Why Are Reference Monitors SO Expensive?

[Guest]

I understand that premium features can cost money (HDR, low latency response times, 8 and 10 and higher bit color, resolution, framerate, motion blur enhancement/reductions, frame times, I/O, color accuracy, size).  So I can understand why a monitor can cost up to about $6,000 USD.  But why in the WORLD do 'Reference Monitors/Screens' cost north of $24,000+?  

 

For reference: https://www.cdw.com/product/EIZO-RadiForce-RX850-LED-monitor-4K-8MP-color-31.1in/3376444?cm_cat=google&cm_ite=3376444&cm_pla=NA-NA-EIZO_HM&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMIpsn4t47p4gIVlYSzCh2QfAU8EAQYASABEgIiefD_BwE:G:s&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpsn4t47p4gIVlYSzCh2QfAU8EAQYASABEgIiefD_BwE&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!250790903421!!!g!307847882535!

 

https://www.adorama.com/tvlum310r.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=adl-gbase

 

Like.... am I missing something about features that costs $10,000?  Even with 10-year warranties and 10-year support, they still seem like they would not cost that much. 

 

Naturally, I am ignorant on this account.  I would appreciate it if someone would enlighten me.

 

Thanks.

[xreaperx22]

5 minutes ago, VPrime said:

I understand that premium features can cost money (HDR, low latency response times, 8 and 10 and higher bit color, resolution, framerate, motion blur enhancement/reductions, frame times, I/O, color accuracy, size).  So I can understand why a monitor can cost up to about $6,000 USD.  But why in the WORLD do 'Reference Monitors/Screens' cost north of $24,000+?  

 

For reference: https://www.cdw.com/product/EIZO-RadiForce-RX850-LED-monitor-4K-8MP-color-31.1in/3376444?cm_cat=google&cm_ite=3376444&cm_pla=NA-NA-EIZO_HM&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMIpsn4t47p4gIVlYSzCh2QfAU8EAQYASABEgIiefD_BwE:G:s&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpsn4t47p4gIVlYSzCh2QfAU8EAQYASABEgIiefD_BwE&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!250790903421!!!g!307847882535!

 

https://www.adorama.com/tvlum310r.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=adl-gbase

 

Like.... am I missing something about features that costs $10,000?  Even with 10-year warranties and 10-year support, they still seem like they would not cost that much. 

 

Naturally, I am ignorant on this account.  I would appreciate it if someone would enlighten me.

 

Thanks.

that first link said its good for viewing medical images so maybe its made for hospitals and sheet idk it even has something called Screen Manager Pro for Medical that software alone is proilly 3/4th the price lol that tv tho no excuse really maybe that brand is like a rolls royce of t.v's idk

[Constantin]

32k $..... WTF????

[homeap5]

It's probably like speakers - you may buy good ones for 1000$ and some for 20000$. That doesn't mean they are 20 times better, they may be just twice better and you're paying for being one of few.

 

Like TitanX.

[SkyHound0202]

The first monitor is a medical imaging monitor specialized in displaying surgical/diagnostic images. The second monitor is a 4 way broadcast monitor. Neither of them are consumer grade hardware, they are intended for professionals.

 

The are geared more towards what buyers's going to do with it: first on is certified to be consistent (so your doctor won't misdiagnose you after looking at a blurry X-ray) and the other can accept BNC connectors for monitoring the camera inputs (4-way in/out).

 

As for the price, the buyers are expected to (be able to) pay that much if their professional workflow (medical imaging, broadcasting & production, etc.) can benefit from such premium feature.

[Glenwing]

It's just a matter of sales volume. Every product has to pay for its own production cost, as well as a chunk of the development cost. Low volume products will always cost huge amounts because the development cost is only being split among a few units.

 

For example if you build a monitor that costs $200 per unit to manufacture, but you spent $10,000,000 on development in test equipment, manufacturing facilities, safety certifications, months of salaries of dozens of high paid engineers, etc. If you plan to sell 500,000 units, then each unit only needs to bring in an additional $20 to pay its share of the development cost. So your baseline is $220 to break even, and maybe you charge $300 to bring in some profit and cover distribution costs.

 

However, if you are making a reference monitor, there are not 500,000 people who need one. There is no way you are going to sell that many. So maybe you project you will only sell 5,000. Now, each monitor has to pay a much larger share of the development cost, $2,000 per monitor. Now, even if the monitor cost exactly the same to manufacture, and exactly the same to design and develop, your baseline for breaking even is now $2,100, and you will probably charge $2,500, simply by the fact that its intended market is much smaller. And in reality it will be even more expensive because a higher end monitor will have higher development costs and production costs, not equal.