Big computer screens have been progressively getting more economical , as costs continue to fall. Whereas 21” monitors used to cost $1500-2000 now they can be found for $900-1600. Additionally, larger monitors have come onto the market. Sony has remitted a 24” CRT, it’s got a large price tag, but what’s next in the screen industry? Liquid Crystal Displays are becoming more common of late. Industry analysts augur that within five years LCD monitors will transmit almost all CRTs. That’s not to say that no one will have CRT monitors , it is just that when someone goes to buy a new monitor they will probably be looking at a LCD as opposed to a CRT.

Why is the market moving towards LCD screens ? Well, LCDs have many benefits over traditional CRT technology. In fact the only disadvantage to LCD displays are their high cost , which will come down over time. A advantage of LCD screens is their very low radiation emissions , which allows them to be used in delicate work environments (hospitals, scientific research, etc.). One disadvantage of CRT displays is that as the screen size gets bigger, the monitor itself gets much larger and heavier. A 17” monitor is 17” deep on usual and weighs 40-50lbs. 21” monitors can weigh up to 90-100lbs. LCD screens usually weigh anywhere from 8-15lbs (there is a 20lb 20.5 inch LCD) depending on their size. Additionally, the depth of a LCD is much smaller, usually around 6-8 inches.

Another distinct advantage of LCD screens is their display design. Each cell can be changed individually so there is no shimmer . In a customary CRT, there are three guns (green, red, and blue) that constantly renovate the screen (usually at 72hz). If the screen isn’t renovated at a high enough refresh rate the human eye can detect screen twinkling . Nevertheless , since the whole screen isn’t changed for a small pixel change, the worry of a twinkling screen is transmitted .

The main drawback to LCD displays is their high price . The least expensive 13.8-inch screen I could find was priced at $995 (made by Viewsonic). The average cost for 14-14.5 inch screens is $1400-1500. The prices have fallen a good bit, last year they were about $1000 more. The main reason for the high prices is that perfect LCD screens are hard to make. In each screen there are three different cells per pixel that have to be made. At a typical settlement of 1024×768, 2,359,296 different cells need to be made. Usually the number of defects required for a replacement is only 6. In the future, as the yields improve and as LCD screens become more popular, the costs will drop.

Is a LCD display for you? Probably not at the moment, but in the future LCD screens will definitely be a prolific option.

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