Computer Monitors

Welcome to our Computer Monitors mini website. Here you will find a discussion about the differences between a LCD monitor and a CRT monitor, what to look for when buying a LCD computer monitor, videos about LCD monitors, current computer monitor industry news, and a computer monitor store.

Today the consumer has a large number choices in terms of manufacture and quality of monitors available. The information presented here should prove to be helpful if you are looking to buy a new monitor. We will begin our discussion by looking at the differences between a CRT and LCD monitor. What we have found is that for most people, the advantages of a LCD monitor out weigh the advantages of a CRT monitor. This is especially true if you work at a computer all day. While this may be true for most people, it is not true for everyone. It really depends on the type of work, or play, you will be doing at the computer. Lets compare and contrast LCD monitors with CRT monitors.

Computer Monitors - Advantages of a LCD Over a CRT

• Lower Power Consumption
  LCD monitors use less energy then CRT monitors. For a 19 inch display, a CRT typically uses 100 watts of energy, and a LCD with the same size display uses around 45 watts of energy. Because LCD monitors use a lot less energy, they also put out a lot less heat.
• Lighter and Easier to Move Around
  Because they are lighter, LCD monitors are a lot easier to move around, and they have a greater degree of allowed movement once in place in terms of swiveling up and down. Because of their ease of movement, they can easily be mounted on a wall or arm which gives you more desk space. Even when sitting on a desk, they give you more desk space.
• An Overall More Clear Display
  Simply put, LCD monitors, when in their native resolution, look much more clear then their CRT counter parts.
• Less Eye Strain
  If you are using a LCD monitor which has a matte surface, you will not see reflecting light from windows on your monitor. When setting up a CRT monitor, it must be set up so that windows are not behind the computer operator. With a LCD monitor which has a matte surface, you can have windows with light shining through behind you as you work, or play, at the computer. Having less eye strain at the computer is very important for someone who works at a computer all day. If you use a LCD monitor which has a glossy surface, you will see some reflection.

Computer Monitors - Advantages of a CRT Over a LCD

• Lower Cost
  Although the price for the LCD monitors have gone down over time, the cost for a comparable CRT monitor is lower.
• Better Color Rendering
  In general, colors are said to be represented more accurately with the CRT monitor. Contrast ratio and depth of color is said to be better as well.
• Better Scaling to different Resolutions
  Changing to different resolutions does not result in a degradation of the display, as seen in the LCD monitors

So as you can see, while LCD monitors have their advantages, CRT monitors do offer some advantages. So it really depends what you will be doing at the computer. Most people when working, or playing at the computer, are not always changing the resolution. So I really do not believe this is a negative for the LCD monitor. You simply keep the monitor at one resolution, and in the case of the LCD monitor, you would leave it at the native resolution. Also, I believe that most people can not see a difference in terms of greater color rendering in the CRT monitor, compared to the LCD.

When doing research for this article, I noticed that some people are stating that CRTs have a faster response time then LCDs. There seems to be a mixing of terms. LCDs do not have a refresh rate, but have a response time. The response time is how fast a pixel can change color. CRTs have a refresh rate, and that is how many times the screen is refreshed per unit time. So you really can not say a CRT has a faster response time simply because the LCD and the CRT are two completely different technologies. The LCD response time has improved greatly over the past few years, and gamers should no longer see a trailing or ghosting when using a good LCD monitor.

If you work at a computer all day, I believe that the lower eye strain from using a LCD monitor is reason enough to use LCD over CRT. Also, when put in the native resolution, the over all display is much more clear for the LCD monitor. The greater amount of desk space is also advantageous to the individual who works at a computer all day.

If you decide to buy a LCD monitor over the venerable CRT monitor, what should you be looking for when shopping for a LCD monitor. The first question you need to ask yourself is this. Do I need a wide-screen format? If you work at a computer, or will be viewing movies on a computer, then the wide-screen format is the way to go.

For myself, when working at the computer all day, having the wide-screen format offers many advantages. When using the browsers Mozilla Firefox, or IE, I am able to set up a greater number of tabs horizontally across the screen. For example, as I write this, I have 10 or 12 tabs with each providing a separate source of information, and I can easily click each tab to refer to the information that I found.

Other types of work are done more efficiently by having a wide-screen format. It has been shown that the wide-screen format is much better suited to the eye’s natural field of vision, making it possible to work longer without becoming tired. So you really need to ask yourself, what will I be doing at the computer and how long will I be using the computer? The answer to these questions will determine whether or not you want a wide-screen format.

