Wednesday, December 2, 2009

What Are The LCD Monitors?

By Matthew Kerridge

Acronyms can be some people's worst nightmare, especially when they are used in the description of products. One of the biggest issues with using acronyms in descriptions is that many people do not know what they stand for, and reading a description of something is suppose to tell you what you need to know. Monitor shopping is a prime example. Many of the monitors are described as either LCD or CRT and some are even called Plasma. So the big question is LCD monitors: are the better?

Liquid crystal display is what the letters LCD stands for, which somehow sounds superior to a cathode ray tube better known as CRT. LCD monitors are not big and bulky like the older CRT monitors. That is because the LCD displays are flat panels, lightweight in construction, used for displaying electronic images like images and text. With the LCD being lightweight and more versatile in construction it can be used to produce larger screens and even portable devices. This is not possible for the cathode ray tube which is bulky and a more complex structure to construct, not to mention heavier.

What exactly is a liquid crystal display? Well, the display consists of what are called pixels and these pixels are filled with liquid crystals also known as electronic modulated optical devices. The pixels are illuminated by a back-light or reflector to create color or monochrome images. Pixels are utilized in two different matrix called passive and active.

The difference between passive and active matrix is defined by the difference in response time and contrast differences. Passive matrix displays often have poor resolution and a very slow response time whereas active matrix offers sharp clear images with an expedited response time. The current liquid crystal display monitors on the market today have the active matrix allowing them to provide users with a crisp, sharper, brighter picture.

There are however some draw backs to liquid crystal display monitors and televisions for that matter. Video resolutions can be shown in multiples on a cathode ray tube monitor without including any artifacts or blurriness however a liquid crystal display when processing a video in a native resolution can create artifacts and blurriness due to scaling. Therefore, liquid crystal displays can generally not display very low resolution screen modes due to the scaling.

Coloring is also an issue with LCD monitors. Due to what is known as back-light bleed the color black, which is the only color affected, can not be displayed as deep and dark. This puts some limitations on intricate graphics requiring color variations of black. There is also what is known as ghosting or trailing images which is a very possible occurrence on LCD monitors. This happens when images change rapidly and the display is trying to change. The way in which you view an LCD screen can also be a problem; this is especially prevalent on laptop computers. The screen can not be viewed at extreme angles or degrees without the display image becoming distorted.

Yes, there are drawbacks to LCD monitors but for the most part they are the most sensible types of monitors to use. The clear bright pictures with quick response times outweigh the cons associated with the LCD monitors. In answer to the ultimate question of LCD monitors: are they better; the answer has to be without a doubt, yes. - 22787

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