Archive for the 'General Information' Category

Dust – The silent LCD display killer

Auto Date Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Dust that accumulates within your LCD monitor is a silent killer that can literally kill it in the long run. Blowing the dust away with moisture free air canisters can help a lot in keeping the internal circuitry clean and operating as cool as possible. These cans of air are specifically designed to come out dry and moisture free(as opposed to simple compressed air that contains moisture that can lead not only to an electric shock) as you send it out of the can.

Always unplug the monitor and take it out to an area with plenty of ventilation for dusting. You’ll surely see lots of vents all over so blow air within them, expect a huge cloud of dust if this is the first time you’ve done this in a couple of years. Repeat as necessary or when you see no more dust particles flying around as you blow into the casing.

Regular cleaning will ensure that components stay cool and heat-sinks do the same, allowing proper operation for may years to come(till the LCD screen dries up that is).

How often do you need to Clean your Screen?

Auto Date Friday, May 13th, 2011

This is a common question for unlike CRT’s that have a thick and robust lead-based glass screen LCD’s are quite fragile. They may have a film or two of either plastic or tough glass covering them but one scratch is enough to lead to distorted images. The screen simply isn’t designed to be pressed upon and cleaning them should be done with utmost care.

Too much pressure and you get scratches or worse, a fractured LCD module that would mean an expensive replacement. Some manufacturers recommend dry cleaning only, with expensive micro-filer cloths and some recommend cleaning kits that come with solutions that clean and leave them static free. Best advise is to keep fingers away from them to avoid dust, dirt and even grease from hands that leaves them dirty in the first place. Use light even pressure and a lint free cloth would help a lot.

LCD Monitors slowly killing CRT’s

Auto Date Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

CRT’s the long called computer monitor is fast becoming a thing of the past with good reason for LCD’s have gotten cheaper and more reliable today. LCD’s consume a fraction the power crt’s did which were actually almost television sets without tuners. The bulkiness of CRT’s is also a detractor, eating up a lot of space that LCD’s don’t need much of.

The entry of LED monitors may also be a reason why LCD’s are getting cheaper for beginning with the consumer television market, the same technology goes into monitors. They are comparable in price to CRT’s a few years back and their reliability become next to none in the computing industry. Maybe computer user’s have also taken up the cause of using less power letting LCD’s rule.

Multiple monitor setup

Auto Date Friday, February 4th, 2011

LCD monitors has certainly opened up the PC monitor market. LCD monitors offer bigger sizes, better resolutions and affordable price points at certain sizes compared to the old clunky CRT monitors. LCD monitors are also more environmentally friendly compared to CRT monitors that contain many harmful chemicals or substances.

LCD monitors also have one significant advantage over CRT monitors, they emit less heat compared to CRTs. This makes it possible to put up a multi-monitor setup in your home office or office without worrying that the accumulated heat will make it uncomfortable in your work area. Of course, the significantly reduced size of LCD monitors makes it easier to set up multiple monitors on a desk.

Gamers on the LCD vs. CRT debate

Auto Date Friday, December 10th, 2010

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.

What are LCDs?

Auto Date Wednesday, November 10th, 2010


The LCD or the flat panel computer displays are the latest offering in the desktop computer industry. It has been used for years in the portable and notebook computing markets, but recent developments have increase performance and size while reducing costs making them viable in the desktop environment. The LCD monitors are lightweight, extremely thin and uses less power than the CRT based monitors.

The LCD displays are marketed by its actual screen dimensions. The measurement of the displayable area of the screen is from the lower corner to the opposite upper corner of the display. LCD screens can display only a single given resolution which is referred to as the native resolution and this is the physical number of horizontal and vertical pixels that make up the LCD matrix of the display. Setting a computer display to a resolution lower than this resolution will result in fuzzy images.

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Active-matrix Technology on LCD Monitors

Auto Date Sunday, October 10th, 2010

4dec.jpg LCD computer screens consist of active-matrix polarizers and panel. The panel and the polarizers, when combined may act as a pixel-level light filter that is electrically-controlled. The active-matrix panel and polarizers are located directly in front of the backlight. The backlight is a uniform and wide-area light source that usually consist of cold-cathode flourescent lamps or CCFL. Along with the CCFL’s is a lightguide and a diffuser. Around a dozen rows and columns of driver chips is connected to the panel. The panel addresses the picture data’s display. These chips are driven by the monitors electronics.

Liquid Crystal Display Defined

Auto Date Thursday, June 10th, 2010

5.jpgAnd LCD monitor or liquid crystal display is a display device that composed of monochrome pixels that are arrayed on a source of light or more commonly known as the reflector. LCD’s are most often used in electronic devices that are battery-powered because of the fact that this thin and flat display device uses relatively small amounts of electricity.

Layers of molecules compose each pixel of an LCD monitor. These molecules are fixed between layers of transparent electrodes.

Some specifications that you have to consider when analyzing an LCD monitor are the resolution, the dot pitch, response time, matrix type, viewing angle, contrast ratio, aspect ratio and the brightness.

LCD vs. CRT Part 2

Auto Date Monday, May 10th, 2010

3dec.jpgContinuation to previous post…
3. The LCD monitor has a consistent tonal scale, an excellent text contrast and it does not normally flicker. The CRT monitor has strong bright areas that may cause other parts of the picture to dim. CRT monitors also have poor text contrast because of the limited bandwidth. CRT monitors also inherently flicker.
4. The contrast and color of the images displayed by an LCD monitor may change with respect to the viewing angle while the CRT monitor delivers consistent image.
5. On dark images, the LCD monitor displays black poorly while the CRT monitor provides good blacks given that the monitor is properly adjusted.

LCD vs. CRT Part 1

Auto Date Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

1dec.jpgHere are some comparisons between the LCD and CRT monitors. Which is better? Or the proper question could be which one fits your needs?
1. The LCD monitor is compact, lightweight and consumes low amounts of power (approximately 20 Watts) while the CRT monitor is bulky, heavy and consumes high amounts of power (approximately 150 Watts).
2. The LCD monitor displays perfectly sharp images with perfect image geometry. The CRT monitor has limited sharpness in its display and may tend to blur at higher levels of brightness. The CRT monitor also has the tendency to encounter geometric distortions and this case may worsen with respect to age.