Obviously, one needs to compare features when shopping around for a product. Here, I will list the terms that you should be familiar with, and how they will affect your decision.

Aspect Ratio

This is the ratio of width to height. A standard, non-widescreen monitor will have an aspect ratio of 4:3, while the wider displays will have 16:9 or similar. A wide format will actually allow you to see more laterally than you would otherwise, hence the draw to have a wide monitor for movies and games. 16:9 is actually the standard format for hi-def video, so if you plan on watching full screen movies, you will experience less image distortion with this than you will with the others.

This is important depending on what you want out of a monitor. For games and movies, it is recommended you go with a widescreen display. For an email and word computer, you might as well save the coin and stick with 4:3. Of course, as with everything, it is also a matter of preference.

Resolution

This is the size of the viewing area, expressed in pixels. LCD monitors actually have what is called a native resolution, which is the best possible resolution for that particular screen. When set to native, the monitor will display icons and text without stretching, and will give you the best view. A typical native resolution for a 17” monitor would be shown as “1280×1024”. With certain monitor sizes and aspect ratios, you can expect certain native resolutions. Setting a higher resolution can actually have a similar affect that widescreen formats do; you will see your viewing area increase, and things may appear smaller.

High native resolutions will come hand in hand with a really nice viewing experience and smoother picture. It is difficult to pick a monitor based on this simply because monitors that are similar in size will likely support similar resolutions.

Contrast Ratio

This is a ratio that depicts the difference between absolute light and absolute dark so far as the monitor is concerned. That is to say that if the number is very high (say 4000:1), the dark scenes will be very dark, and the bright scenes will be very bright. How a monitor can achieve its contrast ratio is actually fairly complicated, so you might want to search up the term to better understand it. Just know that a high number is a good number.

Most media will benefit from a high ratio because of how rich the colors become. A game like F.E.A.R., which tends to have incredibly dark environments, becomes much more immersive because black is actually black and very difficult to see through. Photos and movies will also improve visually.

Brightness

I suppose the title sort of gives away the definition. This will be given in candela per square meter. Since most of us cannot translate what 300 candela per square meter actually looks like, just know that if the number is higher, the monitor can display its image brighter.

Remember that you can adjust brightness, so having a high value here isn’t a bad thing if you don’t like really bright light in your face. It is advisable to take a display with a higher possible brightness over one with a lower value because of this.

Response Time

This is a time given in milliseconds that tells you how long it takes for a pixel to change color. Most response times now settle somewhere between 12 and 5ms, with more expensive monitors offering times like 2ms. The faster the time, the more responsive the monitor will seem. Some people don’t really care about this value (after all, what is 12ms of time?) but anybody who cares about their media will tell you that this number directly affects the crispness of the display. A fast action sequence can be difficult to watch because every moving object seems to have a brief trail behind it. Anyone who has had experience with early laptops that had some of the first consumer LCDs will know the pains of this problem. Luckily, LCD technology has come a long way since then.

Basically, faster is better, especially if you do any gaming or watch any movies on your PC.

Viewing Angle

This is the angle at which you can see the detail and color on the screen with a reasonable amount of clarity. This measurement isn’t exactly standardized, though viewing angles in general have improved dramatically over the last few years.

This is a valuable bit of information if you plan on watching movies with a few people. Chances are that your dinner guests won’t all be sitting directly in front of the screen, so having a display that is forgiving in this area will prove useful. The best way to find out what is suitable is to go to a store and see it for yourself.

Viewing Area

This refers to your basic monitor size, which on an LCD is measured in inches diagonally across the screen. This can range anywhere from 17” all the way up into the 50s for LCD TVs.

Prices are always fluctuating, so the only comment I’ll make about this is that you will see an exponential increase in price happen across the board, which is directly related to the size of the screen. You will typically see this effect once you pass up the 22” displays and work your way up.

Conclusion

There are a few more details that you can look into for a new LCD monitor, but these are the core features that need to be evaluated in order for you to make a more informed decision. The best thing you can do for yourself is to go and have look at the monitors in person, because image quality cannot really be measured and dictated to the degree that we will perceive it outside of viewing it. Happy shopping!

LCD monitors, on the other hand, are not measured using the tricky viewable area measurement. An LCD monitor is measured by the actual size of the screen. The measurement is taken diagonally, from corner to corner, just as with the CRT.

