Hello Eve Family,
We are moving fast! So fast that we will skip long intros this time and cut straight into the next step: feedback!
Before we dive in
If you’re new to our crowd-developed monitor Project: Spectrum or if you just need a quick recap of what we’ve been up to so far, have a look at this summary of everything to do with the project so far.
If you want to keep up to date with future steps, be sure to subscribe to our crowd-development newsletter!
Spinning already
A mere week ago we posted Propeller’s design concepts, and your responses have been amazing! They are already hard at work with the initial feedback, and asked us more questions. Some of those we were able to answer, but others definitely need a touch of community. So please continue to share your insights as we work towards the next design stage!
Port placement
Cables that plug into the middle of the monitor are easier to manage, but may be harder to reach as they are behind the stand. That’s ideal for cables that are plugged in once and then left there, like a power cable or your video signal cable of choice. Let’s call these ‘permanent’ cables for now. Cables that plug into- or near the edges are easier to reach when you quickly need to plug or un-plug a peripheral, but also stand out more visually. Great for a USB-stick, but not so much for a cable that’ll always be there. Let’s call these ‘temporary’ cables.
I think we can all agree that some ports need to be accessed often, and others can be hidden away more. The question of course is: which cables fall into which category? We see three main use cases, and would like to know which one you most identify with!
1: The ‘traditional’ use case
Power is permanently plugged in, as are the USB-B cable that feeds the built-in USB hub and one or more video signal cables of your choice: HDMI or DisplayPort. USB ports, both Type-A and Type-C are there to quickly plug in temporary accessories like flash drives, external hard disks and SSDs, or game controllers.
| ‘permanent’ ports | ‘temporary’ ports |
|---|---|
   
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2: The ‘USB-C for video’ use case
Much like the ‘traditional’ use case, power is permanently plugged in. But you mainly consider USB-C useful as a video connector: You plug in one or more video signal cables through HDMI, DisplayPort or USB Type-C. The built-in USB-hub gets its data either through a permanent USB-B cable, or the same USB-C cable you use for video. The USB Type A ports are there to quickly plug in temporary accessories like flash drives, external hard disks and SSDs, or game controllers.
| ‘permanent’ ports | ‘temporary’ ports |
|---|---|
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3: The ‘single cable solution’ use case
You use your desk to empower your mobile device. Apart from the power connector, a USB-C cable is permanently plugged in and ready for you when you come home with your laptop or tablet. Once plugged in, your keyboard, mouse, printer or other peripherals are already permanently connected to your monitor through the USB-A ports. All you have to do is plug that one USB-C cable into your device, and you can use your tablet or laptop with all the luxuries of a desktop, even as the same cable charges its battery.
| ‘permanent’ ports | ‘temporary’ ports |
|---|---|
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none |
Please choose the use case that is most like yours!
- 1: The ‘traditional’ use case is most like mine
- 2: The ‘USB-C for video’ use case is most like mine
- 3: The ‘single cable solution’ use case is most like mine
- My use case is completely different from any of these options. (Please leave a comment below!)
0 voters
Our take on this
The power port has to be connected if the monitor is to do anything at all. That makes it the most universally permanent port of all. The ports that were designed specifically to carry video signals (HDMI, DP), as well as the PC uplink port for the USB hub (USB-B) will generally be used for long-term connections as well. It’s the USB Type-C and especially the Type-A ports where users are most likely to regularly add or remove devices. Of course the above poll may shed a different light on the situation. But as a suitable compromise for all use cases, we think the following might work:
The power port is centered. Closest to the center are the HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-B ports. USB-C ports are grouped with the video inputs, but are farthest from the center where they are easiest to reach. USB-A ports are on an edge or close to an edge, for ease of access.
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That sounds about right -
That doesn’t sound right
0 voters
Speaking of those ‘temporary’ ports…
The easier the ports are to reach, the more likely they will be visible – as will any cables or peripherals sticking out of them.
Placing the ports on the edges makes them easiest to find and reach, but they will also break up the smoothness of the edge and a USB-stick or cable would be sticking out of the side of bottom of your screen, very much in view.
Placing ports facing an edge, but offset behind the bezel makes them harder to reach, but they’ll be all but invisible to the user when they’re not in use, and small peripherals like a wireless mouse dongle may be camouflaged in this way.
