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3M Privacy Filters Help You Comply with Federal Confidentiality Laws
3M Privacy Computer Filters help companies comply with federal legislation requiring confidential personal information be kept confidential. 3M Privacy Computer filters can help medical facilities (i.e. hospitals, clinics, health insurance companies, etc.) comply with the Health Insurance Portability & Accessibility Act (HIPAA). The privacy filters are a simple accessory to desktop monitors, both LCD and CRT, as well as laptop computers. They darken the viewable area of the monitor screen when viewed from the side, which helps prevent the release of confidential personal information that must be protected. Similar legislation exists for those in the financial industry. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) places the same restrictions on banks, finance companies, mortgage companies and credit card companies, to name a few. They even help with PCI & SOX!
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Monitors come supporting different video connector technologies:  VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, or combinations.  Not every monitor supports these, so check the specifications carefully before making your selection.

The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is the most popular high-quality digital connection for monitors (though HDMI is quickly becoming its equal in popularity).  DVI is a video interface standard designed to maximize the visual quality of digital display devices such as flat panel LCD computer displays and digital projectors. It was developed by an industry consortium, the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG). It is designed for carrying uncompressed digital video data to a compatible monitor or projector, and is partially compatible with the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard in digital mode (DVI-D).   DVI represents a major improvement in image quality over the older VGA standard. 

The DVI interface uses a digital protocol in which the desired illumination of pixels is transmitted as binary data. When the display is driven at its native resolution, it will read each number and apply that brightness to the appropriate pixel. In this way, each pixel in the output buffer of the source device corresponds directly to one pixel in the display device, whereas with an analog signal the appearance of each pixel may be affected by its adjacent pixels as well as by electrical noise and other forms of analog distortion.

Previous standards such as the analog VGA were designed for CRT-based devices and thus did not use discrete time display addressing. As the analog source transmits each horizontal line of the image, it varies its output voltage to represent the desired brightness. In a CRT device, this is used to vary the intensity of the scanning beam as it moves across the screen.

The two types of DVI interfaces are Single Link and Dual Link. Following are the features and benefits of each:  Single Link - The Single Link interface is limited to a maximum pixel clock of 165 Hz. It uses four (4) twisted pairs of wires (one each of Red, Green, Blue and Clock). Maximum resolution is 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz.  Dual Link - The Dual Link interface is most common for today’s modern LCD monitors. It provides three times as many pixels as the Single Link interface. And its maximum clock may exceed 165 Hz. Dual Link uses six (6) twisted pairs wires with two (2) each for Red, Green, and Blue, as well as a pair for Clock. Dual Link’s maximum resolution is 2560 x 1600 at 60Hz. When you use the Dual Link Interface you can use a longer cable because of its higher bandwidth. Dual Link also provides HDCP support, which is required for Blu-Ray playback.

If your Computer supports DVI ports, but the Monitor does not, then a DVI to VGA adaptor is available at low cost to solve this.  Or inversely, if the Computer output is only VGA, and the Monitor supports DVI, adaptors are available for this as well.  For our selection of Monitor Adaptors click here »

Its major features and benefits are: lightweight construction (compared to Plasma displays); portability (in the case of smaller displays); the ability to be produced in much larger screen sizes than were practical for older Tube (CRT) displays; and perhaps most important, its much lower power consumption.

Technically, an LCD display is an "electronically-modulated optical device" made up of any number of tiny pixels filled with liquid crystals and arrayed in front of a light source (backlight) or reflector to produce images in color.  The earliest discoveries leading to the development of LCD technology date from 1888. Today, tube CRT displays are almost a thing of the past!

Unfortunately, from time to time, a new LCD TV or Monitor will have a problem pixel.  This is where the physical crystal actually is stuck or frozen in place.  However, don't panic, since these can frequently be fixed.

There are three basic types of problem pixels:

• a hot pixel (always on, usually white)
• a dead pixel (always off, black)
• a stuck pixel (one or more sub-pixels (red, blue or green) are always on or always off)

To solve a problem pixel, it is recommended to let the display fully warm up (leave on for at least a full day) - this alone can fix many problems, as the display expands due to warming and can free the pixel.  Always try this before calling for help.  Next, call the manufacturer's technical support for other techniques that they might recommend - each manufacturer may have different solutions for their products.  There are also other techniques that you might try, but always be careful not to damage your display, as this might void your warranty. 

LCD Problem Pixel Policy
In the event that warranty service or an exchange is required, it is important to understand that every manufacturer has their own dead pixel policies, and that they should be contacted about solutions before requesting any exchange.  We want you to experience the best possible image on your LCD, so typically, an LCD TV or Monitor with 5 hot, dead, or stuck pixels would qualify for an exchange within the first 30 days of ownership after support efforts have been exhausted.  See the product warranty below for more information.

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