CRT vs LCD sticky

CRT's (cathode ray tube) displays have been the standard for a very long time mostly due to reliability and cost. As other display types become less costly and last longer the CRT is startingto become phased out. However CRT's still have relevance due to their very high contrast ratio (difference between black and white) and their visual quickness. Meaning they can display many different colors and really great contrasts without any real noticeable flaws. What that means is that if you have a lot of different colors on the screen at once (i.e. a game) and they are changing rapidly, every image change will be smooth and response full, no image lag or ghosting or artifacting. Also CRT's do not have many issues, or any with viewing angles.

CRT Specs and things to look for
- Horizontal Refresh Rate
(for most people 85 to 100hz are comfortable)
- Viewable Size
(the advertised size and the actual screen size are different, i.e. a 19'' CRT should have viewable size, actual screen, of 18'' and inch smaller)
- Dot Pitch
(although the dot pitch is not much of an issue anymore, it should the lowest number possible 0.20 to 0.22mm, it is the size of any pixel on the screne)
- Cabinet Size
(the actual size of the monitor, as this can be an issue as CRTs can get very bulky)
- Size and screen contour
(while your at it you might as well get a flat panel CRT for view ability and get a good size, 19'' is a good size and if you can fit it a 20'')

CRT CONCLUSION
To be completely honest, CRT's are great, but they are on the way out, some companies have stopped manufacturing them and other display types are catching up very quickly. If you really want a CRT then you are an extremely hard core gamer on a budget or you are a professional and image quality and accuracy are the absolute most important thing on your list and are mission critical.

LCD's (liquid crystal display) have been around for a good while to, around the 1970's but they were very expesive and not very reliable. LCD's have made a lot of headway recently and have come a long way since their creation. Thats not to say they are not without their faults, they still have a long ways to go, and when shopping for a LCD it is very important to look at the details. The obvious advanteges of LCD's are their size and weight. LCD's fall behind CRT's the most when involving images vibrance and image quickness because of the way the light is utilized and controlled in a CRT, which is much different than in a LCD. Although these issues are becoming less and less of a problem as the technology progresses. Also a note on dead pixels they are less of a problem than they used to be, and most company or retailers have a warrenty against them, if they do occur.

LCD Specs and things to look for
- Response Time
(16ms is a little to slow for most people, but if you just surf the net or an occasional movie, that should be fine. However 8ms is as high as i would think about, should be ok for casual gaming, movie watching. Although i wouldn't seriously consider anything unless it is at or below 6ms,but the lower the better. Also you want black to white or vise versa, but not GTG, which is gray to gray and not the real response time)
- Contrast Ratio
(A nice contrast ratio is the hardest thing to find in a LCD. 1000:1 is great, although i wouldn't really recommend going any lower that 700:1, at the very lowest 600:1)
- Brightness
(the magic number here seems to be around 300 cd/m2, this is the best for serious movie watching and gaming, but 250 should be fine as well)
- Resolution
(This is something that should be considered, LCD's have issues with displaying outside of their native resolutions. The image can become blurred or a little fuzzy. This is more apparent on displays with lower quality specs)
- Viewing Angle
(this isn't such an issue for most, as they are the only ones looking at their displays, usually straight at it. This is more for people who watch movies and the such, measured in degrees, so if its 160, then the image will be displayed correctly until you go past 160 degrees horizontally or vertically)

LCD CONCLUSION
Currently LCD's are the way to go. They are supported by pretty much every manufacturer who makes displays and they make advances all the time. One thing that needs to be said, do some serious shopping around, don't just stick to one retailer just because you like them, as they might not carry a LCD thats sufficient. As the technology advances the cost of LCD's continues to decrease as well as the gaps in performance. I would recommend getting an LCD in most cases, the only case i wouldn't would be if you are an absolute extreme gamer or designer on a real budget. Once you start getting into the higher contrast ratios and lower response times, LCD's and CRT's are almost indistinguishable.


-Widescreens Its almost a fact that widescreen displays are the future trend as manufactures push certain resolutions and displays. As far as i can see, i really see no reason to not go widescreen, as i have said, its becoming more and more commonplace, even in the gaming arena. Most games will more than likely support widescreen resolutions as many already do. It is just a good investment, also if something doesn't support a widescreen resolution then the black bars are put into play, and you can just think of them as large bezel.

-Serious LCD Pursuers Basically some additional information you should consider if you want to really get into LCD's. Some important info that should be considered is the panel type the display uses, as well as where the panel is manufactured and at what order they get their panels. For example Samsung and LG make their own panels and are the first to use them directly. Also currently and from what i have researched, the best small LCD's that i have found are manufactured by LG, they have a lifetime warrenty against Dead Pixels and have absolutely great contrast ratios and response time for the cost. Response times at 5ms and contrast ratios at 2000:1!!! Link_to_Panel_Types also check out www.flatpanels.dk - Din guide til fladskærme some of it is in German or something but they have some of the panel types for some displays. Panel types are pretty hard to find as most retailers don't give out that information.

Originally Posted by megamaced "Welcome to another of Swansen's random thoughts. Guaranteed to confuse the best of us, or your money back!"