Before the IFA show opened I came across a press release that LGE unveiled here at IFA 2012: a personal smart TV (with an IPS LCD panel) incorporating LG’s smart TV functionality, Cinema 3D and Cinema Screen design. Continue Reading
Category Archives: Desktop Monitors
Can VIZIO Cross Over from TVs to PCs?
News that VIZIO plans to enter the PC market caught quite a few CES attendees off-guard, and it was a common topic of conversation at the show this week. The company announced plans to market all-in-one (AIO) and notebook PCs.
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3D Sony Monitor? Aren’t They Out of the Monitor Business?
The Sony brand was once synonymous with high-end computer monitors. Graphic designers, business users, and PC game enthusiasts all wanted a big Trinitron CRT monitor. The transition to LCD monitors came before Sony had made any investments in large-area LCD production, so other brands were able to capture share in the monitor market. Despite Sony’s strong brand association for monitors, they exited this business in late 2007. Sony stayed in the PC business—notebooks, all-in-one PCs, and even tablet PCs—but hasn’t had desktop PCs or monitors in years.
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Who’s Got the Power for LCD Monitors?
With global demand for TVs remaining behind industry expectations, panel makers with fab lines to fill continue to eagerly look for ways to revitalize other large-area panel markets like monitors. Recent supply chain indications from Korean LCD manufacturers suggest a new wave of promotion for wide-viewing angle IPS (in-plane switching) and PLS (plane-to-line switching) panels for desktop monitors. As one can imagine, one way to promote these technologies is to lower the price premium over the standard TN (twisted nematic) for these arguably better technologies.
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MFMs: No Longer the “Blue Ocean” for Monitor Makers?
As we have noted, the lines between small TVs and desktop PC monitors with built-in tuners have been blurry since the advent of the flat panel TV market. Such grey areas are particularly attractive to companies that enjoy strong brand awareness in both TV and PC markets. Two of the brands that dominate the MFM (multi-function monitor) space are Samsung and LGE. While it is generally understood that most MFMs are purchased by consumers as smaller-sized TVs, MFM markets seemed like a blue ocean to these monitor businesses since other brands cannot easily enter the space.
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