Does a fraction of an inch really matter for monitor panels?

The launch of the company's first 24-inch full HD (1920x1080) monitor panel by AU Optronics (AUO) is one of the industry's attempts to integrate various functionalities into one single device. But it leaves one pondering the significance of the size.

The 16:9 24-inch monitor panel, announced on March 11, is meant to offer both monitor and TV functionalities, and undistorted images for Blu-ray playback. It is touted as a "new trend for the widescreen desktop monitor market."