When searching for your next monitor you have the choice to choose between a regular CRT monitor or a more modern LCD display. Since the prices of LCD’s have dropped considerably in recent years, the choice between the two often comes down to application. Whereas some hard-core gamers and graphics developers may still stick to a larger, advanced CRT screen, the average computer user can now seek out an LCD screen at affordable price. LCD’s offer several advantages offer conventional CRT monitors including a sharper image and smaller footprint (size). There is also no more need to adjust the refresh rate with LCD’s as there was with CRT’s.

If you are still interested in CRT monitors, a size of 17″ or 19″ has pretty much become standard these days. One would be foolish to purchase anything smaller than this, and a CRT less than 17″ is pretty hard to find these days anyway. At the time of this writing, the same size standards happen to hold true for LCD’s due to continued advances in technology and continued decreases in price. Many owners of LCD displays have either a 17″ or 19″ model. 15″ or smaller LCD’s are starting becoming pretty rare these days, and often cost the same as a 17″ LCD, sometimes even more. If you are shopping for an LCD, you are best of buying a bigger, newer, model unless you are really pressed for space.

At the end, the choice of LCD vs. CRT is up to the individual user and the intended application, but there is a general trend in the technology industry of moving away from CRT technology towards newer and more advanced LCD displays. Going along with this trend, the next section is therefore dedicated solely to LCD displays.

LCD Size and Price

It is true that LCD monitors used to be more expensive than CRTs. The primary reason for this was because of complexity and quality control. TFT LCD monitors are rather complicated, incorporating million of transistors in the screen in order to control current to each individual pixel. This is very different than a CRT monitor, where each pixel is just a phosphor dot that is ignited using an electron gun. And, with the increased complexity of the LCD comes a higher emphasis on quality control. Producing glass sheets containing millions of transistors for an LCD screen is an involced process, and all of the transistors need to work. A bad transistor means that the corresponding LCD pixel will not work. Each transistor panel that is manufactured has to be tested for this. If the panel contains too many bad transistors, the unit is discarded. Out of any batch of LCD’s, some are discarded for this problem, while others are fine and move on to become full LCD monitors. But, the cost of the monitors also has to absorb the cost of this increased quality control. These factor led to LCD screens being more expensive.

Advancements in the LCD manufacturing process lead to cost cutting measures that can be taken. Hence, the prices of LCD’s are are continuing to come down. Whereas the smaller 15″ LCD’s used to be more expensive than a 17″ or 19″ CRT, prices have now come down to the point where a 19″ LCD can be had for under $200, which is quite affordable to the average computer user.. Because of this the, majority of computer builders purchase an LCD with their new build nowadays as opposed to an older CRT monitor (although some hard-core gamers might beg to differ here). Larger sizes of LCD’s exit, but currently the prices rise considerably for LCD’s greater than 21″. The largest LCD’s are quite expensive, often costing several thousand dollars. It turns out that at the time of this writing a 19″ LCD can be had for around $180, a 20″-21″ LCD between $200-300, and 24″ and greater LCD can cost to close to $400 and beyond.

Bundled Monitors

Often, if you buy a pre-built PC, you will receive a LCD/CRT monitor with it. Some assume that the manufacturer knows something they don’t and that the monitor is the perfect match for that particular computer and video card. This is not necessarily true. While this monitor will provide a basic set of features and adequate performance, the manufacturer has value in mind instead of quality and performance.

Many PC’s these days come bundled with a 17″ LCD monitor. Some come bundled with 19″ or larger LCD monitors, as well. Some vendors do not offer a bundled monitor at all, but instead offer it as an upgrade for an additional fee. Of course, the cheapest will be the smallest and most basic. It is worth it, though, to check out the upgraded, more expensive monitor. In some cases, you can get a great deal on a nice size monitor through a vendor when you are purchasing a PC.

Lastly, many vendors offer bundled CRT/LCD monitors that come with the vendor’s own label on it (e.g. Dell). Some may wonder if this monitor is as good as a name brand LCD/CRT monitor. This is not a problem, though. Chances are that these monitors are being assembled in the same place by the same people. The vendor is simply purchasing the monitor wholesale and slapping their own label on it. Some vendors simply have the manufacturer modify the monitors a tad to bring them to a certain standard. Nevertheless, the vendor is probably not making their own monitor.

Lastly, it is good to have an understanding of the term “flat screen”. Some vendors offer “flat screen displays” are seemingly very affordable prices with their computers. Many consumers automatically assume this means you are getting an LCD. But, this is not always the case. CRT monitors are also available in flat screen versions. These monitors operate using standard CRT technology, but use a flat screen rather than the normally concave screen seen on older CRTs. One needs to be sure they know which type of screen is being advertised. Do not be fooled.

