Hacker News Reader

Comment by intrasight | Hacker News Reader

I was involved in the US air traffic control system upgrade in the early 90s as a software subcontractor. They were using Sony 2k square CRT monitors. If I recall correctly, they cost about $20k each - in 1990 dollars - partially due to the hardware subsystem for antialiasing.

Googling, I see that this is the replacement monitor:

https://www.aydindisplays.com/2k-x-2k-air-traffic-control-di...

View on HN

Why would anyone make an LCD specifically for ATC displays!? From what I can see, it’s just an ordinary LCD monitor! Sure the 1:1 aspect ratio is a bit weird, but that’s not worth $20K…

looking at the datasheet [0], it has a lot of specialized ports that I would never need, but I wouldn't be surprised if an ATC tower somewhere needed it for obscure compatibility reasons. 5x BNC for analog input, for example. also multiple serial ports for remote controls of some kind, and SNMP support.

the field-replaceable backlight seems to be a big selling point too.

0: https://440148.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/440148/A...

Typical enterprise logic: $20K for an ordinary display that can be "repaired in the field" and comes with "support", instead of $200 for a display that can be replaced in its entirety for... $200.

Biggest change in mentality I saw moving from SMB to enterprise is that in SMB I just kept bought through consumer, often on sale, sometimes used, and kept extra stock.

Enterprise as little as a 8gb sodimm is treated as un-obtainium and costs like $200 or something because it’s special compatibility tested and supported ram. I would see hundreds of 1080p monitors replaced with… hundreds of new 1080p monitors from a different vendor because management bought everything as a package deal form the vendor. The monitor was treated as an essential part of the vendors enterprise offering and one couldn’t very well use another vendors monitors with their docks.

Not just enterprise logic, but enterprise serving the public sector logic. Get those sweet, sweet tax dollars.

You should see how much medical displays are for things like looking at ultrasounds / MRI / xray images.

The $200 monitor can be replaced in its entirety but then union rules mean you need a full-time union tech to swap it out and you need a bunch of them on payroll to ensure you have 24/7 coverage vs a vendor support contract

The ability to have a redundant power supply seems like it might fill a niche

I don't know what those LCDs cost. It was the Sony CRT that cost $20k in 1993.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com