Actual Production Cost of a 1440p Monitor?

[atomicmonkey101]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been monitor shopping (dreaming) lately I have been wondering, why 1440p monitors always seem to cost at least double that of a 1080p monitor? 

 

Is it a supply and demand issue? They were never in a constant high enough demand to increase manufacturing and bring down the price? 

 

Thank you for imparting your knowledge.

[Geekazoid]

Nobody knows why things are the way they are, but they are. Don't you love my profound statement?

[TheKDub]

If you want a cheaper one, go for a korean one.

[Geekazoid]

If you want a cheaper one, go for a korean one.

You mean a....."crapean" one. JK

[Lays]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been monitor shopping (dreaming) lately I have been wondering, why 1440p monitors always seem to cost at least double that of a 1080p monitor? 

 

Is it a supply and demand issue? They were never in a constant high enough demand to increase manufacturing and bring down the price? 

 

Thank you for imparting your knowledge.

 

 

"Atleast double of a 1080p monitor"

 

1440p is almost double the resolution of 1080p, so either way you're still paying for what you're gaining for the most part.

[TheKDub]

You mean a....."crapean" one. JK

 

there are some very nice korean monitors out there, though then there are some that are psychotic dickbutts like kim jung un

[atomicmonkey101]

Nobody knows why things are the way they are, but they are. Don't you love my profound statement?

 

haha yes. if the stars align.....

[atomicmonkey101]

"Atleast double of a 1080p monitor"

 

1440p is almost double the resolution of 1080p, so either way you're still paying for what you're gaining for the most part.

 

that is true, yes. but dont you think that there would be a sort base line cost for a monitor and then as resolution goes up there would a incremental price increase? For example, many 4K monitors are the same price or even cheaper than 1440p monitors and the increase from 1080p to 4K is incredible. So if a good 1080p monitor was $175, the 1440p would be maybe $300$ and then the 4K would be about $500.

 

Thats the way Id like it to be at least. *sigh* Oh well.

[Lays]

that is true, yes. but dont you think that there would be a sort base line cost for a monitor and then as resolution goes up there would a incremental price increase? For example, many 4K monitors are the same price or even cheaper than 1440p monitors and the increase from 1080p to 4K is incredible. So if a good 1080p monitor was $175, the 1440p would be maybe $300$ and then the 4K would be about $500.

 

Thats the way Id like it to be at least. *sigh* Oh well.

 

 

There's more demand for 4k & 1080p compared to 1440p, so it's more justifyable for those companies to lower prices on 1080p/4k, but keep 1440p around the same price, because of lack of demand.

[Geekazoid]

Nice words!

Maybe you could change your member title to that without the "S".

@TheKDub

[TheKDub]

Nice words!

Maybe you could change your member title to that without the "S".

 

nah

[kburn]

There's more demand for 4k & 1080p compared to 1440p, so it's more justifyable for those companies to lower prices on 1080p/4k, but keep 1440p around the same price, because of lack of demand.

 

But this is the opposite of what the supply and demand model dictates isn't it?  In the case of 1080p, the demand is high, but the supply is also high as everyone makes a 1080p monitor, so prices are down as there is a lot of competition.  For 4K, the demand is increasing, but the supply is low because of limited manufacturers and models.  In this case, prices should be high, no?  For 1440p, the demand is low, and there is a moderate amount of choice and stock, so in my mind they should be much cheaper. 

 

I don't work in electronics retail though, so I don't know any numbers.   I'm in the same boat as OP.  I WANT a 1440p monitor, but I can't understand why it's still $450-$500 for a PB278Q and I can get a 4K monitor for not much more.  Frustrating.

 

EDIT:  I also got boned by the drop in the Canadian dollar as prices have jumped again.

[YoloSwag]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been monitor shopping (dreaming) lately I have been wondering, why 1440p monitors always seem to cost at least double that of a 1080p monitor? 

 

Is it a supply and demand issue? They were never in a constant high enough demand to increase manufacturing and bring down the price? 

 

Thank you for imparting your knowledge.

 

Coming from business education and stuff, I can say that there are a lot of things associated with these costs.

 

First of all, when 1080p monitors first came out, they were expensive too, and even before that Full HD LED TVs were really really expensive.

They weren't really manufactured at very large quantities because the technology was new and they probably wouldn't get that many early adopters to justify the costs of manufacturing them.

Now, the R&D costs they spent that went on into producing the final products are considered highly, since of course, these are technology companies. The costs of R&D here are sunk costs which mean they can't get their money back after spending funds on it.

They'd then have to 'spread' these costs on each unit that they sell hence the very high price tag, also, some regulatory stuff are going on around at that time so more costs.

Time went on and a lot of people bought 1080p TVs and monitors that they actually got back their money spent on R&D. R&D costs never stops in tech companies.

So the R&D now that's going after a product is successfully developed is spent on improving it - which is significantly cheaper than making something from ground-up.

 

As each year passes, we see 1080p becoming more and more of a trend, especially on video media (16:9 Full HD movies) stuff like that. Gaming companies, media companies, and whatever, are creating materials specifically for 16:9 1080p which actually helped in the popularization and then huge market growth of 1080p monitors and TVs.