Method: Polish Cloths and Dusters

Verdict on LCD monitors: Works.

Verdict on CRT monitors: Works.

Neither a polish cloth or a duster will spread dust, but rather pick it up. In addition, neither produce static electricity and neither are abrasive.

Dusters are available everywhere. Smaller ones are better.

It should be noted that you should use plain dusters without any added stuff, like scents and so on.

The best polish cloth to use are ones made for guitars. They are yellow in color and can be found any at musical instrument store, such as Guitar Center.

Method: Dry paper towels

Verdict on LCD monitors: Works somewhat.

Verdict on CRT monitors: Works somewhat.

A dry paper towel, while non-abrasive, does not clean. Rather, it just pushes dirt and dust to the corners of the monitor.

On LCD monitors you can use them while the monitor is on.

On CRT monitors you have to shut it off first, then wait until the static discharge (if any) goes away, else you run the risk of shock.

On both type of monitors, there’s a chance you’ll leave behind little white paper towels “bits”, which of course will be pushed to the corners of the monitor just like the dirt does.

Method: Dry face cloth

Verdict on LCD monitors: Works somewhat.

Verdict on CRT monitors: Works somewhat.

The face cloth only works somewhat for the same reasons as paper towels - they don’t pick up dirt and dust, but push it.

The advantage to the cloth over paper towels is that little white bits aren’t left behind - but it still doesn’t do the job right.

Method: Damp paper towel (with water)

Verdict on LCD monitors: Works somewhat.

Verdict on CRT monitors: Works somewhat.

This method will pick up dirt, but will most likely leave smudge marks behind when you use dry paper towels to dry with. And you’ll still have to deal with those little white bits afterwards when you dry.

For best results, have the monitor shut off. On LCD’s you can start cleaning immediately after it’s powered off. On CRT’s, you should wait until the static discharge (if any) is gone, else you run the risk of shock. Ground yourself first.

Method: Damp paper towel (with plain glass cleaner)

Verdict on LCD monitors: Works

Verdict on CRT monitors: Works

A plain glass cleaner does not have any ammonia or other “harsh” chemicals in it. An example of plain glass cleaner is standard Windex.

This method, like water, will pick up dirt. In addition it will clear away any smudges. But you still have paper bits left behind when you dry with paper towels.

However, if you only use a minimal amount of glass cleaner, it will dry itself quickly.

For best results, have the monitor shut off. On LCD’s you can start cleaning immediately after it’s powered off. On CRT’s, you should wait until the static discharge (if any) is gone, else you run the risk of shock. Ground yourself first.

Method: Tissue paper

Verdict on all monitors: Does not work - and damages monitor

Tissue paper is an abrasive. The reason you do not use it to clean monitors is the same reason you don’t use it to clean eyeglasses, that being it will leave behind tiny scratches.

The cleaning ability of tissues is terrible. It does not pick up any dirt/dust at all, and you have to wipe harder (thereby leaving even more scratches) to get them to do anything.

If you notice one day your monitor looks “fuzzy” for seemingly no reason, it’s because the surface is chock full of scratches from cleaning it with tissue paper. Stay away from tissues for cleaning any monitor.

Rich takes us step by step through hardware and software methods of sharing your screen with two monitors. This is video 1 of 2.

A quick video guide to setting up dual screens on your PC. We talk about two screens on a laptop (which is pretty easy), multiple desktops using a cool PowerToy from Microsoft (called Virtual Desktop Manager), and setting up dual screens on your Windows XP desktop machine. And at the end you get a little look at David’s three-screen setup.

The computer monitor allows you to interface with your PC visually. All PC monitors are capable of rendering both text and graphics. Most monitors on the market today are still Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors. LCD, or Liquid Crystal Dispaly, monitors have long help a monopoly over the notebook PC arena, but are now also becoming increasingly popular in the desktop PC field. LCD screens have clean, crisp images and take up less space on your desk. These two monitor technologies operate very differently. Let’s discuss it in this article.

