The Hindu Business Line : The bigger picture

FLAT panel monitors are making waves in the industry. From being a part of a businessman's most prized possession to being a pretty face in a luxury hotel.

And driving their appeal is digital convergence — that of PC and TV technology. This convergence has led to the development of monitors as devices that can work as a PC and also as a standalone TV.

In keeping with international trends, the Indian customer today realises that the most important part of a PC is the monitor, through which he interfaces with the PC. What he wants from the monitor is satisfactory display. And this is where TFT LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) monitors are catching the market's eye. Also, with the monitor as the only visible part of the PC (the CPU is now going under the desk), the customer is now asking for technology and aesthetic innovations. This is directly leading to a spurt in demand for TFT LCD monitors, and monitors that look different. The simple-looking ivory colour box is now getting more colourful-looking cousins in black, silver and even fluorescent blue.

If one wants figures of comparison, between the TFT LCD monitor and the CRT monitor, the viewing area of a 15" TFT LCD monitor is equal to the viewing area of a 17" CRT monitor. Thus it is only fair to compare the cost of a 15" TFT with a 17" CRT monitor. Despite the fact that a TFT LCD monitor costs practically double the amount as compared to a CRT Monitor (for instance, a 15" TFT LCD monitor costs Rs 21,000 while a 17" CRT costs Rs 9,000), these monitors are becoming more popular.

In 2002, the size of the industry was 50,000 units (2.3 per cent of the total industry). This year, the TFT LCD market is expected to close at 150,000 units (close to 7 per cent of the total industry) and is expected to reach 330 K (cross the 13 per cent mark) by end 2004.

Trendy and affordable

The key attributes drawing the customer to TFT LCD monitors include space saving by over 75 per cent, zero radiation, and, of course, trendy looks. Add to that savings in energy costs due to the decrease in power consumption and you can see why LCD monitors are high up on a lot of people's wish-lists right now.

A TFT LCD monitor today has become a true symbol of style and authority.

TFT LCD monitors are increasingly being favoured by medical professionals, banks, financial institutions, the aviation industry, stock brokers, hotels, corporates and celebrities.

One of the primary reasons why TFT-LCD monitors are in demand in the medical systems market is that they produce virtually no radiation, compared to conventional CRTs. Many medical environments cannot use a CRT since they have a direct and negative impact on radiology used in many medical processes.

Call centres hold promise

With the burgeoning call centre industry in India, there is a huge growth envisaged on TFT LCDs. According to industry experts, manpower attention is a big problem in call centres. Individuals perform tasks up to 50 per cent quicker on a LCD monitor. Users are also 10 per cent more accurate when using larger screens. Thus one sees benefits from increased productivity. One could say 19" TFTs are now becoming the de facto standard in all international call centres.

This is because in a typical call centre application, the user needs to see maximum information on a single screen, which is possible on a 19" screen where 2 A4 sheets can be viewed together. Also, the monitor offers a backlight and liquid crystals, which selectively allow light to permeate. Despite prolonged use, the user is not likely to experience eye strain or headache.

This ensures an energetic and positive work environment for people working long hours in the call centre industry.

The future of this display is in technologies such as OLED (organic light emitting display) and FED (field emission display). OLED is brighter and uses less power because it needs no backlight. That's a future technology. Now, it's used in hand-phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Given the current PC penetration levels, the Indian market still has a long way to go.

Just like the Green Revolution, the `White' revolution will change the very landscape of India.

On the whole, the Indian monitor market is very interestingly poised for a demand explosion with the home user set to lead this `White Revolution.'

The author is Country Product Manager, Samsung India Electronics Ltd (IT Division).

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