Archive: Business & Technology

Dr. Digit 'Splains It AllDr. Digit 'Splains It All

Have you noticed that all the computers on TV shows have those flat panel screens?  Somehow in TV Land everybody has the money to spend on flat panels and all those fictional land fills are filled with conventional monitors.  They look modern and cool, hip and up to date.  They also cost a lot more, so are they worth it?

First some acronyms.  Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors are like the old TVs.  In fact they are what those TVs use to display pictures.  Three color guns shoot light onto the surface of the screen so you can watch the castaways on "Lost" or "Gilligan's Island."   They're big, they're bulky and they heat up.  Flat panels are Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) -- well some are plasma, but those tend to be those honker flat TVs you lust over at Best Buy.  LCDs are made of a matrix of crystals that form the pictures as electricity is applied to them.  A back light illuminates the surface of this matrix to make the picture visible.

Aside from the fact that CRTs can take desk space the size of Rhode Island, why spend the extra money for the newer LCD technology other than that it is cool?

One reason is less eye fatigue.  Especially if you are at your computer a lot this makes a difference, and I can anecdotally attest to that.  I sit fairly close to a 19" display so I don't have to wear my glasses while I work at my computer.  When I used a CRT I found myself getting headaches behind my eyes quite often.  When I switched to an LCD the headaches went away.  This is because LCDs don't flicker like CRTs do, and there is much less glare on an LCD screen.

Another reason is energy efficiency.  LCDs can use as much as 60% less energy than a like-sized CRT.  That can make a real difference when your electric bill comes.  The biggest power expenditure is used to run the back light, as opposed to the much greater amount needed to power the constant electron beams in a CRT.

The down-side of LCDs is that the image can appear fuzzy, especially moving images, and colors may not be as vivid.  But I can tell you that I sometimes watch television on mine and the image is acceptable.  I do some graphics work on my computer and I don't have problems with my LCD display.

So is an LCD worth the higher cost?  For me it was, because of the headaches.  But I am a believer in not getting on the upgrade wagon.  If it ain't broke don't fix it.  So if you are thinking of switching just for the cool factor, consider how much cool is worth to you.  For gamers or professional graphic artists CRTs are probably the better choice.  For the rest of us a flat panel screen may be worth it -- or not.

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