The next question you need to ask is whether or not you want a glossy or matte surface on the LCD monitor? This really depends on your personal preference. But for me this is a no brainer simply because having a glossy surface really takes away one of the main advantages to having a LCD monitor. With a shiny surface, you will get a reflection, and with a matte surface you will not. I believe the matte surface is the way to go if you want to reduce reflection. But it should be noted that with the glossy surface, the colors appear much more vibrant. The black pixels appear much more darker, and the colors are much deeper. So if do not mind some reflection, or you can arrange your monitor so that there is no reflection, and you want more vibrant colors, then glossy is the way to go.

Another draw back to the glossy screen is that it seems like every smudge that gets on the screen seems to be more noticeable compared to the same smudge on a matte screen. With a LCD matte screen you do not need to clean the screen every day. So whether or not you select glossy or matte really is a subjective choice, and depends on your personal preference.

After you have determined whether or not you want a wide-screen format, and whether or not you want a glossy or matte surface, then you need to look at the specific parameters for the LCD monitor. The following list breaks down what you should be looking for.

Computer Monitors - What to Look for When Shopping for a LCD Monitor

• Native Resolution
  What is the native resolution of the LCD monitor. Expressed as the number of pixels in a row horizontally, to the number of pixels in a column vertically. The larger the screen size, the greater the resolution. You want the highest possible resolution.
  Typical resolutions for different screen sizes are:
  * 17 inch = 1024×768
  * 19 inch = 1280×1024
  * 20 inch = 1600×1200
• Contrast Ratio
  The contrast ration is a ratio between the black and white pixels on the screen. The greater the contrast ratio, the darker the black and the whiter the white. The higher the contrast ratio the better. You want at least a 600:1 contrast ratio. Usually any ratio above 600:1 can not be detected by the human eye.
• Brightness of LCD Display
  Typical brightness displays are 250 to 350 cd/m2. The unit of measurement here is expressed as luminance, or candelas per square meter. Anything in the 250 to 350 cd/m2 is consider enough luminance for general work. But for movies or games, you would want a higher luminance. In this case 500 cd/m2 is desirable.
• Response Rate
  This important if you will be using your monitor a lot for games or movies. The response rate is really how quickly your pixels can change colors. The lower the number the better. With a fast response time you will less likely see ghosting, trailing, or streaking during rapid image movement on the screen. This number is expressed in milliseconds. For gaming or viewing television and movies without ghosting, trailing, or streaking select a monitor which has a response rate not greater then 12ms-to-15ms.
• Viewing Angle
  This has to do with the degree horizontally of vertically you can view the LCD monitor without seeing a change in terms of color or brightness. The higher this number the better. This is something manufactures tend to fudge on, and really the only way to test this is to view the monitor yourself. This really is only an issue with very large monitors, where you want to be able to still see the edges of the monitor clearly, while viewing from a central position. If you had no degradation in viewing at any angle, the number would be 180, meaning you can view clearly up to 180 degrees. Any number greater then 160 here should be fine.
• Flexibility of Monitor
  This is simply to what degree you can adjust the monitor horizontally or vertically. Most people do not need to do much of an adjustment horizontally, but vertical adjustment is important. This you can only test by trying it out, but even this I would not worry to much about because most manufactures incorporate a high degree of allowed vertical adjustment.
• Connections Available
  LCD monitors are digital devices. CRT monitors are analog devices. Today LCD monitors can have both a VGA and a DVI connector. If you use the same type connector that you used for the old CRT, then the analog signal coming form your graphic card will be converted by the LCD monitor to a digital signal. In this case the graphic card in the computer converts digital to analog, and the LCD monitor converts analog back to digital.

  But if you have a graphic card which delivers a digital signal, you can then connect to the DVI connector in the back of your LCD monitor. Supposedly, a digital signal coming in without the necessary double conversion would produce a more clear picture. Personally, I think the difference here really can not be detected by the human eye, but if you want to have the option of receiving a pure digital signal, then make sure that the LCD monitor you select also has a DVI connector, along with the VGA connector.

Computer Monitors - Conclusion

We have provided useful information if you are in the market for a new monitor. The most important reasons why a LCD monitor is the better choice over a CRT is lower energy usage, decrease eye strain, and over all a more clear display. These reasons are very important if you work at a computer all day. It is true that LCD monitors cost more then a comparable CRT monitor, but prices for LCD monitors have been steadily dropping. Greater color rendering which is seen in CRT monitors is something we believe is not to easily detected. Also, most individuals when working or playing at a computer do not change the resolution very much. Therefore, having a LCD monitor which remains at the native resolution provides a much better choice.

Here we have also provided a list of parameters you should be looking at when you are looking to buy an LCD monitor. The three most important parameters are max native resolution, contrast ratio, and response rate. When buying a LCD monitor, you want a monitor which has optimized all three of these parameters. Today, LCD monitor manufacturers provide to the consumer pricing which is highly competitive. Therefore, you should be able to find a LCD monitor which fits your need and your budget.