Big LCDs Plentiful, but Still Pricey

Jon Pepper

The biggest trend in displays isn't in the size you see -- it's in the size you don't. Virtually every major monitor manufacturer is introducing LCDs with panels that match a CRT in viewable area and overall performance but cut out the weight, depth, and general hunger for desktop real estate that larger CRTs demand. True, the LCDs still command a hefty price premium versus a comparable CRT. However, as models proliferate and prices continue to drop, this year should mark the beginning of a slow but sure market growth for flat panel displays on the desktop.

"There are lots of applications that lend themselves to LCD panels because of the low power consumption, excellent resolution, and small overall footprint," says Lee Schugar, industry analyst with the Technology Directions Program at Gartner Group/Dataquest (San Jose, CA). "People involved i n desktop publishing, medical fields, financial, military, and many other areas will begin to buy more of these new models coming onto the scene."

NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Mitsubishi, Nokia, Viewsonic, and Nimantics are just a few of the vendors selling thin displays. For example, the Nokia 300XA is a 13.3-inch edge-to-edge display that is only 2.4 inches thick and weighs just 10 pounds, and will probably sell for $2249, including a built-in amplifier and speakers. IBM's new family of LCDs ranges in size from 14.5 to 16.1 inches; prices range from $2795 to $4595.

Several other displays, ranging in size from 13 to 15 inches, will be on the market. Given their edge-to-edge viewing area, these thin LCDs approach a 17-inch CRT in terms of actual screen space, and 16-inch panels approach the viewing area of a 19-inch desktop CRT monitor. At the high e nd, 17- to 19-inch LCD panels that sell for up to $9000 will be available -- expensive but still worth it for those who want the lower emissions or thin profile. "You need the cost to be about two times or so of a CRT to make a dent in the CRT market," says analyst Schugar. Prices are currently closer to 5X right now, and Schugar predicts LCD prices won't hit the 3X price range compared to monitors with similar viewing area before the third quarter of 1998. That, he says, is an optimistic forecast.

For now, most vendors are not expecting to sell LCDs in high volume. Most analysts predict it will still be years before flat panels become more widely used with desktop computers, except for niche markets or those people with plenty of disposable income. "The bottom line is they are still too expensive to take much more than maybe 5 percent of the market by the year 2000," says Ed Buckingham, an analyst with International Data Corporation (Framingham, MA).

To reduce LCD prices, some manufacturers are using passive-matrix technology, which is less expensive, or shaving features. One example: Sharp recently announced a 12.1-inch passive-matrix LCD that's capable of full-motion video thanks to its high contrast and fast response time (fast for a supertwist nematic display).

Another example: NEC's new 14.4-inch MultiSync LCD400V (about $1998) has almost all the features of the company's older 14.4-inch LCD (which costs $2699). The 400V saves cost by eliminating NEC's Extraview technology that allows viewing from angles of up to almost 180 degrees. Analyst Schugar says that if consumer demand increases for LCDs, manufacturing output will increase and prices will drop more rapidly than currently projected.

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Samsung

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Samsung's new LCD will sell for less than $3000.

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Nokia's 300XA

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Nokia's 300XA weighs just 10 pounds.