LCD Monitors: A Catching-On Technology

If you've been in the market for a new computer monitor fairly recently, you might have noticed just how many more LCD monitors you see in the stores now.

It's obvious that the main benefit that's being pushed about computer LCD monitors is that they're flat, and you can put them almost anywhere, but you might be curious about just what you're giving up by going LCD. To tell you the truth, an LCD monitor can be a worthwhile investment to your home computer system if you're not hung up on the budget models, and if you can truly benefit from the added space.

Alright, first thing's first. LCD monitors will never be as good as CRT's (cathode ray tube monitors, the big box made like a TV), although when you get far up in the price range with LCD's, you may have a hard time telling the difference. But 90% of the time, the graphics and animation that can be produced by a tube are far and away better than anything you'll see from an LCD. You really notice this with moving pictures. This is because LCD's are a chemical reaction technology. Pictures run and bleed across the screen because the reaction is only going to be so fast, and there's no real way to speed it up.

You might notice, however, that more expensive models are smoother than budget models. That's because the budget models do not reflect the full capability of the LCD reaction, even though it is limited.

Just for a little background, LCD monitors started making their way into the stores in the mid 90's. Usually, they were black and white, and built-into part of those old pre-laptop portable computers.

The ones that then came out as standalones were never really able to grab a big part of the mass market, mainly because they weren't any good for much other than word processing. The picture would bleed horribly across the screen no matter what you were doing. Forget moving graphics of any kind. Sure, they were flat, but this wasn't really seen as a benefit at the time because people had been used to heavy, bulky monitors taking up the space.

Oh, not to mention the price. If you think some of the more high-end LCD monitors now are expensive, try back then. With all these factors put together, I'm a little surprised they caught on at all.

Of course, just walk into any major home electronics retailer and you'll see just how far LCD monitors have come. Cutting edge companies like Sony continue to churn out more and more precise video reproduction from LCD. Today with the better LCD's, you can get still images as sharp as CRT's, and graphics animation nearly as smooth.

The 20" Sony that I have is not made for you to sit with you face right in front of the screen. Like most of the larger ones, it's meant to be viewed from a few feet back. And when you do that, you seriously cannot tell the difference between that and a CRT.

The true quality of CRT's still cannot be questioned. You can get a sharp, crisp picture, that blows away the cheap LCD's and is only a little better than the nice LCD's, but you'll always need a ton of desk space (and help carrying it in) if you want to go with a CRT.

Size and weight are another issue. There's a screen size limit that CRT's actually don't get larger than solely because after you hit about 28", they become ridiculously heavy. Of course, LCD's, being light, and flat, now allow for computer monitors to be made in some interesting sizes.

As far as brands go, Dell's "Ultrasharp" LCD monitors are great. Sony's always been known as a prime quality name, and visual technology pioneer. 15" and 17" LCD's will serve the purpose, but you really see what these monitors have to offer when you move up in the sizes, like 20" and up. I'd stay away from the budget names. You'll know them when you see them because you'll see them at your major home electronics retailers, but you've never heard of them before.

Whether you're looking for some extra desktop space, or looking for the high-end PC graphics experience from a larger monitor, it's no doubt that the LCD monitors of today can more than meet your needs.

Phil Moyers, owner of Build-Your-Own-Computer-Plan.com shows computer novices how to save a ton of money by putting together fast, high performance PC's of their own with handpicked, quality parts.

