CRT or LCD, Which one is suite for our requirements?
LCD monitor has a stylish and spacing-saving design compare to bulky CRT monitor that takes half of the desk space. At the first time LCD Monitor launch to the market, the price is very high but with the price drop during the past months, they are no longer too expensive to buy.
There are several things you have to consider before you leave the CRT Monitor and switch to LCD Monitor.
The Good:
- Design: stylish and space-saving
- Health: easy on eyes, less radiation
- View area: +2 inch actual view area than same-size CRTs (15" LCD = 17" CRT, 17" LCD = 19" CRT, etc)
The Bad:
- Expensive
- View angle: Narrower (If you move away from the center, screen appears darker and less detailed)
- Response time: Longer response time (on fast-moving images it’ll slight ghosting)
- Resolution: Native resolution-Fixed-size pixels good only for a specific resolution
So if your application requires fast response, such as real-time gaming, video editing, animation, your old CRT is the choice.
Things to consider when buying a flat-panel LCD Monitor
Size, native resolution and Dot Pitch:
The Dot Pitch factor indicates the pixel size and the native resolution factor indicates the number of pixels on the screen. So basicly Size = resolution x Dot Pitch.
Which size is the best value? 17 inch!Resolution alone determines the image quality. Usually with normal Dot Pitch, 15-inch LCD has a 1024 x 768 resolution, and 17 inch LCD has 1280 x 1024.
With smaller Dot Pitch (pixel size), same number of pixels may be fit in a smaller-size screen. A 15-inch LCD with less Dot Pitch can show the same details as a 17 inch LCD if they have the same native resolution, but of course, the latter is easier on eyes because things look bigger.
The larger, the better, and the greater the resolution. But since LCD monitors tends to have larger usable areas than CRT monitors, you don't really need to empty your pockets to pay for the large and expensive models on the market.
View Angle:
This factor defines the angle range that you can view the screen without the darken effects. Look for at least 100 degrees vertical and 120 degrees horizontal.
Pixel Response time:
For a performance comparable to that of CRT, go for a number less than 25ms. 16ms is fit for even gamers, and 30ms is the bottom line for even just watching video.
Contrast Ratio, Brightness, Color deepth:
These factors define the contrast, brightness and variation of colors you can see on the screen. The bigger, the better. Try at least 300-to-1 for contrast ratio (450:1 is good), 230 nits (300 is good) for brightness and 24bit color for true color.
Video Interface:
There is 2 types of video inputs for monitors, digital and analog. Most monitors on the market only accept analog inputs though a analog VGA connection. LCD monitors with DVI-D connectors are the latest trend. For the compatibility, most of these new models also has a analog VGA connector or can accept both types of signals from a single DVI-I connector.
Other Multimedia extras:Speakers, USB ports, Microphone and headphone jacks, positioning options (wall-mounting accessories, pivoting frame for landscape/portrait orientation, arms to adjust height, angle, etc).
LCD monitors with built-in TV Tuner and S-Video inputs (mostly a remote control too) are usually called LCD TVs. They allow you to view both computer applications and television program with one device.
