Apple Cinema HD Display Repair

The Apple Cinema HD Display is a series of LCD monitors introduced by Apple on June 28, 2004. This page applies only to the 20”, 23”, and 30” monitors with aluminum frames and matte screens. The aluminum design introduced in 2004 replaced the previous plastic “easel-style“ Cinema Displays.

All three displays use a DVI connection for video, but the 30” model—with its larger 2560x1600 pixel resolution—requires dual-link DVI. The 20” and 23” displays (at 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 respectively) only use single-link DVI. You can still connect these displays to modern computers using a DVI adapter; see this article for more details.

Each monitor has a single large cable attached to the back which breaks out into a power cable, a DVI cable, a USB cable, and a FireWire 400 cable. The power cable is fed by an external AC adapter, and the USB and FireWire cables can be plugged into your computer to enable the built-in USB and FireWire hubs on the back of the monitor. You can adjust the brightness using the capacitive buttons of the right side of the monitor.

You can identify these monitors by finding the model number written on the bottom of the elevated screen. The 20” is model A1081, the 23” is model A1082, and the 30” is model A1083.

Around 2010, the Cinema HD Display was discontinued and replaced by the LED Cinema Display which featured a glossy screen and an LED backlight.

Screen

• Anti-glare
• IPS (accurate colors!)
• 16:10 aspect ratio
• 20-inch: 1680x1050, 98.4 dpi
• 23-inch: 1920x1080, 98.4 dpi
• 30-inch: 2560x1600, 101.6 dpi

Video

• 20-inch and 23-inch: DVI-D single link
• 30-inch: DVI-D dual link

Connections

• Two USB 2.0 ports
• Two FireWire 400 ports

Power

• 20-inch: 65 W AC adapter
• 23-inch: 90 W AC adapter
• 30-inch: 150 W AC adapter

Apple Cinema Display on Wikipedia

20” Cinema Display specs on EveryMac

23” Cinema HD Display specs on EveryMac

30” Cinema HD Display specs on EveryMac

Apple Cinema Display User’s Guide

Apple Cinema Displays Technology Overview