A thin bezel reduces space requirements compared to conventional LCD monitors and requires less eye movement between screens in a dual display environment, Eizo said. The RadiForceR22 accepts both digital and analog signal input with its DVI-I and D-Sub input terminals. Radiforce R22 is offered as part of a complete imaging system including monitor and choice of graphics boards.



Quest International, Inc. introduced at SCAR its Medical Docking Station (MDS). The new station permits a laptop computer to drive one or two external monitors up to 5 megapixels, enabling a physician to move between hospital and home locations with a laptop and the MDS. The MDS interfaces with the internal PCI bus of the laptop via the Type II PCMCIA slot to drive a high-resolution video card in the MDS at 132MB/sec bandwidth of the PCI bus. Quest sells three versions of the docking station: the MDS-2, MDS-3 and MDS-5 for driving a pair of 2-megapixel, 3-megapixel and 5-megapixel LCD monitors respectively.



U.S. Electronics Inc. (USEI) showed its new CCL212 2-megapixel color monitor and its ME213L LCD monitor. Both products carry a five-year warranty and are designed for diagnostic viewing for all modalities, except for mammography. USEI plans to begin shipments of both monitors in June.

USEI also recently received FDA on its ME511L 5-megapixel monochrome LCD flat-panel display for use with PACS. The Totoku ME511L has a 21.3-inch screen for multi-modality use and offers viewing angles of 170 degrees in all directions. Additional documentation has been submitted for FDA monitor clearance for mammography applications.



PFU Systems, Inc. demonstrated at SCAR its Plug-N-Run G3 modules with Intel Pentium M and Celeron M processors in multi-display medical diagnostic solutions. High levels of integration and a compact footprint make it possible for medical OEM designers to simplify their form and functionality design challenges for compact, secure and quiet requirements. Built-in Signature Technology provides a flexible framework to implement security features to meet HIPAA regulations. Four integrated digital video outputs for DVI or LVDS displays implement extended desktops and dual independent display buffers, while integrated MPEG-2 decoding provides real-time viewing of MPEG-2 compressed PACS images.

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