 

Now about 1440p, we don't see movies coming out on 1440p, even TV shows or other media things - this is the market on panels in general. On computers, you'd actually need good hardware to drive this resolution which now narrows the target market to those who can afford it. Companies that manufacture these panels rely heavily on strong sales to keep them going. Companies like Samsung and LG are one of the largest producers of display panels on the market, and as you have noticed, they also produce TVs, in fact a large portion of their sales are actually from TVs. Another fact is, most display panels you get on your laptops or even other branded monitors actually came from either Samsung or LG.

 

To sum it up, 1440p is currently limited to computers (which includes phones, tablets, desktops, and laptops) since we don't get content from cable companies. A narrow market could mean high product prices to allow companies to efficiently 'spread' R&D costs. It all comes down to how many are actually getting/using it (Demand). Higher Demand, possibility of lowering spread costs are better. Lower Demand, possibility of lowering spread costs are unlikely for the short run.

Now, we here, 4K everywhere, and a lot of companies are starting to offer content on 4K, this could definitely mean lower costs in the future, which is good for us consumers. 4K would be the new 1080p unless other standards or trends push through.

1440p 16:9 is limited, just like 21:9 UltraWide monitors. Although there are some content for 21:9 UltraWide displays, this is still limited and would still be overshadowed by the 4K hype.

 

I'm still gonna get an UltraWide monitor though

[atomicmonkey101]

Coming from business education and stuff, I can say that there are a lot of things associated with these costs.

 

First of all, when 1080p monitors first came out, they were expensive too, and even before that Full HD LED TVs were really really expensive.

They weren't really manufactured at very large quantities because the technology was new and they probably wouldn't get that many early adopters to justify the costs of manufacturing them.

Now, the R&D costs they spent that went on into producing the final products are considered highly, since of course, these are technology companies. The costs of R&D here are sunk costs which mean they can't get their money back after spending funds on it.

They'd then have to 'spread' these costs on each unit that they sell hence the very high price tag, also, some regulatory stuff are going on around at that time so more costs.

Time went on and a lot of people bought 1080p TVs and monitors that they actually got back their money spent on R&D. R&D costs never stops in tech companies.

So the R&D now that's going after a product is successfully developed is spent on improving it - which is significantly cheaper than making something from ground-up.

 

As each year passes, we see 1080p becoming more and more of a trend, especially on video media (16:9 Full HD movies) stuff like that. Gaming companies, media companies, and whatever, are creating materials specifically for 16:9 1080p which actually helped in the popularization and then huge market growth of 1080p monitors and TVs.

 

Now about 1440p, we don't see movies coming out on 1440p, even TV shows or other media things - this is the market on panels in general. On computers, you'd actually need good hardware to drive this resolution which now narrows the target market to those who can afford it. Companies that manufacture these panels rely heavily on strong sales to keep them going. Companies like Samsung and LG are one of the largest producers of display panels on the market, and as you have noticed, they also produce TVs, in fact a large portion of their sales are actually from TVs. Another fact is, most display panels you get on your laptops or even other branded monitors actually came from either Samsung or LG.

 

To sum it up, 1440p is currently limited to computers (which includes phones, tablets, desktops, and laptops) since we don't get content from cable companies. A narrow market could mean high product prices to allow companies to efficiently 'spread' R&D costs. It all comes down to how many are actually getting/using it (Demand). Higher Demand, possibility of lowering spread costs are better. Lower Demand, possibility of lowering spread costs are unlikely for the short run.

Now, we here, 4K everywhere, and a lot of companies are starting to offer content on 4K, this could definitely mean lower costs in the future, which is good for us consumers. 4K would be the new 1080p unless other standards or trends push through.

1440p 16:9 is limited, just like 21:9 UltraWide monitors. Although there are some content for 21:9 UltraWide displays, this is still limited and would still be overshadowed by the 4K hype.

 

I'm still gonna get an UltraWide monitor though

 

nice. thanks for the insight. I guess you have no idea of the bomb-cost of manufacturing a 1440p panel?

[YoloSwag]

nice. thanks for the insight. I guess you have no idea of the bomb-cost of manufacturing a 1440p panel?

 

If you're talking actual numbers, it's a lot harder to prove since we don't know ALL the costs associated with making these, basically since these costs change over time.

In general, if you read my earlier comments, it means that it should be significantly more expensive than 16:9 1080p. So don't be shocked at the 2x the price tag thing.

4K will become cheaper and cheaper by the moment as a lot of consumers are more into it than 1440p.

 

If you want to talk numbers, a safe assumption in pricing in general is that even if a company sells a product for half the price, they'd still earn profit. Of course there are exceptions.

Not even factory workers know the true cost of making the products they're doing. It's all a secret of the upper management.

[Hatsune Miku 「 」]

You mean a....."crapean" one. JK

Korean monitors are generally better if you know which ones.

[Geekazoid]

Korean monitors are generally better if you know which ones.

Well, never used one personally, twas basically just being stupid/silly.

[atomicmonkey101]

If you're talking actual numbers, it's a lot harder to prove since we don't know ALL the costs associated with making these, basically since these costs change over time.

In general, if you read my earlier comments, it means that it should be significantly more expensive than 16:9 1080p. So don't be shocked at the 2x the price tag thing.

4K will become cheaper and cheaper by the moment as a lot of consumers are more into it than 1440p.

 

If you want to talk numbers, a safe assumption in pricing in general is that even if a company sells a product for half the price, they'd still earn profit. Of course there are exceptions.

Not even factory workers know the true cost of making the products they're doing. It's all a secret of the upper management.

 

I see. thanks