CrowVision review the MONITOR for Raspberry Pi and more
A display, a laptop, a weather station, a cyberdesk or a screen for retro gaming? These are the first questions that spontaneously arose in my mind once I opened the box of this CrowVision, well the answer will leave many people speechless because this technological gem can be all this and much, much more.
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Made by Elecrow, a company located in Shenzen that produces electronics kits for every creativity lover, this brand new screen with generous dimensions of 11,6" tempts every type of do-it-yourself enthusiast because Crowvision is a monitor with input HDMI but it is equipped with a touchscreen and has the possibility of becoming anything you could want also thanks to integration with Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA, BeagleBone etc. but let's go in order and start talking about the contents of the package.
Package Contents
The package is truly beautiful to look at and you can perceive all the care put into the creation of this screen starting from the protections inserted, in fact it has two protective sheets and also a screen protector already mounted so as not to ruin the surface and a perfect division of the tools as well as a large quantity of the same, in fact the box arrives with:
- 11,6" CROWVISION screen
- HD to Mini HD cable
- Micro HD to Mini HD cable
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- USB-A to Micro USB cable
- Keyboard for OSD control
- Charger (12V-2A)
- User Manual
Specifications CROWVISION techniques
- External dimensions: 291 x 184 mm
- Screen diagonal: 11.6 inches
- Display resolution: 1366 x 768
- Weight: grams 590
- Screen type: IPS
- Touch screen: 5-point capacitive
- Power supply: 12V
- Available ports:
- HDMI mini (C) - Video input
- USB micro-B-Touch screen output
- USB type A female – 5 V output to power external devices
- 3.5 mm TRS female jack – Analog output for headphones or external amplifier
- 4-pin connector, 1.25 mm pitch
- 8-pin connector, 1.25 mm pitch
First impressions
With this CROWVISION, we are faced with a type of screen which is IPS and that is, we do not have to stand in front of the screen to be able to see well, in fact it is perfectly visible even from very wide angles (In Plane Switching), the viewing angle declared it is 178 degrees and you can really perceive the quality of the images.
As we said before, this CROWVISION screen is created specifically for the world of makers, in fact this device is nothing more than a "naked" screen (without any type of external shell) but we have the possibility, via the links provided to us, to print the external shell yourself with a 3D printer or, for example, place this screen on a wall to control a house equipped with a home automation system or, leave it as we find it and position it as we like.
Being completely customizable even starting from the external case, this screen can be integrated into many things, these possibilities make it a truly unique gem and in this review I'm going to show you the tests I carried out to show you some of the potential that this CROWVISION has .
CROWVISION e Xiaomi TV stick
I have owned a Xiaomi TV stick for a few years which allows me to turn my very dated TV into a full-fledged Smart TV, at this moment I wanted to try it on this Crowvision to see the quality of the videos transmitted and I must say that I was impressed totally delighted, starting from the integration which is truly child-proof, in fact all you have to do is connect the Xiaomi device with a female-female connector for the video and for the power supply all we have to do is connect it to the screen's USB controller output with the supplied cable, finally for the audio, we connect headphones or similar to the aux input (as in the photo) and it is immediately usable.
As already mentioned previously and we can also see it from the photos, the video quality is really excellent and films, TV series, anime etc., everything works wonderfully without slowdowns or differences in controls, from use on TV.
Pairing with a computer
This Crowvision, in addition to transmitting films and videos, can be easily integrated into a PC to have a very useful double screen, all we have to do is connect the HDMI cable to our computer and that's it.
It is not limited to being a perfect double screen but can also become a touch screen, effectively making our PC with the touch functions of an excellent tablet and effectively controlling our PC with a touch screen.
Retrogaming screen
The last test I went to carry out was to connect it to a console for retrogaming and what can I say, we were absolutely delighted by the speed, clarity and above all the possibility, unlike a TV, of moving it anywhere with minimal space, as you can see from the images. everything is extremely clear, defined and bright, a real gem.
As mentioned previously, I am amazed by the simplicity with which to make connections to the CROWVISION, in fact I did not have to modify any connections at the back but only replace the object at the front.
in a period where all inputs are becoming standardised, it is increasingly easier to make connections and this screen is compatible with more and more things.
CROWVISION final considerations
I was extremely satisfied with the versatility of this device and the development potential it demonstrated, the beautiful thing is that I didn't even scratch the surface of the things that can be achieved with this multifunctional device.
The quality of the touch, the visibility of the screen, the simplicity of connection with any device you put in contact with, is truly crazy for its price and is among the best screens/touch screens I have had the pleasure of touching.
My final consideration is therefore: CROWVISION, if you have doubts about purchasing it, take it, you won't regret it at all!
The CROWVISION can be purchased on the official website starting from $119, a really interesting price for a quality complement that can be used in multiple ways.
