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We are conducting a very brief ten question online survey regarding awareness and attitudes on current news in the consumer electronics industry. If you choose to participate in this survey, please:
First, reply to this email.
Second, mark an X next to the correct answers to the questions below.
Finally, hit send to send the survey.
Your individual responses and e-mail contact information will only be used to develop cumulative response data. This is not a sales solicitation.
Background:
The liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor market is one of the fastest growing areas of consumer electronic commerce. LCD monitors are evaluated based on several quality criteria, but specifically visual image size, resolution and brightness, and contrast ratio are reported by retailers and LCD monitor consumers to be the most important quality features. Among these, the leading quality criteria often cited is contrast ratio.
The following questions seek to gauge the levels of awareness of recent LCD-quality claims, specifically those relating to contrast ratios, and published reviews and other materials questioning these claims.
Question 1:
Are you aware of contrast-related claims made in LCD monitor advertising and marketing, and do you view these claims to be important decision-making factors for consumer and commercial purchasers of LCD monitors?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 2:
Would contrast-related quality claims impact your decision or your recommendation to others regarding the purchase of an LCD monitor?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 3:
Have you read or heard about a review of a ViewSonic LCD monitor published in AnanTech.com comparing the ViewSonic VS800 to the Samsung 172T which noted: "The major discrepancy we had with the monitor was its contrast ratio of 600:1 ? while comparing [the ViewSonic monitor] against other LCD and CRT monitors in the lab, we found that the monitor appeared dimmer and seemed to have a lower contrast ratio than advertised? When we pitted the [ViewSonic monitor] against the Samsung 172T, which has an advertised contrast ratio of 500:1 ? the [ViewSonic] appeared significantly dimmer. We found no evidence that substantiated the unusually high contrast ratio?"
(Source: http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1777&p=1])
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about this review
[ ] No I have not read or heard about this review
Would such a review from AnanTech.com make you question the validity of the ViewSonic contrast claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 4:
Have you read or heard about a review of a ViewSonic LCD monitor published in TomsHardware.com comparing the ViewSonic VX700 to similarly sized other monitors from Hercules, Liyama, LG Flatron, NEC and Samsung which noted: "We never stop trying to get manufacturers to be a bit more modest with their specifications (i.e., so that they do bear some semblance to the actual quality of the product), but ViewSonic has just jacked up its monitors' specs again, for no good reason at all. The VX700 changed its specifications between the start and end of our tests. It began with a contrast ratio of 400:1 and brightness of 230 cd/m². But now ViewSonic claims contrast of 550:1 and brightness of 250 cd/m², without changing anything in the monitor - neither screen, nor filters, nor OSD. That makes for increases of about 40% and 10%, respectively. Their agents say that ViewSonic readjusted the specs to match the method of averages used by other manufacturers. Do you really believe that? The VX700 is as good as its rivals for brightness and contrast, but definitely not better."
(Source: http://www4.tomshardware.com/display/20020709/lcd-11.html)
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about this review
[ ] No I have not read or heard about this review
Would such a review from Tom's Hardware make you question the validity of the ViewSonic contrast claim and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 5:
Have you read or heard about a review of ViewSonic's personal digital assistant (PDA) published in PC World which notes: "ViewSonic is in hot water with some users of its recently launched PDA over the amount of memory available for user applications ? The company originally advertised that the device has 64MB of RAM and has now qualified that with a note that 36.4 MB is available to the user ?" PC World cited ViewSonic as noting, "It (the memory amount) was not so much corrected as clarified." PC World further reported, "A check of specifications on the Web sites of other major (PDA) makers? found none of the companies note the amount of RAM used by the operating system when the machine is running."
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about this review
[ ] No I have not read or heard about this review
Would such a review from PC World make you question ViewSonic's technical claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others for other products, such as LCD monitors?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 6:
Some online discussion groups have reported that an independent testing laboratory, TUV Rheinland Berlin Brandenburg (TUV), using Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) metrics, tested several ViewSonic LCD monitors in December of 2002 with the following results:
ViewSonic VG800 LCD which claims a contrast ratio of 600:1
had an average tested contrast ratio of 466:1
ViewSonic VX500+ LCD which claims a contrast ratio of 550:1
had an average tested contrast ratio of 410:1
ViewSonic VX700 LCD which claims a contrast ratio of 550:1
had an average tested contrast ratio of 492:1
Have you read or heard about these tests?
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about these tests
[ ] No I have not read or heard about these tests
Would such information from TUV Rheinland Berlin Brandenburg make you question the validity of ViewSonic's contrast claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 7:
ViewSonic Europe has recently changed the language used to advertise LCD monitor contrast ratios replacing the word "max" with "typical" when describing both contrast ratio and brightness. While the LCD monitors sold in Europe and the United States are exactly the same, ViewSonic advertising and marketing language in the U.S. has not changed.
