X-bit labs

March 2004 Hardware News Overview (page 12)

Category: Editorial

by Andy Yaschenko

[ 03/15/2004 | 02:11 AM ]

The 17” LCD monitor from NEC, the F17W81 model, belongs to a different category, as the integrated TV tuner and the TV-set-like design indicate. Its functionality embraces integrated 5W speakers, digital, S-Video and composite inputs, an USB 2.0 hub, and so on. The price is impressive, too, being about $915.

Higher up, we see Sharp again with its LL-191A and LL-T2015 models with 19” and 20” diagonals, respectively. Their only distinguishing feature is the 16msec response time, and the prices are appropriate: $700 and $1300, respectively.

LCD monitors with integrated TV-tuners, also known as LCD TV-sets, occupy the next step of the stairs. Once again we see NEC with its F23W11, resembling its junior brother in its parameters and costing about $2300. The FORIS.TV SC23XA1 from EIZO Nanao costs $2350, but it has an integrated DVD-player and two 10cm speakers – just like a regular TV-set.

Guillemot/Hercules will offer us nothing new anymore as the company left the LCD monitor market just like it abandoned its graphics card manufacture. Their reasoning is the same in both cases: low profitability. That’s true as this market is filled with players no worse than the DRAM market. In January, NEC sold its plasma panel manufacture to Pioneer and in February they gave up producing OLED screens, selling to Samsung its share in the joint venture called Samsung NEC Mobile Display. The joint venture for producing LCD monitors between NEC and Mitsubishi seems to be working on, luckily.

Well, if monitors become cheaper, this venture can cease to exist, too. According to Display Research, LCD monitors will lose $3-5 monthly in average, although this price reduction will only become tangible in the summer. The company forecasts LCD monitors to conquer about 70% of the computer monitor market in 2007.

Anyway, the good old CRT will have its 30% even then thanks to such admirers as IBM with its 22” ThinkVision C220p. Yes, this is a real monster, but where could you find an LCD monitor with a 20” diagonal (equivalent to CRT’s 22”), with a resolution of 2048x1536, excellent color reproduction and costing just $589?