April, 1999

GVC Visual Technology Brings Vision to Display Solutions
Company dedicated to proving leading-edge LCD monitors

GVC Visual Technology is bringing a sense of innovation and commitment to sophisticated design to computer display products. Established as a spin-off of the information technology conglomerate the GVC Group, GVC Visual Technology's mission is to produce the best LCD monitors in the world.

GVC Visual Technology has many years' experience as a business unit within the GVC Group dedicated to LCD monitors, bringing a high level and broad range of expertise to this rapidly-growing industry segment. "We have great resources to put behind LCD monitors, including specialized R&D, manufacturing, marketing. And what's more, we're completely focused on LCD display solutions," says CEO Victor [ ]. He explains that because the company is so focused, it has a deeper understanding of the technology, design issues and even marketing strategies specific to LCD monitors.

GVC Visual Technology has the capacity to produce around 10,000 LCD monitors per month at its manufacturing facility, with plans to expand capacity to 20,000 by mid-year. Its range of LCD monitors includes a 12.1" model designed for specialized applications such as information kiosks, data terminals, and POS systems. For more mainstream computer users, 15" models, one including an advanced audio system, are available. For demanding graphics professionals, an 18.1" LCD monitor offers not only ample screen area and support for ultra-fine resolutions. In addition, it provides leading-edge features such as the ability to view in landscape or portrait orientation, to display screen images from two independent video sources (PIP), as well as a zoom in/zoom out function. In all its products, the company emphasizes modular designs that allow the flexibility to meet any custom requirements, and maintains a commitment to offer superior value regardless of market positioning.

THE COMING REVOLUTION

According to Ray Chang, Associate Manager of the Product Marketing Division at GVC Visual Technology, the GVC Group saw the vast potential of the LCD monitors early on. "A long-term trend in the computer industry is toward more ergonomic, user-friendly products, and LCD monitors have very obvious advantages," Chang points out. These advantages include less eyestrain, a completely flat viewing surface, much more compact form factor, virtual elimination of electromagnetic emissions, and lower power usage. Because of these advantages, most experts have long predicted that LCD monitors will eventually replace traditional CRT-based monitors as the mainstream computer display.

Still, there were tradeoffs, notably high cost, that users had to make if they wanted to enjoy the benefits of an LCD monitor. But GVC Visual Technology has eliminated the necessity for these tradeoffs by creating LCD monitors that preserve the formidable advantages while taking prices to an affordable level¡Xand even adding value through advanced design and special features.

"For quite a while, desktop monitors have been in an evolutionary mode," notes Chang. The standard has been CRT monitors, with incremental improvements such as a gradual increase in screen sizes and the addition of such features as OSD (on-screen display of adjustment controls) but no breakthrough advances. "But that's going to change over the next few years," says Chang. The revolution¡Xa rapid transition to monitors on LCD technology¡Xis now upon us. Whereas annual growth in unit shipments over the past few years has only been in the low teens, unit shipments of LCD monitors are doubling every year.

FURTHER IN THE FUTURE

While GVC Visual Technology already fields an impressive array of LCD monitors to meet the needs of users now and in the next century, it is exploring further applications of LCD technology.

For example, it is developing LCD PCs. "We believe that this type of product hasn't gotten a high level of market acceptance because no company has really made a breakthrough beyond just creating a PC with a different kind of display," says Chang. "We're going for real 3C [computer, communication, consumer electronics] integration in a product that will give users both the mobility of a notebook and the convenient functionality of a desktop_and even more."

Further on, Chang envisions an entirely new category of products he terms LCD consoles. LCD consoles will retain only those system components, such as storage devices, that a user actually accesses, in a compact unit that can be easily transported and connected to other system units. "We believe that LCD technology has much broader potential than just LCD monitors," explains Chang. "There are some very exciting possibilities that we are working on."

According to CEO Victor [ ], GVC Visual Technology will maintain its steadfast devotion to LCD display solutions, using its tight focus to ensure that it delivers optimal solutions to its customers. "We've put all our efforts into developing the expertise to really be specialists in LCD display products," he says. "We believe we are the best, most professional LCD display vendor there is."

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