(Source: http://www.viewsoniceurope.com/UK/Producs/LCDGraphics/VG800.htm and http://www.viewsonic.com)
Are you aware of these advertising and marketing claim disparities?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ]
Would such disparities make you question the validity of ViewSonic's contrast claims made in the United States and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 8:
The glass panel in an LCD monitor is the component which displays the picture and/or text to the user. According to numerous published reports, the glass panel, in large part, determines the contrast ratio of an LCD monitor. A review of the suppliers of glass panel components to ViewSonic reveals the following:
ViewSonic's VG800 LCD monitor, which advertises a contrast ratio of 600:1 uses glass panels supplied by Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp, which specifies that these glass panels have a contrast ratio of only 400:1
ViewSonic's VX500+ LCD monitor, which advertises a contrast ratio of 550:1, uses glass panels supplied by Tottori Sanyo, which specifies that these glass panels have a contrast ratio of only 500:1
ViewSonic's VX700 LCD monitor, which advertises a contrast ratio of 550:1, uses glass panels supplied by Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp, which specifies that these glass panels have a contrast ratio of only 500:1.
Would this information make you question the validity of ViewSonic's contrast-related claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 9:
According to the independent advertising tracking firm Adscope, ViewSonic launched a million dollar plus advertising campaign which promoted these "high contrast" claims of 600:1 and 550:1 as early as April of 2002 with significant consumer electronics trade publication placements in the third quarter of 2002. Advertisements promoting high resolution claims by ViewSonic ran in such publications as PC World, Information Week, CRN, Info World, Channel Business, Government Technology and PC Magazine. Do you recall seeing or hearing of any such advertising by ViewSonic?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 10:
Coinciding sales increases of over 350% for one model, the VG800, were reported by ViewSonic during the above noted million-dollar-plus advertising period. ViewSonic's total sales during this period (third quarter of 2002) for LCD monitors were in excess of 215,000 units. Do you believe consumers selecting ViewSonic monitors may have done so wholly or in-part due to high contrast-related claims?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
If you answered YES to question 9, might these consumers or commercial purchasers be entitled to some form of compensation for any differences in the high contrast claims and actual tested contrast ratios?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Thank you for taking part in our survey. Please remember to hit "Send" now.
We are conducting a very brief ten question online survey regarding awareness and attitudes on current news in the consumer electronics industry. If you choose to participate in this survey, please:
First, reply to this email.
Second, mark an X next to the correct answers to the questions below.
Finally, hit send to send the survey.
Your individual responses and e-mail contact information will only be used to develop cumulative response data. This is not a sales solicitation.
Background:
The liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor market is one of the fastest growing areas of consumer electronic commerce. LCD monitors are evaluated based on several quality criteria, but specifically visual image size, resolution and brightness, and contrast ratio are reported by retailers and LCD monitor consumers to be the most important quality features. Among these, the leading quality criteria often cited is contrast ratio.
The following questions seek to gauge the levels of awareness of recent LCD-quality claims, specifically those relating to contrast ratios, and published reviews and other materials questioning these claims.
Question 1:
Are you aware of contrast-related claims made in LCD monitor advertising and marketing, and do you view these claims to be important decision-making factors for consumer and commercial purchasers of LCD monitors?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 2:
Would contrast-related quality claims impact your decision or your recommendation to others regarding the purchase of an LCD monitor?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 3:
Have you read or heard about a review of a ViewSonic LCD monitor published in AnanTech.com comparing the ViewSonic VS800 to the Samsung 172T which noted: "The major discrepancy we had with the monitor was its contrast ratio of 600:1 ? while comparing [the ViewSonic monitor] against other LCD and CRT monitors in the lab, we found that the monitor appeared dimmer and seemed to have a lower contrast ratio than advertised? When we pitted the [ViewSonic monitor] against the Samsung 172T, which has an advertised contrast ratio of 500:1 ? the [ViewSonic] appeared significantly dimmer. We found no evidence that substantiated the unusually high contrast ratio?"
(Source: http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1777&p=1])
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about this review
[ ] No I have not read or heard about this review
Would such a review from AnanTech.com make you question the validity of the ViewSonic contrast claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 4:
Have you read or heard about a review of a ViewSonic LCD monitor published in TomsHardware.com comparing the ViewSonic VX700 to similarly sized other monitors from Hercules, Liyama, LG Flatron, NEC and Samsung which noted: "We never stop trying to get manufacturers to be a bit more modest with their specifications (i.e., so that they do bear some semblance to the actual quality of the product), but ViewSonic has just jacked up its monitors' specs again, for no good reason at all. The VX700 changed its specifications between the start and end of our tests. It began with a contrast ratio of 400:1 and brightness of 230 cd/m². But now ViewSonic claims contrast of 550:1 and brightness of 250 cd/m², without changing anything in the monitor - neither screen, nor filters, nor OSD. That makes for increases of about 40% and 10%, respectively. Their agents say that ViewSonic readjusted the specs to match the method of averages used by other manufacturers. Do you really believe that? The VX700 is as good as its rivals for brightness and contrast, but definitely not better."
