crt verses flat panel

[JMD 0]

Hello. I have a Viewsonic Profesional CRT Monitor that has a supper sharp picture, I could'nt imagen a picture any sharper.

 

So what is the deal on these flat panel screen that cost a Kings ransome to by.

 

Are the realy that much better?

Do you get the same amount of viewing space

with an 18 inch FP AS AN 21 inch crt?

 

If there's any one out there who has an opinion on this I would be interested in hearing it.

 

Thanks for the response in my previos post.

[Crash99 0]

actually, I think the hype is more about space conservation...As far as picture quality goes, so far i'd take my viewsonci over one of those monitors any day...I don't think they have very high refresh rates, and if your sitting in the wrong place, you can't see anything on the screen...They cost so much b/c the technology is newer and it's just out right expensive to make them...I could be wrong, but that's my 2 cents.

[Damien 0]

Images can be very sharp on CRT monitiors - hell my Eizo Flexiscan 21" is absolutely pin sharp. Despite this when I look at my Laptop's TFT screen - I always think - wow this is like so easy to read. Because of the way in which TFT works - it will always be a little bit sharper than a CRT - this is mainly due to the fact that such devices don't need shadow masks or aperture grills - so you don't get the danger of fuzzy lines caused by a grill or mask's inability to block out all the stray electrons.

 

Anyway here are what I consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of a TFT FPD compared to a CRT.

 

1. A Flat Panel Display feels more comfortable to work with - this is because they emit very little radiation when compared to the CRT. When using a CRT you can often feel your eys getting tired and sore with prolongued use - with a FPD - this doesn't happen.

 

2. Viewing angle - unfortunately a LCD FPD offers a smaller viewing angle than a CRT - again this is because of the way in which it is constructed - the angles can be anything upo to 30% less for a LCD panel.

 

3. Colour - CRT tubes - especially Trinitron tubes provide brighjter and more vibrant colours than their LCD counterparts.

 

4. Cost - CRT's are far cheeper than LCD panels.

 

5. And finally size - when a LCD panel is quoted as 18" it really is 18". The same is not true of a CRT where one quoted as being 18" can be as small as 16" or even less. This is because the figure quotes the CRT's size, some of which is always hidden in the plastic casing - this is the only way the tube can be adequately supported. Of course CRT displays are also far larger than their LCD counterparts and can save considerable space - something that is very important in a small office.

 

[This message has been edited by Damien (edited 23 May 2000).]

[JMD 0]

Damien. I have a Viewsonic 19 inch with a viewing area of 18, the screen is flaT.

With an 18 inch flat panel they say you have a viewing area equal to a 21 inch.

 

How is that possible????

[DrSchmoe 0]

Actually, I want to correct people on the issue of LCD prices.

 

In reality, they cost roughly the same as CRTs. However, the technology is currently only manufactured in Japan. For this reason, countries such as the United States have a 100% tariff on LCD panels.

 

The government is using the tariff as an incentive to push US companies into LCD production. As more companies enter the marketplace, eventually the tariff will be repealed, and LCDs will probably be cheaper than CRTs.

 

As for the size, 18" LCDs are roughly similar to 21" CRTs. The reason is because the LCD screen is uniform from edge-to-edge.

 

With CRTs the viewable image area is the entire face of the tube that is not masked by the case. However, the image quality degrades fairly substantially around the edges. For this reason, most people don't expand their screen out all the way.

 

Most of you have a very small border around your screen, but in reality, this border adds up to remove another inch from your viewing area. So, a 21" CRT with 19" viewable roughly has 18" being used.

 

Also, the refresh rate of LCDs is 60Hz. It is not necessary to go any faster, because of the nature of the technology. Even if it were running at 1Hz, the screen would not flicker. The 60Hz rate refers to the speed at which it redraws, for this reason, a poorly designed LCD will blur while dealing with high-action (movies, games, etc).

[YuppieScum 0]

One other thing to remember is that and LCD panel is a fixed resolution - at the moment 1024*768 or 1280*1024 (like mine). #

 

Using an LCD at other that it's native resolution gives a much worse image than a CRT.

 

At the end of the day, it's a trade-off in resolutions - the potential of 1600*1200 against the quality of 1280*1024...especially when digital-output video cards/digital-in LCD monitors are considered...

[Damien 0]

JMC - it's possible because when the size of a CRT monitor is quoted - what they're quoting is the actual size of the tube, not the viewing area. You can try this for yourself - neasure the diagonal of the viewable area of the screen on your CRT - I think you may be surprised to find that the value is something short of 21". With TFT's they quote the real viewing area - so if a 21" monitor only has a 17.5 " viewing area or even an 18" viewing area - then you can see how a company that makes TFT'scan justify itself with such a statement.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Damien.

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by Damien (edited 24 May 2000).]

[tylau 0]

make sure you get a DVI interface lift, other han that you will see burring edges of dark fonts to the right of letters on the screen.

 

I dont have one though. ;0)