LCD – For the Novice and the Expert
by Kristopher Kubicki on September 4, 2003 12:13 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
While browsing the forums, we noticed there were an unusual number of LCD questions. It’s been a while since we posted any new LCD news, so we are going to go look at LCDs both on the novice and expert level. It is our intention to keep this article up to date with new changes, but it requires the feedback of our readers in the forums.
Among all of the hardware sectors, displays have risen to become the most explosive, controversial and emotional sector of all. In three years, we have seen LCD sales double and triple. Almost 85% of all new displays sold are now LCD. To say that LCDs will play an important part in the future of personal computing would be an understatement.
Unfortunately, since growth in the LCD market is volatile, confusion and rumor convolute almost every review and guide on the internet. In order to explain anything and everything, we will start with computer monitor basics, going all the way back to the history of the LCD and then finishing with the future of LCD and flat panel technology. Also, we will provide a glossary at the end of this article.
Among all of the hardware sectors, displays have risen to become the most explosive, controversial and emotional sector of all. In three years, we have seen LCD sales double and triple. Almost 85% of all new displays sold are now LCD. To say that LCDs will play an important part in the future of personal computing would be an understatement.
Unfortunately, since growth in the LCD market is volatile, confusion and rumor convolute almost every review and guide on the internet. In order to explain anything and everything, we will start with computer monitor basics, going all the way back to the history of the LCD and then finishing with the future of LCD and flat panel technology. Also, we will provide a glossary at the end of this article.
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spikemike - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
Just got the deal on passive displays from the LCD expert(my dad, he worked at RCA on LCDs just a couple years after they first invented it) and here is what he saidPassive displays do operate in either twisted or untwisted mode; data is supplied as on or off signal. However because the response time of STN is slow, they get gray scale by pulse width modulation techniques. Usually they get 16 shades of gray (4096 colors) with time modulation, and additonal gray levels by spatial modulation (using 2-4 pixels to achieve
1-2 bits additonal gray scale). Right now, the best STN color displays achieve 65K colors.
So basically if they need a gray scale they just turn it on and then turn it off before it gets all the way on. So technically the way it was written was correct. (by the way the last two posts were also mine)
Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
"Take a piece of lint free cloth and wrap it around your index finger. Push about 1/4 of an inch above the broken pixel with about as much force as would take to depress a doorbell. Pull your finger down past the pixel to about 1/4 of an inch below the broken pixel. Repeat in a left to right manner as well. If you’ve tried it about 10 times and are still without success, then you most likely are not going to be able to bring that pixel back to life (and you will probably have a light scuff mark on your anti-glare coating as well).">>>are you supposed to press the pixels while it's on? couldn't it cause the neighboring pixels to become stuck in the on position?
Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
I have a Cornea Mp704B 17" LCD. It has the 20ms Hyundai Panel. It's very nice, colors look great, sharp text and images, and no trailing or ghosting at all. I did notice that the backlight isn't perfect (just slightly, and i mean slightly, brighter in middle and bottom of LCD than on the top) and I did have 1 dead pixel and 2 dead subpixels (they weren't stuck on red though). I haven't tried rubbing, it sounds a little fisky, but I may eventually. But yeah, the Hitachi panels are nice overall.Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
#25 is right, passive displays are capable of color, every color cell phone today available in the US uses a passive STN display, as far as i know. It is still a much cheaper technology. As does gameboys and palm pilots. Thats why the color seems like pastels and not vivid colors.Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
i think 16 and 17 make a point, #16 almost all monitors use the 18bit color he is right about that. A 6 bit driver is much cheaper then an 8 bit driver. And maybe only a few very high end models use an 8 bit driver. #17 discusses the TV LCDs these in fact are the best LCDs you can buy, they have the widest viewing angles, best color, and the fastest response times, because all people do is watch video on them, Although they tend to be lower dpi so if you are thinking about getting one for a computer monitor be sure to sit far a way or you will be able to see the pixels. Some 60" LCDs shown at SID conferences are the best ever made. They look absolutely amazing.A third note is that high res high color displays are a requirement for longhorn. Sharp announced they would be the first to offer longhorn compatible displays. They need high res(UXGA probably) and high color(10bit i believe). These products are still about 2 years off but if you look at displays in laptops they have no problem making high DPI displays, for some reason companies don't think people want a UXGA 17" panels.(they should look at forums like this). There is also a company working on ways to get higher res out of the same number of drivers and subpixels by arranging the pixels differently, (www.clarivoyante.com) this could lead to lower cost for the same resolution potentially allowing the better substrates to be used. There are substrates that use high response time, wide viewing angle technology, its just considerably more expensive.
Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
#14No I, run my CRt at 85 hz .Well that's as far as my card will go .old card TNT2
Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
No.I run it at 85 Hz.Well that's the maximum my card will go .OLd card TNT2.Live - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
Very Good article! Anandtech is really getting back in good shape. I for one would like to read one about CRTs as well. While you’re at it why not cover monitors in your price guides as well what’s the use of all this computer power and fancy graphics cards without a good output of it all?Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
The parts about passive and TFT technology is confusing and perhaps misleading. If you're talking about passive matrix STN or DSTN LCD displays, they were indeed able to turn a pixel partially on, or partially off. However, they're biggest downside was they were always fuzzy because manipulating one pixel, often caused the ones surrounding it to discolour, too. The biggest benefit from TFTs, I believe, was that each individual subpixel was uniquely addressable.Anonymous User - Thursday, September 4, 2003 - link
samsung still not offering up their 'X' line of 16ms panels for review? Apparently they are available for sale in Europe...