Philips bolstering monitor lines 22 May, 2006 By Liam Lahey

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Chris Pollitt, product marketing manager, PC displays, for Andover, Mass.-based Royal Philips Electronics, said the new monitors -- the 190P7 (a 19-inch SXGA LCD monitor) and 200WB7 (20-inch WSXGA LCD wide-screen monitor) -- feature an array of management tools and connectivity options that ultimately provide a better total cost of ownership.

"There's been a lot of frustration in the consumer electronics space with a lot of products that aren't intuitive or that require the user to digest a huge manual. Just because the technology advances the consumer shouldn't be required to have a degree in electronics," he said.

The 190P7 has a viewing angle of up to 178-degrees, SXGA 1280 x 1024 resolution, SmartManage compatibility to enable LAN-based asset management, SmartControl to adjust display settings, a dual DVI for better support of multiple PC source input, and a built-in high-speed dual-port USB 2.0 solution. The 190P7 also features a 90-degree screen rotation and smart cable management, screen tilt and swivel adjustment, and an embedded power supply.

Meanwhile the 200WB7 is a WSXGA, wide format with 1680x1050 resolution, a fast eight-millisecond on-off response, a dual input for analogue VGA and digital DVI signals, the SmartManage and SmartControl management capabilities, a 90-degree screen rotation, a USB port for peripheral connections, a plug-and-play DVI, and an embedded power supply.

"Our power consumption specifications are still lower than that of the competition's," he said. "Some of our competitor's models are equal to ours and that's fine, but we're still lower once you factor in electricity usage."

All of Philips' monitors go above and beyond the rigid European RoHS Directive environmental standards, Pollitt added.

"From a channel perspective, if you're doing business internationally, you need to ensure your customers are getting the appropriate products for their geography," he said. "In the United States unfortunately, there's not a unified directive in that regard; it's state to state. But if the products you're selling are compliant with RoHS, they'll fare well here too."

Pollitt also pointed to Philips' plans to unveil an extended warranty for from three to five or six years for its' newer models based on the forthcoming ability to measure the backlight usage of a display in total hours. The company is aiming to introduce the enhanced warranty offering by the fourth quarter of this year.

"We're still working out the calculations," he said. "Fundamentally, this will be the most comprehensive warranty in the business if we manage to pull it off."

Touching on the subject of market rebates, Pollitt said Philips' pitch to resellers is straightforward and consistent.

"From a reseller point of view . . . we want to be more important to them. While Philips recognizes hardware provides less overall profitability versus that of services, they shouldn't be embarrassed by the hardware manufacturers they do represent," he said. "Some of the rebates in the market can be worth as much as the monitor itself. That's embarrassing for the reseller. They won't have these issues with us."

Philips also provides special pricing discounts for resellers' large orders and the company does so in 48 hours or less, he added.

The 190B7 is expected to be available come July with an estimated street price of $399 (U.S.). The 200WB7 is to be made available come autumn with an estimated street price of $449. Pollitt said the pricing is subject to change as aggressive pricing wars and lower costs will likely drive Philips' pricing downwards.