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Compaq lights up new monitors

Compaq continues its monitor march with a new line of low-cost, 17-inch CRT displays.

Compaq today announced a series of low-cost computer monitors as the No. 1 PC vendor continues its push into the market for branded PC displays.

The new S700 line is comprised of 17-inch CRT (cathode ray tube) displays, priced as low as the $329. The 17-inch diagonal display is the standard CRT size shipping with most PCs today.

In the last year, traditional CRT monitors have experienced a sharp drop in price, while liquid crystal display flat-panel displays have also come down under $1,000 for the first time. Compaq announced its sub-$1,000 14.5-inch flat-panel display earlier this month, at the same time discounting some of its larger CRT monitors, bringing its previous 17-inch model down to $530.

The new line of monitors joins the existing Professional and Corporate Value lines, and targets price-sensitive small- and medium-sized businesses. Additional Compaq Standard monitors will be announced later this year, the company said in a statement.

"As monitor prices have fallen, the corporate standard for monitors has moved from the 15-inch to the 17-inch monitor, increasing user productivity at an impressive price point," said Mike Winkler, senior vice president of the PC products group at Compaq, in a statement today.

The Compaq S700 17-inch monitor offers 15 inches of viewing space, 0.24 mm "horizontal" dot pitch, and 1024 x 768 resolution. The S700 includes an anti-glare screen to reduce eye strain and adheres to all environmental standards, the company said.