Placing ports facing backward out of the monitor will also be harder to reach, but any cable or plug sticking out of them will be behind the monitor and out of the user’s view completely, also making cable management easier for anyone who intends to have something plugged in permanently.
So, how should these ports be oriented?
- A: The ‘temporary’ ports should be on the side edge of the display.
- B: The ‘temporary’ ports should be facing the side edge of the display, but be hidden behind the bezel.
- C: The ‘temporary’ ports should be facing backwards out of the monitor.
- D: The ‘temporary’ ports should be on the bottom edge of the display.
- E: The ‘temporary’ ports should be facing the bottom edge of the display, but be hidden behind the bezel.
0 voters
And where should the ports be located?
- 1: The ‘temporary’ ports should be centered on the left edge.
- 2: The ‘temporary’ ports should be in the bottom left corner.
- 3: The ‘temporary’ ports should be centered on the bottom edge.
- 4: The ‘temporary’ ports should be in the bottom right corner.
- 5: The ‘temporary’ ports should be centered on the right edge.
0 voters
VESA & Mounting
Height adjustment and vertical tilt are important for ergonomic reasons. Horizontal tilt is a nice-to-have but can also be achieved by rotating the stand on the desk. Rotation to portrait mode… now that seems to be a much more contentious feature: People who use it seem to swear by it, people who don’t use it don’t care about it at all.
It’s been suggested that maybe we can adjust the connection between the stand and the monitor to allow the monitor to be permanently mounted in portrait mode. So we’re wondering, would that actually be a sufficient solution for portrait-mode users?
- If my monitor can be mounted in portrait mode permanently, it doesn’t need the ability to rotate.
- I use portrait mode, but I need to be able to easily switch between portrait and landscape modes.
- I never use my monitor in portrait mode, this feature doesn’t apply to me.
0 voters
Power & control buttons
Assuming the OSD controls are centered and on the back of the monitor, within easy reach from the bottom, what kind of controls do you prefer?
- 1: I prefer a small joystick that can be nudged in four directions.
- 2: I prefer a round D-pad that can be pressed in four directions.
- 3: I prefer a cross-shaped D-pad that can be pressed in four directions.
- 4: I prefer a separated D-pad that can be pressed in four directions.
- 5: I prefer separate buttons lined up side by side.
0 voters
It’s been suggested we may have additional buttons with pre-set features. For example: Spectrum supports multiple video signals at once. We could have an easy-to-reach button to quickly switch between the active inputs.
What’s your take on extra buttons?
- I want a button to quickly switch between active input signals.
- I want a button to quickly switch between color spaces.
- I want a button to quickly switch between pre-set monitor settings.
- I want a button I can assign a function from the OSD. (Leave a comment and tell us what kind of features you’d like to see!)
- I don’t want any extra buttons on my monitor, it’s just clutter.
0 voters
Status light
Time to shed some light on what your monitor is doing! Is your monitor in stand-by, or is it just paused on a black frame in your movie? Is it even on?
Where do you think the status light should be?
- I prefer a status light on the front of the monitor.
- I prefer a status light on the bottom of the monitor.
- I prefer a status light on the back of the monitor.
- I prefer a status light in the power button, wherever that is.
- I prefer a monitor without a status light (or one that can be turned off).
0 voters
We think it makes sense that the status light shows when the monitor is on and active, on but on stand-by, or off. Though in that case the light would also be off. Maybe you can think of other statuses that really need to be represented by this light, in that case leave a comment and let us know!
What color should it shine when the monitor is turned on and active?
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White, it’s the most neutral. -
Eve red, it’s the brand accent color. -
Green, it’s the universal color for ‘on’. -
User-adjustable RGB, it’s all the rage. -
Some other color, I’ll leave a comment.
0 voters
And if the monitor is on, but on standby?
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The same color as when it’s active, but slowly pulsing. -
Amber, it’s a very common stand-by color. -
Red, it shows that something is wrong (no signal!) -
Some other color, I’ll leave a comment.
0 voters
What about brightness?
- The brighter the better. That way there’s no doubt.
- As dim as possible. If I need to know I’ll look for it.
- Adjustable, so I can choose based on my mood.
0 voters
Show us what you’ve got!
Lastly, designing a monitor by itself is all well and good, but Propeller was really curious about how people have their desks set up. What cables do actual users have running around their monitor, and how have they managed them?
Please post a picture of your current monitor set-up and its cable management!