Computer LCD Monitors

---

Google News Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:50:00 GMT Fitch says AMD factory move has no ratings impact - Forbes Canada.com Fitch says AMD factory move has no ratings impact Forbes - 51 minutes ago AP 10.07.08, 3:48 PM ET Fitch Ratings said Tuesday Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s ratings are not affected by the chip maker's plans to spin off factories into a new joint venture with investors in the Persian Gulf state of Abu Dhabi. What AMD's fab spinoff means for Intel, industry MarketWatch Who Benefits From AMD’s Financial Engineering? New York Times The Associated Press - BusinessWeek - Motley Fool - Bizjournals.com all 656 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:58:11 GMT Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS - San Jose Mercury News dBTechno Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS San Jose Mercury News - 8 hours ago By Linda Goldston Ayde Gonzales's mother was surprised when she insisted that her newborn son must sleep on his back, not on his side. Fan Use May Save Your Baby’s Life, Reduces SIDS Risk eFluxMedia Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death New York Times Bloomberg - Wall Street Journal - U.S. News & World Report - WebMD all 612 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:46:19 GMT Fed Announces Plan to Buy Short-Term Debt - New York Times Telegraph.co.uk Fed Announces Plan to Buy Short-Term Debt New York Times - 58 minutes ago By EDMUND L. ANDREWS and MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve announced a radical new plan on Tuesday to jump-start the engine of the financial system. Fed makes boldest move yet Christian Science Monitor Federal Reserve to buy up short-term commercial debt Los Angeles Times Bloomberg - NECN - The Associated Press - Wall Street Journal all 1,716 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:51:44 GMT Axelrod Says Obama Will Counterpunch if McCain Raises Ayres - New York Times Axelrod Says Obama Will Counterpunch if McCain Raises Ayres New York Times - 2 hours ago By Patrick Healy NASHVILLE - Senator Barack Obama is prepared to hit back, including with Keating Five scandal if necessary, if Senator John McCain uses tonight’s presidential debate to attack him over his associations with controversial figures like ... Video: AP Campaign Minute AssociatedPress Palin Adds Fannie Mae Execs to List of Objectionable Obama Associates Washington Post The Associated Press - U.S. News & World Report - FOXNews - Christian Science Monitor all 4,761 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:32:14 GMT Kenya deports anti-Obama author - Christian Science Monitor BBC News Kenya deports anti-Obama author Christian Science Monitor - 4 hours ago Jerome Corsi, author of "Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality," tried to launch his new book, but violated immigration rules, Kenyan officials say. Barack Obama's African grandmother Sarah Onyango Obama roots for him Times Online Anti-Barack Obama author detained while promoting his book in Kenya Los Angeles Times AFP - The Associated Press - New York Times - BBC News all 507 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:09:55 GMT Get moving: Guidelines set healthy activity levels - The Associated Press ABC News Get moving: Guidelines set healthy activity levels The Associated Press - 38 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) - Get moving: New exercise guidelines released Tuesday set a minimum sweat allotment for good health. For most adults, that's 2 1/2 hours a week. Government tells Americans to take stairs, go out and play Bizjournals.com Get 2 1/2 hours of exercise per week, US says Reuters USA Today - Food Consumer - MarketWatch - MyFox Dallas all 183 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:11:51 GMT Union-Backed Party Opposes Term Limits Plan - New York Times New York Daily News Union-Backed Party Opposes Term Limits Plan New York Times - 1 hour ago By Fernanda Santos The Working Families Party began on Tuesday the labor community’s first major offensive against Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to change term limit laws through legislation that would extend to three, from two, the number of terms ... UPDATE 1-NYC lawmakers to weigh bill raising term limits Reuters Bill to end term limits introduced in City Council New York Daily News New York Times Blogs - WNYC - Campaigns & Elections - Crain's New York Business all 331 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:15:23 GMT Make Money With Blogs RSS to HTML

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Ordering an Inkjet Cartridge Online

It is true. You can save a lot of time... Read More

Batteries for Your Laptop

With technology advancing more every day, electronics have become smaller... Read More

5 Tips For Buying The Right Laptop Computer

It's easy to be intimidated by all the laptop models... Read More

The Importance Of Current Sense Resistor In Switch Mode Power Supply

Current sense resistor is usually located in the switch mode... Read More

What You Should Know Before You Buy Computer Equipment

You will have many factors to consider when deciding on... Read More

A Look Inside The Elusive Inkjet Industry

The Inkjet printer industry is booming. Office supply companies report... Read More

Coping with a Serious Data Loss from your Computer Hard Drive

Data loss is an expensive reality. It's a hard fact... Read More

Build Your First Computer from Hardware Scratches

Wow- if you do it first time and have some... Read More

Basics of RAID

A couple of the recent Tech Tips from www.geeks.com have... Read More

Laptop Computer Extras for the Mobile Traveler

A laptop computer certainly provides you with an unprecedented level... Read More

Alternatives to Tape Backup

You may ask, isn't tape an anachronism in the age... Read More

Preventing Tape Drive Failure

Contrary to popular belief, tape drives are generally robust and... Read More

7 Steps to Cleaning the Laser Toner From Your Laser Printer

Cleaning a laser printer, fax, or copier of laser toner... Read More

A Review of Refurbished HP Laptops

HP refurbished laptops can be found on their website hpshopping.com.... Read More

Ink Cartridges - A Humble Beginning

Computers and their accompanying printers were huge years ago. In... Read More

Dusting Your Computer - Keeping it Cool

My mother always told me to dust, but I never... Read More

Emergency Response VSAT Internet Communications

As 2005 begins, there are a number of products on... Read More

How to Solve Multiple Paper Loading Problem in HP5L and HP6L Laser Printer

Have you ever encountered before the problem of having multiple... Read More

Do You Feel Used by Computers?

Do You Feel Used by Computers?A look at second-user computer... Read More

Building A PC

Many people simply go to the retail store and get... Read More

A Guide To Bar Code Reader Downloads

Bar code readers have proven themselves to be essential tools... Read More

Selecting a Laptop

Small Can Be BeautifulWhen purchasing a new computer, you may... Read More

Inkjet Jargon Explained

With all the technical terms out there, it is becoming... Read More

Expansion Cards Part 3: PCI Express

In the first two installments of this series of Tech... Read More

What to Do Once You Are Infected with Spyware, Ad-ware or Viruses

What to do once your PC is infected with spyware,... Read More