Introduction

The current development of the market for flat panel displays will almost certainly remind some vendors of bygone days when profit margins and demand were still attractive. A rapid rise in demand, lacking investments in production capacities and persistently high production reject rates lead to an ideal situation for vendors. A potential customer is obliged to pay a lot for a flat panel display in order to save desktop space and energy. However, this is a situation that will only prevail for a limited time as the market changes its direction and prices are subject to the usual dynamic market forces.

Part 1 of the TFT Guide provides you with an overview of the market situation, prices and trends concerning the TFT market. Newcomers and professionals alike will find something useful in this article. We will cover topics such as functionality, the most important characteristics of flat panel displays and technologies in detail here. The article is rounded off with useful tips for buyers.

Parts 2 and 3 are dedicated to the technically-minded readers. We'll report on current technologies used to increase the viewing angle, the latest digital interfaces (DFP and DVI) and on the relationship of pixel spacing and the maximum possible diagonal dimensions of a display.

At a later point in time we will report on the most important companies in the field and will showcase various models. We'll keep an eye on prices and will report on changes as they occur.