(Source: http://www4.tomshardware.com/display/20020709/lcd-11.html)
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about this review
[ ] No I have not read or heard about this review
Would such a review from Tom's Hardware make you question the validity of the ViewSonic contrast claim and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 5:
Have you read or heard about a review of ViewSonic's personal digital assistant (PDA) published in PC World which notes: "ViewSonic is in hot water with some users of its recently launched PDA over the amount of memory available for user applications ? The company originally advertised that the device has 64MB of RAM and has now qualified that with a note that 36.4 MB is available to the user ?" PC World cited ViewSonic as noting, "It (the memory amount) was not so much corrected as clarified." PC World further reported, "A check of specifications on the Web sites of other major (PDA) makers? found none of the companies note the amount of RAM used by the operating system when the machine is running."
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about this review
[ ] No I have not read or heard about this review
Would such a review from PC World make you question ViewSonic's technical claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others for other products, such as LCD monitors?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 6:
Some online discussion groups have reported that an independent testing laboratory, TUV Rheinland Berlin Brandenburg (TUV), using Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) metrics, tested several ViewSonic LCD monitors in December of 2002 with the following results:
ViewSonic VG800 LCD which claims a contrast ratio of 600:1
had an average tested contrast ratio of 466:1
ViewSonic VX500+ LCD which claims a contrast ratio of 550:1
had an average tested contrast ratio of 410:1
ViewSonic VX700 LCD which claims a contrast ratio of 550:1
had an average tested contrast ratio of 492:1
Have you read or heard about these tests?
[ ] Yes I have read or heard about these tests
[ ] No I have not read or heard about these tests
Would such information from TUV Rheinland Berlin Brandenburg make you question the validity of ViewSonic's contrast claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 7:
ViewSonic Europe has recently changed the language used to advertise LCD monitor contrast ratios replacing the word "max" with "typical" when describing both contrast ratio and brightness. While the LCD monitors sold in Europe and the United States are exactly the same, ViewSonic advertising and marketing language in the U.S. has not changed.
(Source: http://www.viewsoniceurope.com/UK/Producs/LCDGraphics/VG800.htm and http://www.viewsonic.com)
Are you aware of these advertising and marketing claim disparities?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ]
Would such disparities make you question the validity of ViewSonic's contrast claims made in the United States and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 8:
The glass panel in an LCD monitor is the component which displays the picture and/or text to the user. According to numerous published reports, the glass panel, in large part, determines the contrast ratio of an LCD monitor. A review of the suppliers of glass panel components to ViewSonic reveals the following:
ViewSonic's VG800 LCD monitor, which advertises a contrast ratio of 600:1 uses glass panels supplied by Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp, which specifies that these glass panels have a contrast ratio of only 400:1
ViewSonic's VX500+ LCD monitor, which advertises a contrast ratio of 550:1, uses glass panels supplied by Tottori Sanyo, which specifies that these glass panels have a contrast ratio of only 500:1
ViewSonic's VX700 LCD monitor, which advertises a contrast ratio of 550:1, uses glass panels supplied by Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp, which specifies that these glass panels have a contrast ratio of only 500:1.
Would this information make you question the validity of ViewSonic's contrast-related claims and/or impact any related purchasing decisions or purchasing recommendations to others?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 9:
According to the independent advertising tracking firm Adscope, ViewSonic launched a million dollar plus advertising campaign which promoted these "high contrast" claims of 600:1 and 550:1 as early as April of 2002 with significant consumer electronics trade publication placements in the third quarter of 2002. Advertisements promoting high resolution claims by ViewSonic ran in such publications as PC World, Information Week, CRN, Info World, Channel Business, Government Technology and PC Magazine. Do you recall seeing or hearing of any such advertising by ViewSonic?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Question 10:
Coinciding sales increases of over 350% for one model, the VG800, were reported by ViewSonic during the above noted million-dollar-plus advertising period. ViewSonic's total sales during this period (third quarter of 2002) for LCD monitors were in excess of 215,000 units. Do you believe consumers selecting ViewSonic monitors may have done so wholly or in-part due to high contrast-related claims?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
If you answered YES to question 9, might these consumers or commercial purchasers be entitled to some form of compensation for any differences in the high contrast claims and actual tested contrast ratios?
[ ] Yes [ ] NO [ ] Maybe or Don't Know
Thank you for taking part in our survey. Please remember to hit "Send" now.
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