Sapphire To Launch LCD Displays

When any business relies solely on a struggling partner, it’s often wise to diversify one’s product line. Sapphire Technologies, known for its AMD powered graphics cards, is jumping into the display business.

At this year’s Computex, Sapphire showed off a few pieces of work not typically part of the company’s portfolio of products.

The first is a massive 56” LCD display that cranks out an 8.3 megapixel solution – that’s 3840 x 2160. As a comparison Dell’s 3008WFP only outputs a measly 2560x1600. With an estimate price tag of $59,000 USD, Sapphire believes the display will appeal to a very specific part of the market, mainly medical and designers.

The second is a 3D monitor and driver set. The set delivers a polarized stereoscopic image and requires a special pair of polarized sunglasses. While the idea is not new, Sapphire claims the results are of a “Sapphire innovation,” and will be the first 3D stereoscopic driver for AMD graphics. The technique behind technology appears very similar to Nvidia’s 3D drivers, which currently has Zalman pushing a 3D monitor compatible with Nvidia cards.

“ATI doesn’t have 3D drivers. We’ve done a proof of concept working with a different monitor manufacturer, using our own driver set to integrate with the ATI driver to deliver 3D not just in games but in the workstation market.” Said Bill Donnelly, Sapphire Technologies global public relations director.

Currently both the drivers and displays are in the final stages of development. Consumers should expect to see bundles for gaming and professional usage within the next few months.

Sapphire was also caught showing off a massive 56” display at this year’s Computex.