We've come a long way from the hulking putty-coloured computer monitors that used to dominate our desks.
But when it comes to the future of video displays, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Along with making tomorrow's monitors even wider and thinner, some technology companies are adding touch-screen and other 'sensing' features into them.
Others are developing displays that come in new sizes and shapes, from flexible screens you can unroll on a business trip to curved monitors that increase the field of vision for gamers and others.
Still others are working on monitors with far-out features like 3-D viewing, reflective displays that use sunlight or lamps to cut down on battery consumption, even sensor-driven 'wind' screens that can blow breezes as users blast through a video game or run through a virtual world.
What's driving the innovations in the US$100 billion ($153 billion) display industry are the changing ways that people are using their computers and TVs, said Mr Kurt Scherf, vice-president of Dallas technology research group Parks Associates.
'Computers have obviously moved well beyond simple information devices and have now become depositories for multimedia applications like photos and videos,' he said.
'So it makes sense that we're going to see different types of displays that take into account the way end users want to interact with them."
Innovative display
Microsoft is working on one of the most interesting concepts.
Their technology isn't exactly a monitor, but a new kind of display system built around a PC.
Microsoft's Surface computer looks a little like an old Pac-Man video game table. But it's actually a full-fledged, Internet-connected computer with a huge horizontal monitor.
Microsoft's Surface table senses when portable devices like media players or cell phones come in contact with it, and can automatically transfer photos, contact lists or other data information to its oversized screen.
Users tap the touch-screen to organize their photos or access the Internet. They can even order and pay for a drink in a bar by simply placing a credit card on the screen.
Others are taking smaller steps forward.
Hewlett-Packard introduced its US$1,800 TouchSmart computer in January.
Sales have been going 'extremely well', said product manager Garrett Gargan.
TouchSmart is designed for kitchens and other home settings.
Parents and kids can use a finger and the touch-screen monitor to write messages, check family calendars or view family pictures without worrying about spilling milk on a keyboard.
HP is developing other types of monitors too, including ones with curved screens and multiple projectors that dramatically improve the field of vision.
Another non-traditional screen, Qualcomm's Imod display, reflects light rather than transmitting it.
Instead of backlighting, external light from the sun or lamps makes the screens come alive, saving battery life but also making them easier to see in bright daylight.
Qualcomm expects to sell the displays initially to makers of cell phones, music players and other devices, but eventually they could also end up in laptop monitors or large exterior displays.
In another twist, flexible displays from companies like LG Philips could someday let you hang your monitor on a wall like a poster and roll it up and take it with you when you leave.
For most users, the standard everyday monitor is probably plenty good enough, said Mr Barry Young, an analyst with Austin, Texas-based research firm DisplaySearch.
There's a limited market for products like Microsoft's and HP's, Mr Young said.
The market is even more limited for technologies like flexible or 3-D screens.
'I have a 24-inch monitor and I personally think it's just fine,' he said. 'I just don't find myself needing to do touch or expecting 3-D. And I don't see that the bulk of Windows-type users do either.'
Of course, not long ago, few foresaw the need for anything other than a monochrome monitor, but then games and graphing software spurred the movement to colour screens.
Likewise, few once saw the need to replace the standard CRT monitor, but then digital photos and music and Internet video fostered the need for today's digital displays.
Someday, 3-D applications might be more commonplace, so monitors might need to be more portable and flexible - and maybe somebody might even want a screen that blows wind on them.
'The application is what drives a lot of the need,' said Mr Ian Lao, senior analyst at research firm In-Stat. 'Do I really need 3-D right now?'
