I have stumbled upon a solution that I will be implementing in the next week or so. I found what Samsung calls a "System on Panel" on Ebay and just won the bidding for $165. I know that's a little pricey for a project, but it's super cheap for a brand new 15" Samsung LCD, and cheaper even than an LCD controller card. It is manufactured for industrial applications like kiosks.
Specs are as follows:
Model Number: LTM150XI-A01
Screen Size: 15" Diagonal
Resolution: 1024X768 @ 75Hz
Dimensoins: 10 X 13 X .71 (roughly --- and yes, that's less than 3/4 inch thick)
Pixel Pitch: .297
Contrast Ratio: 300:1
Brightness: 250 cd/m2
Weight: 4 lbs. (a little heavy, but I can handle it)
Interface: VGA (Analog RGB)
Power Source: +9 VDC to +12VDC (12 VDC @ 2.3 amp)
This unit includes built in LCD controller, backlight inverter, analog to digital converter and OSD controls. Because it is so thin, I am planning to install it in the side of my case, flush with the surface. The only issue I will have to address is cooling. I have plenty of fans though, so we'll see how it goes. Other than that, it's entirely Plug and Play. You can see the official info from Samsung at:
http://www.samsung.com/Products/Semi...I/LTM150XI.htm
or for PDF spec sheets:
http://www.samsung.com/Products/Semi...xi-a01_new.pdf
I will get this project going as soon as the unit arrives. Again, $165 is kind of a lot for a computer mod, but for a brand new Samsung SmartPanel that retails for about $400, it's not too bad. I'm excited because this is the culmination of several weeks of research.
Cheers, all
Richard