I’ve had my eye on CinemaView monitors since they were announced, but was a little put off recently by the lack of any forthcoming news. Now, Collins America, the makers of the upcoming CinemaView Mini DisplayPort compatible monitors that you can actually afford without selling any of your children, are letting us know that they’re not only still in the works, but that they’ve already undergone a refresh.

That probably means that the displays have yet to see a production line, since major changes in product offerings after you’ve already produced a thousand units isn’t generally regarded as a profitable approach. And Collins America’s changes aren’t minor, either. It’s dropped the 19- and 20-inch models entirely and added a new, high-end offering that makes me drool and is actually priced very reasonably, in line with previous offerings. Finally, it’s added an external HD TV tuner, too, so you can use your CinemaView as your television.

So, the lineup now stands at only two display choices (a 24- and a 47-inch) and a supplementary HD TV tuner that will work with either. Both displays feature 1920×1080 max resolution (read: 1080p), VESA-mount compatibility and four USB ports built in. They also connect to your Mac via a supplied single cable, and are made of aluminum (frame), and optical glass (screen), so they should be in aesthetic harmony with any current gen Mac owner’s setup. They’re priced at $499 and $1499, respectively.

The last piece of the puzzle, the CinemaView TV, will cost you another $399, but it does seem to pack quite a punch into a small package. It boasts four HDMI inputs, a Mini DisplayPort in/out, a composite/component in, and a digital audio in/out. Combined with the 47-inch display, it’s almost the perfect companion to a living room-based Mac mini, which is why I’m leaning towards it. For users who’d rather use their own existing TV, but wouldn’t mind having a little mini A/V receiver (which is what the CinemaView TV basically is), the device also has one HDMI out for connecting to traditional televisions.

Expected ship dates for the entire CinemaView line are also now posted. People looking for the 24-inch display will only have to wait until October, while those hoping to get their hands on the 47-inch and the CinemaView TV will have to cool their heels a little longer, since both have an anticipated street date of January 2010. You can place a no-obligation reservation for the device of your choice now via the CinemaView web site, but international customers might be in for some sticker shock, since there are some pretty hefty markups for orders from outside the U.S.

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Recently, I’ve been looking for a second monitor for my Mac mini since the Mini DisplayPort hook-up is just sitting there empty, and I’m often inclined to play video games and watch TV at the same time, despite the question of whether I can actually enjoy either activity while doing so. New company CinemaView looks to have come along at just the right time. They recently announced a new line of LCD displays designed just for Macs, at a price that won’t break the bank, and with a Mini DisplayPort connector cable out of the box.

That’s not all. It’s actually a combined 1.2-meter Mini DisplayPort/USB/3.5mm mini-stereo composite cable, so you can make use of the three powered USB ports on the rear of the display, and the built-in speakers. And with aluminum construction and Apple styling, you’re basically getting the closest thing to an Apple Cinema Display you can find without actually buying one.

According to the company, the displays were created because they were tired of using “plastic junk” from companies like Dell and Samsung but wanted a lower cost option to Apple. Modesty clearly isn’t the company’s strong suit, as you can tell from this quote from the site’s FAQ:

Q. Are these just copies of Apple’s displays?

A. No. Frankly, we think our design looks better than Apple’s. We think our component and materials selections are superior. And, we think our tilt mechanism (patent pending) and Aluminum base design are sexier than Apple’s.

Without seeing the thing in person, I can’t make any assertions regarding these displays and how they compare to Apple’s on the sexiness scale, but they do look better (and more functional) than the Samsung Touch-of-Color I recently picked up as a gift for my girlfriend, which is a fairly good-looking monitor. Three models are available: a 19-inch for $299, a 21-inch for $399, and a $24-inch for $499. The ship date is currently listed as some time before Sept. 1, but you can reserve one now at their web site, with no obligation to buy.

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