Samsung has announced 40- and 46-inch displays with built-in computers running Windows XP Embedded (XPe). Targeting "video walls" for signage, the 400UXn and 460UXn have bezels under half an inch wide, 5000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, AMD Athlon64 X2 3400+ processors, and 4GB of flash, says Samsung.

Samsung's two displays are identical except for size. The 400UXn offers a 40-inch screen, and the 460UXn offers a 46-inch display. Both have maximum resolutions of 1366 x 768 pixels, an impressive 1200:1 contrast ratio, and 5000:1 dynamic contrast ratios. The latter, a measurement of the lightest and darkest colors the device can produce, means the devices may be deployed in "even the brightest locations," the company says.

The displays are capable of being driven by external computers or video devices, via a bevy of standard interfaces. For use with PCs, the 400UXn and 460UXn have VGA and DVI ports, along with BNC connectors. For use with video devices, they have composite, S-Video, component, and HDMI interfaces.

Both devices can play back presentations, stream video, and connect to a LAN or a WAN without the aid of any external device, because both incorporate computers based on AMD's dual-core, 1.8GHz Athlon64 X2 3400+ CPU and RS690T northbridge. The systems boast accelerated 2D/3D graphics via an integrated graphics processor. The southbridge is AMD's SB600. The systems have 512MB of DDR2 DRAM standard, 4GB of flash memory, and a gigabit Ethernet interface.

Like the 70- and 82-inch 700DXn and 820DXn Samsung introduced earlier this year, the 400Uxn and 460UXn can be programmed with content over a network connection by one or more PCs running Samsung's Magicnet Pro software. As seen below, Magicnet Pro has a simple, drag-and-drop user interface, and is said to allow the construction of video walls five monitors wide and five high. It also includes asset-management features, and can be used to view any given display's fan speed, temperature, or backlighting status, Samsung says.

Samsung's Magicnet Pro
Samsung touts the fact that the 400UXn and 460UXn have bezels just 0.43 inches wide, making video walls "virtually seamless." Other features and specifications listed for the devices include:

* Processor -- AMD Athlon 64 X2 CPU clocked at 1.8GHz
* Memory -- 512MB DDR2 DRAM, 4GB flash
* Display:
o 40-inch screen (400UXn)
o 46-inch screen (460UXn)
o 5000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
o 1200:1 contrast ratio
o 1366 x 768 pixel resolution
o 700-nit brightness rating, with sensor that adjusts to ambient light
* Networking -- gigabit Ethernet (Marvell 88E0855)
* Other I/O:
o VGA input
o BNC inputs
o DVI
o Composite video inputs
o S-Video
o HDMI
o Component video inputs
* Dimensions, without stand:
o 36 x 20.7 x 4.6 inches (400UXn)
o 41.3 x 23.7 x 4.6 (460UXn)
* Weight:
o 61.7 pounds (400UXn)
o 81.6 pounds (460DXn)

The 400UXn and 460UXn each offer 600 x 400mm VESA mounts, and ship with remote controllers. The monitors appear to be available now, but pricing was not quoted by Samsung.