Everything About LCD Monitor

When a monitor is described as having a wider viewing angle, this has no connection with the widescreen format (which simply means that that the display is physically wider).

Try looking at an LCD monitor from an angle. The image will probably be darker, or may disappear altogether. To compensate for this problem, LCD monitor makers have designed wider viewing angles which are measured in degrees (a bigger number is better). In general, look for between 120 and 170 degrees. Manufacturers measure viewing angles differently, so the best way to evaluate a monitor is to test the display yourself. Check the angle from the top, bottom, and sides, and try to re-enact how you will typically use the monitor.

The LCD monitors are aesthetically very satisfying to the eye being slim and stylish. There is no comparison with the CRT when it comes to size. The current breed of LCD monitors has excellent appearance with its color combinations and neat looking control panels. A LCD monitors weighs roughly from 6-8 lbs for a 15 inch model and slightly more for a 17 inch model.

Some manufacturers have revolutionized the design by having an outboard power supply thus reducing the thickness of the panel which now can be had at less than an inch! It is very light that it can be handled comfortably by anybody.

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LCD is short for liquid crystal display, a type of display that is used in digital watches and many portable computers. The LCD displays utilize two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them and when an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align. Each crystal is like a shutter, it either allows the light to pass through or blocks the light.

The monochrome LCD images usually appear as blue or dark gray images on top of a grayish-white background while the colored LCD displays use two basic techniques for producing color: the passive matrix (which is less expensive of the two technologies) and the thin film transistor (TFT) or active-matrix.

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LCD monitors display information well at only the resolution they are designed for, which is known as the native resolution. Digital displays address each individual pixel using a fixed matrix of horizontal and vertical dots. If you change the resolution settings, even if you actually lessen the resolution, the LCD scales the image and the quality suffers. Native resolutions are typically:

• 17 inch = 1024×768
• 19 inch = 1280×1024
• 20 inch = 1600×1200

Some gamers still prefer CRT monitors for the following reasons:

• they cost much less, freeing up money to buy more memory or a high-end video card for the system
• graphics are still usually brighter and deeper on CRTs than on LCD monitors
• the lifespan of a quality CRT monitor is usually decades, so it is a good investment
• if a PC is only used for gaming, space on the desk is not an issue; it is easy nowadays to buy second hand CRT monitors in excellent condition for a very cheap price, since other people who use their computers for work or studying want to switch to LCDs to save space on their desks

However, if space or the heat generated by the monitor is an issue, the CRT obviously loses out to the flat and thin LCD.

Reviewers agree that the Samsung SyncMaster 226BW is the best monitor in the 22 inch widescreen category. The Windows and Mac compatible Samsung LCD monitor has excellent image quality. Even gamers, who are usually difficult to impress, have no complaints about the 226BW.

Priced at around 350 USD, it isn’t too expensive either. Experts say that widescreen LCD monitors are cheaper for manufacturers to produce, so you can often find a 22-inch widescreen monitor for the same price as a good quality 19-inch standard monitor. Its resolution is a bit lacking at 1680 x 1050, but for this price you would be hard pressed to find a better deal.

A lot of people confuse these two types of monitors because they are both thin and flat, however they use very different technologies.

The advantages of LCD over plasma are its lighter weight, cooler running temperature, no issues when used at high altitudes, increased image brightness, and longer display life. However, plasma has the advantage when it comes to contrast ratio and rendering deep blacks, and at tracking motion. Individual pixels on an LCD monitor can also burn out, causing black or white dots to appear on the screen. Since individual pixels cannot be repaired, if the pixel burnout becomes too noticeable and annoying the whole screen would have to be repaired.

For LCD monitors that are meant to be used in bright sunlight or other areas with poor lighting conditions, you need a special type of screen using transreflective technology.

Transreflective monitors reflect a great amount of heat (and light) and prevent overheating. They are also helpful in industrial situations when monitors have to be read in bright sunlight but cannot be simply adjusted to face away from the sun. These screens reflect most of the sunlight the monitor is exposed to, and automatically increase or decrease the light emanating from the screen depending on how much light that shines on it, thus reducing the need for manual light adjustment.