02/02/99

By Doug Bedell / The Dallas Morning News 

On the desk, space truly is the final frontier.

 Hulking cathode ray tubes, or CRTs, have gobbled up acres of your workspace as bigger computer screens have become more affordable the last two years. Consumers have grudgingly surrendered more territory to these monsters in exchange for better performance and reduced eyestrain.

 Help is on the way in the form of flat, liquid crystal displays - lean, 6-inch-thick digital monitors that can be hung from walls or pushed way back in the typewriter well.

 Suddenly, there's a whole new look for the workstation. Although they cost twice as much, these little space saviors will gradually turn the tide, analysts predict.

 "We're very excited about the prospects," says Kevin Kyle, Compaq's director of marketing on consumer peripherals.

 Compaq, maker of the $900 FP700, joins 21 other manufacturers with high hopes for low-profile liquid crystal displays, also known as LCDs.

 Sales figures and projections show that they've got some hurdles to overcome with pricing. But the benefits and technical improvements are beginning to catch consumers' eye, according to the most recent market research.

 About 56,000 flat panel monitors were shipped during the third quarter of 1998, up 95 percent over the previous period. 

Returning the desktop space to its rightful owners will not be an easy fight, however. Market researchers at Stanford Resources predict that steady declines in the prices of 19-inch CRTs will make the switch from analog CRT to digital LCD a slow one.

 "But I think they're approaching a comparable price, although there's a tremendous variation in the quality of the screen image, just like there is in CRTs," says Rhoda Alexander, Stanford senior market analyst.

 Shoppers, she says, should do their homework.
 
 

LCD vs. CRT
 
 

In the world of computer monitors, one maxim holds: Bigger is better. A 17-inch monitor has about 35 percent more screen area than the 15-incher now standard on most desktops. Go up to 19 inches and you've increased the advantage 75 percent. You see more of your application windows; you scroll less. As a result, you're more productive. Games look better. In general, you're a happier computer jockey.

 When comparing LCDs to CRTs of the same size, there are some factors to consider. Flat panels are more efficient users of both desk and screen space. Unlike a CRT, the LCD has a viewable area that is generally the same size as its quoted display dimension, which is measured diagonally.

 A 15-inch LCD has about the same viewable area as a 17-inch CRT. The highly touted AcerView 78ie 17-inch CRT, for example, offers a 15.7-inch viewable area for about $700, while the Compaq FP700 goes for about $900 with a 15.1-inch view.

 Once past those stats, the comparisons are clearer. CRTs are analog-based, and LCDs are digital. That means LCDs have distinct advantages. They push out images that are clearly crisper, brighter and free of the flicker often present in analog displays. The result is less eyestrain for users - and fewer headaches.

 Flat panels hold another edge. These LCDs use a plastic sheeting to sandwich crystals that form the display. The outside of that plastic surface deflects irritating overhead light; CRTs reflect it toward you.

 Some LCDs, however, can be difficult to view unless you're directly in front of them. CRT images can be seen from across the room at nearly any angle.

 Viewing angles are improving with time and technological advancement. Some LCD makers are using the active-matrix display configuration used by high-end television sets. With active-matrix displays, images can be seen clearly from 60 degrees either side of dead center.

 NEC's flat panels feature XtraView, which promises an 80-degree viewing angle from above, below, left and right of center - 160 degrees both horizontally and vertically. As you move farther to the side, the image usually grows dimmer. Some vendors include the dimmer image when quoting the viewing angle; others are more conservative and quote a narrower viewing angle.

 Ms. Alexander says she has been shocked at the disparity in quality among LCDs - even those that supposedly use the best technology. Some of the LCDs at last fall's Comdex, the computer industry show, "were dynamite," she says, "but others . . . I didn't know you could make an active-matrix LCD look that bad."

 By far the most attractive aspect of flat panels is that they're, well, flat. Most are 6 inches thick or less. From the side, they look as if a samurai has slashed the face off a CRT, then mounted it on a svelte stand.

 "I think people are most captivated by the unique design," says Compaq's Mr. Kyle. "When they first see one, they marvel at how thin it is. But on top of that, they like the sleek lines of design. It looks New Age. It looks advanced."

 The radically narrow profile is what gave LCDs their start in this niche. Stockbrokers rushed to buy them for their trading desks, where more screens equal more potential transactions per square foot. LCDs also have found warm homes inside hospitals, where they are trucked from room to room with diagnostic equipment. Home and small-office users will undoubtedly begin converting, too, as prices drop over the next few years.

 One enticing feature of Windows 95 and 98 allows certain combinations of video cards to connect two monitors to a single computer. That way a single desktop can be extended onto the second monitor when configured correctly.

 Macs have had this capability for years. Microsoft has only recently adopted the technology, coveted by many home users and graphics companies. In the past, the problem has always been that CRTs are too bulky to sit side by side on the desktop. Flat screens are a perfect solution to that dilemma. 

"You're using a lot less space with these," Mr. Kyle says. "You're able to hang them on wall if you want. That eliminates the desk unit altogether. That's a huge advantage that can't be ignored."

 But there will be growing pains.

 Most computers are outfitted to handle only analog signals. Some manufacturers, such as Compaq, have started building digital plugs for LCDs right into the box as standard equipment.

 Until everyone does so, however, monitor manufacturers will try to make their products attractive by modifying them to hook directly into standard video display cards used for analog screens.

 The result is that a pure digital signal must be converted to analog, then back to digital. Side effects from that process include fuzzy images and distortion. 

That can be remedied if you're willing to buy a new digital card and face the daunting task of installing it. Of course, if you move the monitor to another machine, the card has to go with it.

 Ms. Alexander warns that many of the lowest-priced LCDs will require these modifications. Buyers should be aware, or beware.

 Another word of caution from the experts: Most LCDs require resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels. Consumers should be sure that their video cards support the number of colors they seek to reproduce.

 If they try to use a lower resolution setting, the LCD will shrink the viewable display to prevent distortion. Or it may introduce "jaggies" - rough edges to text and images that are hard on the eyes.

 Beyond that, CRTs can generate an unlimited number of colors. Digital LCDs are more limited. Some support 16.7 million colors, but others have a lower threshold.
 
 

The bottom line
 
 

Although prices are still beyond what most consumers are prepared to pay, Mr. Kyle and Compaq predict the flat screen invasion will proceed at a steady pace.

 "So far," he says, "they've absolutely exceeded our expectations."

 How quickly you warm to the new digital image may depend on your budget and space requirements. A lack of room atop your desk could push you into the market sooner, and prices will inch lower later this year, Ms. Alexander says.

 But Compaq and the Stanford research group join other market watchers in one forecast: Prices aren't going to bottom out as quickly as they have for PCs.

 "For some people, there was a tendency to stand back from a purchase, looking at the price slides that came at the end of 1998," Ms. Alexander says. "I think there is a reluctance to jump in too early, thinking more reductions are on the way." But a cutback in production of parts from overseas almost guarantees that the price for flat screens "will be stable, and it might even increase," she says.

 "I think the user has to shop around and really look at magazine reviews of all the available displays. Evaluate what you like, what is attractive to you and at what price point is it affordable."
 
 

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