LCD Displays
• Use less space. Less eye fatigue.
• Can display wider spreadsheets, and extras such as sidebars.
• Use less power, weigh less.
• Can have speakers and USB ports.
• May require a new video card.
• Can blur fast moving images.
• They are more expensive than CRTs.

• Industry likes to Focus on Size & Price, Brightness, Contrast Ratio and Response time

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Size and Price
• 15 inch $158.00 to $239.00
• 22 inch $230.00 to $439.00
• 24 inch $378.00 to $951.00
• 30+ inch $1049.00 to $1999.99
• Conclusion for Size and Price
• The bigger the LCD Display – The more it costs

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Brightness
• Measured in cd/m2 (candela per square meter) or
• Nits: One candela per square meter is called a nit.
• Brightness should be…
• 300 nits or 300 cd/m2 or higher is common for LCD displays
• Conclusion for Brightness - Higher than 300 is better but expensive, and not needed for most uses.

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Contrast Ratio
• - Contrast ratios are a big marketing tool by the manufacturers and one that is not easy for consumers to grasp.
• - Essentially, this is the measurement of the difference in brightness from the darkest to brightest portion on the screen.
• Contrast Ratio Measurement Problems
• - This measurement will vary throughout the screen, due to variations in the lighting behind the panel. Manufacturers may use the highest contrast ratio they can find on a screen.
• - A higher contrast ratio will mean that the screen will have deeper blacks and brighter whites.
• Contrast Ratio and Costs
• Comparison done on a 22” Display
• 700:1 $379 to $426
• 1000:1 $231 to $549
• 2500:1 $249 to $309
• 3000:1 $229 to $369
• Conclusion for Contrast Ratio
• Due to varying standards of measurement, and pricing abnormalities, use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
• Go to a computer store and see what you like

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Response Time
• Is the amount of time a pixel in a LCD display takes to go from black to white and back again to black. (8 to 16 ms common)
• A more common measurement is grey-to-grey. (2 to 6ms common)
• So assume the manufacturers use grey-to-grey response Time

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Viewing angle
• More important on TVs. Most offer 160-170 degrees Horiz & Vert.
• Look at displays, and move about to see angle when fade begins.

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Sound area:
• Stereo speakers, may be included on the lower part of the frame.
• USB ports, may be included on the side.

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Display area:
• Widescreen LCDs” have less area than CRTs.
• A 19” LCD Display has less viewing area than a 19“ CRT Display

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Analog vs Digital input
• You need to match your computer output to the LCD Display input.
• If you do not have a DVI port on your computer then the VGA port on your computer must connect to the VGA port on your LCD display.
• LCD Displays should have both a VGA and a DVI port for the future.
• In the future your PC may have both a VGA and a DVI port on a video card for better graphics.
• You should have both a VGA port and a DVI port on your LCD Display.
• The DVI port is digital and the viewing is improved over the VGA, analogue, port.

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Screen resolution
• Best set at recommended maximum.
• Lowering it will give oblong shapes. Use font size.

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• 22” LCD Display Comparison
• 22 inch Display comparison.gif

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Conclusions: What to Look for in a LCD Display
• Define your needs and funding.
• Ensure your PC will handle LCD Display. (VGA connection.)
• Run Belarc advisor, (available from our website).
• Look at your video card report in Belarc.

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• Put Belarc results into a Google Search and look for megabytes in video card.
• Video card should be 128MB or more for 22 inch LCD using Vista.

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• In this case a 32 MB video card works with XP Pro on a 22” LCD Display.
• Research LCD Display with specs we reviewed.
• Look at some displays at a computer shop, and decide.

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Charlie LeBer