How It Works: CRT Monitors

Seeing Is Believing

CRT monitors continue to be the dominant PC display technology. Competitors such as liquid crystal displays still constitute only a small fraction of monitor sales. One reason is price: CRTs are much cheaper.

According to Stanford Research, the 17-inch CRT is by far the most popular seller, and prices range from $250 to $450. The 15-inch CRT, which runs from about $150 to $250, remains a strong second. The 19-inch model now costs from about $350 to $600, and most analysts believe it will surpass the 17-inch model as the CRT of choice. Already, six of the new PCs in PC World's March 2000 Top 10 Power PCs chart have 19-inch CRTs as standard equipment. A 21-inch model's size and cost (from $700 to $1200) generally limit its market to graphic artists, multimedia designers, and others who need maximum screen real estate.

Because most people buy CRT monitors along with PCs, vendors including Dell, Compaq, and Gateway are the biggest monitor vendors around. In the "aftermarket," ViewSonic and KDS lead in monitor retail sales.

Shadow mask monitors are generally cheaper than aperture grille models, and sell better as a result. Shadow mask monitors render cleaner vertical lines--making them a prime choice for CAD, drawing, and prepress applications. But aperture grille displays, from manufacturers such as Sony and Mitsubishi, let more electrons pass through to the screen and reputedly generate brighter displays than shadow mask monitors.

Get Flat

While the basic technology has been in place for decades, CRTs continue to evolve. For example, tube faces have become flatter over the years, and flat-face monitors have recently joined the slightly convex products on store shelves. A number of companies, including Mitsubishi, NEC, Sony, and ViewSonic have introduced flat-face models in the last few years. The flat screens reduce reflection of ambient light and generally provide more realistic images. The new technology does come at an added cost, however, and vendors expect to continue offering the curved models for price-sensitive buyers.

Monitor makers have started using tubes with shorter necks, decreasing the monitor's depth and weight. And another recent addition includes Universal Serial Bus hubs, which allow software control of monitor adjustments as well as easy access to USB ports.

ViewSonic has announced the first "Digital CRT" models. These monitors have a digital-to-analog converter within the case and will accept output from either digital or analog graphics chips via separate connections for each. Of course, the extra conversion hardware also adds to the cost, and most analysts have seen little improvement to the image.

Additional Resources:

• Mitsubishi's Monitor Reference
  
  

Michael Gowan is a staff editor with PC World.