New LCD monitor watches you

Eizo Nanao says its new FlexScan monitors can detect whether a person is sitting in front of it - or not. To save energy, it will shut off after 40 seconds. And who else is looking at you?

Monitor-maker Eizo Nanao has announced the inclusion of a "EcoView Sense" feature into their just announced FlexScan monitors; the 20-inch EV2023W and the 23-inch EV2303W.

The EcoView feature, allows the monitors--using motion detectors--to detect if a person is sitting in front of it.

If it senses for 40 seconds that no one is there, it puts the monitor into sleep mode. It then resumes normal operation when the user returns. For example, it won't be fooled by such shenanigans as leaving a cardboard cut out of yourself in front of it. It will only resume if there is movement up to 120 centimeters in front of it.

And that brings us to ninja training. If I'm ever lucky enough to get one of these in, the first two tests I'm running are the "Can I be still enough that it thinks I'm not here?" test and the "Can I return to my chair slowly and smoothly enough, that it doesn't know I ever came back?". Yes, I have the mind of a 10-year old. So what of it?

Its benefits to would-be ninjas aside, these are two of the world's first monitors to receive the recently announced TCO Displays 5.0 Certification. Why should you care? Well, according to TCO the tests used in the 5.0 spec are just plain tougher. Also, According to Eizo these are the first Eizo products to achieve EPEAT Gold status.

The FlexScan EV2023W is equipped with a VA panel with a 1600 ? 900 native resolution, 178? viewing angles, and 3000:1 contrast ratio. The EV2303W comes with a TN panel with a 1920 ? 1080 native resolution, 160? viewing angles, and 1000:1 contrast ratio. Both monitors claim a 250 cd/m2 brightness and come with one VGA and one DVI-D input. HDMI was not mentioned as these are more business-centric displays.

According to Eizo, beginning with these models, it is introducing a more compact design for its EcoView line by reducing the number of components inside the main body. This not only makes the body thinner and lighter than the previous design, but allows both monitor to ship in smaller containers with significantly less packaging. Whether the company actually does ship the monitors with less packaging remains to be seen.

Other energy-saving features include an ambient light sensor that adjusts the display's brightness according to the amount of light in the room. And each monitor includes a power switch that allows them to turn off completely and not draw any power whatsoever.

Angering your new Eizo monitor is never a good idea. One minute you're at work, updating your Facebook status. The next, disintegrated. Without even a speck of dust left. Co workers, coming to snatch you for foosball will never suspect that your monitor just ended your existence. Meanwhile, the Eizo waits, unsuspected, for its next victim. We advice disabling this feature after unboxing the display.

This article was originally posted on CNET's Crave.