 | What are the advantages of LCD monitors? |
Long Answer:
Despite being more expensive than CRT monitors, LCD monitors are quickly becoming the standard in home and business computer workstations. The most widely reported reason that people are switching to LCD is that they are much smaller and lighter than CRT's. While this is true, LCD monitors have many other advantages over their CRT counterparts.
As noted, LCD monitors are smaller and lighter than the CRT monitors they are replacing. In addition to taking up less desktop space, they can also be hung from walls and suspended from arms. Because of this, they are practical in places that a traditional CRT monitor is not, such as a small dormitory desk or even above a kitchen sink. Another factor that helps make the LCD monitor more practical is their relatively low power requirements. A typical LCD display requires between one-third to one-half the power of a comparable CRT display. As a direct result, the display also radiates only one-third to one-half of the heat! This leads to compounded power savings - less power to run the device and less power to cool the room - partially offsetting the higher cost of the acquiring the equipment. LCD monitors also do not suffer from the 'flicker' typical of CRT monitors. This leads to less eye strain, which in turn leads to less headaches, fatigue, and frustration on the part of the user. For many, this reason alone is reason enough to make the switch. One final factor to consider when comparing an LCD monitor with a competing CRT monitor is the available viewing area. Because the equipment is measured from the outside of one corner to the outside of the opposing corner diagonally, any given measurement that seems equal between the two will actually result in more viewing area for the LCD monitor. This is because CRT monitors are not capable of displaying an image on their outermost edges, whereas LCD's can. An average of one to one and a half inches must be subtracted from the advertised size of a CRT display to accurately compare it to an LCD display.
As wonderful as LCD displays may sound, they are not without their disadvantages. Besides their higher cost, there are other factors that make LCD displays impractical for certain assignments. For one, an LCD display is capable of operating at only one screen resolution, known as the native resolution. Attempts to send the monitor higher or lower resolution signals result in interpolation of the image so that it will display at the native resolution. This almost always results in poor image quality, and especially in the case of text, the result is illegible output. Another disadvantage is the relatively narrow viewing angle provided by LCD displays- often about half the viewing angle of CRT's. Of course, there are situations where this is actually considered an advantage, such as in crowded offices where users value privacy. Another area where CRT displays far outperform LCD displays is in picture quality. The typical CRT display is capable of displaying color more accurately than even some of the best LCD monitors. For everyday work this is not an issue, and CRT technology is rapidly developing, with color-calibration technology available in some higher-end models. However, for true-life photography a quality CRT is essential. LCD displays are also not well suited to moving video, as they produce a 'ghosting' effect- the underlying technology is unable to switch colors quickly enough to provide smooth, crisp motion. Bad or 'stuck' pixels are also known to appear in LCD monitors, and these are not covered by warranty. Lastly, it is important to note that LCD monitors are much more fragile than CRT monitors. For everyday home use this may not be important, other than the fact that an LCD monitor may have a shorter warranty period than a CRT (or a more restrictive warranty). This is of particular importance in the case of the backlight, which is often warranted separate from the rest of the display, and is prone to failure.
Short Answer:
LCD, or liquid crystal display, monitors have thes...
Technical Answer:
Most of the advantages of LCD displays are due to the fact that they were developed scores after the...