How big can an LCD monitor be?

There is no doubt about it, TFT LCD monitors are taking the place of the tubes on people's desktops. Thanks to the innovativeness of large-scale makers of LCD panels like Samsung, LG and Sharp, the display quality of LCD monitors has improved substantially.

The viewing angle is wider, the contrast ratio is better, and the colors are more vibrant. The latest crop of TFT monitors also have a better capability in displaying videos.

The prices have not come down much lately due to strong demand since early this year, but it just shows how popular this type of computer display monitor has become.

And we now have a wider choice in terms of size, too. Acer and its independent brand Benq now offer three sizes of LCD monitors- 15, 17 and 18 inches. The 15-inch and 17-inch are the most common sizes of LCD monitors today, and they should be available from other monitor vendors such as Viewsonic, NEC, Sony and Eizo.

Apple Computer also have 15-inch and 17-inch flat panel display monitors. They are called Apple Studio Display, and their artistic design is typical of the Mac family. Samsung's SyncMaster family of 15-inch and 17-inch monitors have long been very popular among computer users particularly because of their quality, reliability and affordable price.

As you should already know by now, a 15-inch LCD monitor is actually larger than a CRT (cathode ray tube) of the same size. The reason is that the industry measures the CRT diagonal length from one corner of the glass tube to the opposite corner. The edges of the tube are usually covered by the bezel, making the viewable area smaller than the tube itself.

So, a 15-inch LCD monitor is more or less equivalent to a 17- inch CRT monitor. However, if you have the budget, you had better opt for the 17-inch LCD monitor. It will give you a lot more space to view your work. The good thing is that it takes so much less space than a 17-inch CRT monitor. A 17-inch monitor is considered comparable to a 21-inch CRT monitor.

More difficult to decide is whether to buy a 18-inch monitor instead of a 17-inch monitor. Yet, it all depends on the type of work that you do. Only you can decide whether the difference in one inch of the diagonal length will or will not boost your productivity.

However, if you think the 18-inch FP855 from Benq is the largest LCD monitor for the desktop computer, you are dead wrong. There are TFT monitors in the market with sizes of 19-inch, 20- inch and even larger.

Apple, for example, has the 23-inch Cinema HD Display and the 22-inch Cinema Display. Both are TFT monitors, and the prices are US$3,499 and $2,499 respectively.

One of the most expensive monitors in the world today is perhaps IBM T210 flat panel for the PC and Mac. It can give you a resolution of 2048 x 1536, twice the XGA capability of a 15-inch monitor. Measuring a viewable area with a diagonal length of 20.8 inch, it commands a steep price tag of $5,790.

If you think this figure is not breathtaking enough, check out IBM's newer T221. It is a 22.8-inch LCD monitor capable of displaying a resolution of 3840 x 2400. The price -- the drum, please -- is $8,400.

Samsung's SyncMaster 240T is certainly one of the largest LCD monitor for the PC today. With this much display real estate, you can read two A4 pages side-by-side in their original size. Like IBM T210, SyncMaster 240T can also let you display a picture inside picture (PIP), and you can hang it on the wall or place it on an arm for greater flexibility. Unlike IBM T221, this one costs around $5,000.

So, when it comes to the size, and the price, of a TFT LCD monitor, it can be big. Really big! --- Zatni Arbi