Why are prices of video monitors so high compared to similarly sized TVs?
“How come I can buy a 32″ Sony Trinitron TV set for $800, but when it comes to buying a monitor for my PC, $1400 only gets me a no-name 20″ tube? Why can’t a giant like Sony produce a PC monitor anywhere close in cost to an equivalently sized TV set?” Well, the bottom line is that there isn’t much in common between a TV and computer monitor when one gets down to the details. The basic principles of raster scan display apply to both and that is about it! Monitors would already be much more expensive if it weren’t for the additional fact that many more TVs are manufactured and sold than monitors – which drives down their prices still further: (Some of this from: Mike Stewart (mstewart@whale.st.usm.edu)). There are several significant factors being overlooked here: 1. Economy of scale. There are still *many* more TV sets being sold than computer monitors. Manufacturers order TV chipsets in much larger quantities. This drives down the price. 2. Resolution. NTSC TV signals aren’t even VGA r
“How come I can buy a 32″ Sony Trinitron TV set for $800, but when it comes to buying a monitor for my PC, $1400 only gets me a no-name 20″ tube? Why can’t a giant like Sony produce a PC monitor anywhere close in cost to an equivalently sized TV set?” Well, the bottom line is that there isn’t much in common between a TV and computer monitor when one gets down to the details. The basic principles of raster scan display apply to both and that is about it! Monitors would already be much more expensive if it weren’t for the additional fact that many more TVs are manufactured and sold than monitors – which drives down their prices still further: (Some of this from: Mike Stewart (mstewart@whale.st.usm.edu).) There are several significant factors being overlooked here: • Economy of scale. There are still *many* more TV sets being sold than computer monitors. Manufacturers order TV chipsets in much larger quantities. This drives down the price. • Resolution. NTSC TV signals aren’t even VGA res
How come I can buy a 32″ Sony Trinitron TV set for $800, but when it comes to buying a monitor for my PC, $1400 only gets me a no-name 20″ tube? Why can’t a giant like Sony produce a PC monitor anywhere close in cost to an equivalently sized TV set? (Some of this from: Mike Stewart (mstewart@whale.st.usm.edu)). There are several significant factors being overlooked here: 1. Economy of scale. There are still *many* more TV sets being sold than computer monitors. Manufacturers order TV chipsets in much larger quantities. This drives down the price. 2. Resolution. NTSC TV signals aren’t even VGA resolution. Try getting that 32″ Sony Trinitron XBR to give you 1280×1024. A computer monitor has a CRT with a resolution about 2 to 3 times that of a TV of similar size in both horizontal and vertical directions. The beam is also more sharply focused. 3. Refresh rates. NTSC TV signals come at one refresh rate, period. You either watch broadcast NTSC at 59.94Hz (interlaced), or you don’t watch it