How CRTs Work

The Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is the most common type of monitor. It operates using a “tube”, just like the standard color television. But, there are drastic differences, and these differences go to the heart of why a PC monitor can produce much higher quality images, with higher resolution, than a television screen. Under the covers, an electron beam is aimed at a phosphor-coated screen. Whenever the electrons hit the phosphor, it glows, producing images. When the monitor is plugged into the video card, it gets a scan frequency, or a signal telling the timing of the screen redraws. The electron beam must cross the screen in synchronization with the card’s scan signal. The beam starts at the top left of the screen, crossing it from left to right. As it does this, it ignites the phosphor dots. As it reaches the right side of the screen, it returns to the left side in order to refresh the line of pixels underneath the first one. It continues this process down the screen, returning to the top to do it over when it has finished the entire screen. During the passes, the beam excites those phosphor dots which the video card tells it to. Therefore, the card gives precise instructions to the electron gun to excite that pixel or another one, thereby forming some kind of pretty picture.

Many monitors and video cards support both non-interlaced and interlaced display. In interlaced mode, the electron gun refreshes the odd-numbered rows of pixels on one pass, then comes back and refreshes the even-numbered rows. Interlaced displays, therefore, make a complete screen sweep twice as fast as a non-interlaced one, but it must make two passes for a complete redraw. The result is that, with interlaced displays, one can use lower refresh rates and get the same job done. The only drawback is that the technology depends on the user’s eye to not detect the fact that only one half of the screen is redrawn per sweep. Some people can see this.

In this explanation, we can see the mechanism behind the refresh rate. The eletron gun cycles through all of the pixels on the screen, refreshing each so as to maintain an image on the screen. Each time the gun moves from left to right, repeating down the entire screen, the image is refreshed. The refresh rate is the number of times this happens per second. Measured in hertz (Hz), a refresh rate of 72 Hz means that the above cycle is repeated 72 times per second. Refresh rate is completely adjustable. Refresh rates that are too low could cause a flicker that is noticeable to the human eye. This flicker happens because the screen is not being refreshed quick enough to outpace the rate at which the phosphor begins to lose its glow. Higher refresh rates will ensure no flicker. But, due to the the fact that each pass has to refresh every pixel on the screen, the refresh rate is highly dependent on the resolution being used. Higher resolutions normally demand lower refresh rates, because as you increase the number of pixels being used, the longer it takes to refresh them all.

Dot Pitch

The dot pitch is a measurement of how close together the pixels, or phosphor dots, are that make up an image. For the most part, the finer the dot pitch, the better image quality you will have. But, the subject of dot pitch is actually a little confusing. No longer can one just assume that the smaller dot pitch is better.

The dot pitch is dependent on the type of monitor. The traditional dot pitch on a shadow-mask monitor is measured diagonally from one phosphor dot to the next of the same color. The horizontal dot pitch is, then, the distance from an imaginary line drawn through all same-color phosphor dots in a vertical column to the next over such line. Both of these monitors use the same construction, but the dot pitch is measured differently, and can’t be compared. On aperture-grill monitors, such as the Sony Trinitron, a stripe pitch is used, and is the distance between two same-color stripes in the display. Here, a 0.25 dp is standard, while 0.28 dp is standard on a shadow-mask monitor. They can’t be compared, then, by dot pitch alone.

The motto here is not to pay too much attention to dot pitch when considering your next monitor.

Resolution and Refresh Rate

These two features are discussed together because neither can really be discussed alone. Each depends on the other. They work hand-in-hand to produce a clean image, and they both depend on the bandwidth available from your video card.

Refresh rate is the vertical frequency, or the rate at which each pixel on a screen is re-drawn. A low refresh rate result in an image that flickers, resulting in eye-strain. Due to limits in bandwidth, the rate at which the screen is redrawn decreases as the resolution increases. Bandwidth is the rate at which the monitor receives data from the video card. To find out how much bandwidth is needed at a particular setting, simply multiply the horizontal resolution by the vertical resolution by the refresh rate. For example, a refresh rate of 85Hz at 800×600 resolution would require 40.8 MHz bandwidth. According to this, you can see that as the resolution increases, the required bandwidth increases dramatically.

The standard for flicker free images has been set to 85Hz. Nevertheless, most viewers won’t detect flicker as low as 72 Hz. The best test to detect flicker is to look slightly above or to the side of the monitor. Your peripheral vision is more sensitive to the flicker, therefore you have a better chance of seeing it. Sometimes, it helps to be in a darker room.

Your video card plays an important role in all of this. If your card cannot provide support for the resolutions and refresh rates of the monitor, the picture will look degraded. When pairing a video card with a monitor, at least make sure that it is capable of delivering a 72Hz refresh rate at any resolution supported by that monitor.