GIGABYTE has introduced its 2^nd Generation 27-inch ‘tactical’ display for gamers, updating the display to offer a maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz. The Aorus FI27Q monitor continues to use a high-quality IPS panel and supports a variety of premium features, including VESA adaptive-sync and noise cancellation. Meanwhile, the new LCD is $50 cheaper than its predecessor from last year. Meanwhile, GIGABYTE also announced the Aorus FI27Q-P monitor that has a DisplayPort 1.4 input and some other feature set improvements.

The GIGABYTE Aorus FI27Q is based on a 2560×1440 resolution 8-bit+FRC IPS panel, which offers 350 nits max luminance, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 178/178 viewing angles, a 1 ms MPRT response time, and a maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz. As you’d expect from such a high refresh rate monitor, the display supports VESA’s adaptive-sync variable refresh technology, and is both AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible certified. The LCD also supports GIGABYTE’s Aim Stabilizer technology that reduces motion blur and promises to make fast-paced scenes look sharper, though it is unclear whether it works with variable refresh rates.

Courtesy to its high-quality panel, the Aorus FI27Q monitor can display 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports HDR mode (presumably using HDR10 transport, but GIGABYTE has not formally confirmed this). Though don’t expect the latter to provide a really good HDR experience, given the mediocre brightness.

Being one of the leading makers of computer components, GIGABYTE offers a wide range of products aimed at virtually all segments of the market. But a notable exception to this has been displays, where the company is focusing on the high-end segment and loading its monitors up with extra features. Among other features on the FI27Q is active noise cancellation (ANC) technology for any headset connected to the display, OSD Sidekick to control display options using a keyboard and a mouse, Dashboard to display hardware-related information on top, custom crosshairs, and game profiles.

As far as connectivity is concerned, the Aorus FI27Q display has a DisplayPort 1.2 input, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and audio connectors. Ergonomics-wise, the monitor comes with a stand designed after a falcon and featuring multiple addressable RGB LEDs that can adjust the display’s height, tilt, and swivel. In addition, the LCD has VESA 100mm×100mm mounting holes.

It is noteworthy that GIGABYTE is also offering the Aorus FI27Q-P monitor with a DisplayPort 1.4, which essentially means that the monitor can support a 10-bit input at the monitor’s full resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate. By contrast, the Aorus FI27Q only supports an 8-bit input for this scenario due to DP 1.2 bandwidth limitations. In addition, the -P version also comes with ANC 2.0 and Black Equalizer 2.0.

The GIGABYTE Aorus FI27Q (and perhaps FI27Q-P) display is now available from retailers like Amazon and Newegg for $549, which is $50 lower compared to the launch price of the Aorus AD27QD.

Related Reading:

• GIGABYTE’s Aorus CV27Q Curved ‘Tactical’ Monitor: 165 Hz QHD With FreeSync 2
• CES 2019: A Monitor from GIGABYTE? The 1440p 144 Hz IPS FreeSync ‘Aorus AD27QD’
• AOC Launches CQ27G1 Curved Monitor: 27 Inch, 144 Hz, FreeSync, Sub-$300
• Samsung’s CRG5 Curved 27-Inch 240 Hz G-Sync Monitor Now Available for $370
• Dell Rolls Out 32-Inch QHD Curved Gaming Monitor (S3220DGF): Up To 165Hz with FreeSync 2
• LG Unveils 27 and 37.5-Inch IPS Monitors with 1 ms Response Time

Source: GIGABYTE

Source: AnandTech – More Hz for Less: GIGABYTE Unveils Aorus FI27Q 27-Inch 165 Hz Monitor

The US District Court for the Central District of California this week ruled that Broadcom’s W-Fi chips used by Apple infringe on patents helds by the California Institute of Technology, and further ruling that the companies must pay Caltech roughly $1.1 billion for damages. Apple and Broadcom plan to appeal.

The patents in question cover Irregular Repeat Accumulate (IRA) codes, an error-correcting code (ECC) technology that allows data to be reconstructed if some bits are scrambled during transmission. Researchers from Caltech published a paper describing IRA codes back in 2000 and then filed multiple patent applications. IRA codes were eventually adopted by 802.11n (introduced in 2009), 802.11ac (de-facto launched in 2013), and digital satellite transmission technologies.

Caltech tried to license its patents to various parties for years, but then the institute filed a lawsuit against Hughes Communications and Dish Network in 2015, and against Broadcom in 2016 (eventually adding Apple as a defendant). Dish Network and Hughes settled the dispute with CalTech in 2016, but Apple and Broadcom asserted that since IRA codes were an extension of previously published ECC-related papers, Caltech’s patents in question were invalid and should not have been granted. Over the lifetime of the dispute, patent judges, the US Court of Appeals, and now a federal jury sided with Caltech.

Apple has used Broadcom’s violating Wi-Fi chips in hundreds of millions of devices, including iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, since 2012. As a result, it was ordered to pay Caltech $837 million, or $1.40 per device, according to Engadget. Meanwhile, Broadcom was ordered to pay $270 million.

Apple, which called itself “merely an indirect downstream party,” told Reuters that it planned to appeal the decision. Broadcom plans to do the same. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Caltech plans to file lawsuits against other manufacturers of equipment that features technologies which use IRA codes.

The statement by Caltech reads:

“We are pleased the jury found that Apple and Broadcom infringed Caltech patents. As a non-profit institution of higher education, Caltech is committed to protecting its intellectual property in furtherance of its mission to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education.”

Related Reading:

• Samsung to Pay $400 Million for Infringing FinFET Patent
• Apple Joins Intel in New Antitrust Suit Against SoftBank-Controlled Fortress
• Intel Files Antitrust Suit Against SoftBank-Controlled Firm Over Patent Aggregation
• GlobalFoundries and TSMC Sign Broad Cross-Licensing Agreement, Dismiss Lawsuits
• Apple and Qualcomm Bury the Hatchet; Sign New Patent and Chip Supply Agreements
• AMD Wins Patent Infringement Case Against Vizio & Others; Vizio Ordered To Cease Some TV Imports
• NVIDIA & Samsung Settle All Patent Infringement Disputes

Sources: Ars Technica, Reuters, Engadget, Court Listener

Source: AnandTech – Caltech Wins .1 Billion in Patent Suit Against Apple & Broadcom