Innovative LCD Options On The Horizon

Commerce, Calif.-based SVA Group, which has mainly focused on the OEM and the consumer LCD display and television markets, introduced its Partner Club program to increase its presence in the channel, said Danielle Feith, senior director of marketing for the company's North American operations. The program offers partners discounted demo units, access to a dedicated Web site and a toll-free support number, and advanced replacement for units that need to be returned, she said.

SVA is also launching a new joint venture with NEC to build a 15-inch LCD glass panel factory in China late this year. The factory is expected to boost LCD monitor volume significantly, Feith said.

Meanwhile, Avus Systems and Peripherals introduced its DoubleSight displays, which are essentially two 15-inch LCD monitors built into a single unit, said Eric Wang, an account executive at the City of Industry, Calif.-based company. The product lets system builders offer a single unit with a common power supply for customers that require multiple monitors. The unit connects to two VGA outputs or a single dual-output VGA card.

Several vendors are also releasing new LCD monitors with thin bezels.

CTX Technology this month plans to start shipping new thin-bezel 17-inch and 19-inch flat-panel displays with integrated video cameras, microphones, speakers, USB ports and picture-in-picture capability, said Allan Lin, marketing specialist at the City of Industry, Calif.-based company. The new monitors also include S-video, RCA and component connections.

Perry Scheerer, vice president of sales and marketing at Walnut, Calif.-based Advueu Technology, said his company is offering a new series of thin-bezel LCD monitors, including price-competitive, entry-level and step-up models. The step-up model features DVI input and a high refresh rate and contrast.

Jake Brown, vice president of marketing at TENCorp, said the Needham, Mass.-based system builder, has been offering LCD monitors for years to customers with space constraints, but prices have fallen to the point where many clients are purchasing them over CRT monitors. "This is especially true for companies building new networks," he said. Still, customers are price-sensitive, so Brown said he prefers LCD models with few extra features.