LCD & hz

[tomster2300]

What's a lcd's equivalent to a crt's hz? My new samsung lcd's optimal resolution is at 1280x1024 at 60 hz, yet it says in the list that it can go up to 75. The screen looks funny at 75, yet I know for my old crt I had to keep it at 80 hz to keep my eyes from straining. Crts at 60 hz gave me a headache, shouldnt this lcd do the same?

Thanks.

[Panama Red]

Different technology between a CRT and LCD. 60Hz or the highest allowed by the monitor is fine for LCD's but 72 - 85 is need on CRT's to reduce the flicker and eye strain.

[tomster2300]

Could you explain exactly what the 60 hz is on the lcd. Is it just a refresh rate like on CRTs?

[Hi Ho]

LCD's do not have a refresh rate. They produce a static image that does not need to be constantly scanned. A CRT produces an image by scanning the electron beam many times per second (60hz = 60 times/sec).

LCD's are a completely different technology and the refresh rate is a non-issue.

HERE (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm) is a lengthy but very good article about LCD's. HERE (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/tv.htm) is an even more lengthy article about CRT's. :)

[tomster2300]

So what is a decent rate?

[Hi Ho]

It really doesn't matter. It won't make a difference on an LCD.

I edited my post above and gave links to a couple good articles.

[RJ]

So what is a decent rate?

Generally, there is none. What's the refresh rate on CRT's for ? Right, to reduce the flickering (CRT flickers faster, human eye can't perceive the flickering at some point).
TFTs don't flicker. So what's the point of a higher refresh rate ? None.

The refresh rate just says how many times the picture is redrawn. At 60hz, it's 60 times a second, so it's also 60fps.
If you play a game, you can't get more than 60fps on a monitor with 60 Hz.

Now, if you lived in a PAL land, and wanna watch DVD, the optimal setting would be 75 Hz, as PAL is 25fps, and 75 is 3x25, so it fits. With 60hz, it doesn't fit, so the picture becomes a bit stuttering (most times you don't notice it anyway, but if you pay attention, you'll see it). So you change it to 75 Hz to have a smooth playback.

That's the only reason to change the refresh rate of a TFT, actually.

RJ

[tomster2300]

The refresh rate just says how many times the picture is redrawn. At 60hz, it's 60 times a second, so it's also 60fps.
If you play a game, you can't get more than 60fps on a monitor with 60 Hz
RJ

Is that for both CRTs and TFTs, or just CRTs? In BF2 the in-game fps counter would jump above 75 fps at times while my old CRT could only support a 60-70 hz refresh rate. How is that possible?

Also, what is PAL?

Thanks RJ for the explanations.

[blue60007]

The video card could be rendering more than 60 fps, but they would be lost since the monitor couldn't display that many.

[RJ]

Is that for both CRTs and TFTs, or just CRTs?

It's for both (hence I was referring to "monitor" instead of CRT or TFT).

In BF2 the in-game fps counter would jump above 75 fps at times while my old CRT could only support a 60-70 hz refresh rate. How is that possible?

The counter just tells you how many fps the graphics card renders, not how many the monitor displays.
A monitor at 60 Hz is redrawn 60 times per second and can display 60fps. If the graphics card renders 30fps, each frame will be shown twice. If the graphics card renders 50 Hz .. some frames are shown twice so the image will stutter a bit (you can see it best with flight simulator).
As already said, if the graphics card renders more than 60fps, some frames are lost. The monitor can only display 60 fps at 60 Hz. So, if you mostly get higher fps than Hz in games, it's better to increase the quality of the picture (you know. . texture quality etc.), so that the fps drops to a level where it's pretty much synchronized with the refresh rate (or just increase the refresh rate). That way you get more out of your graphics card.

Also, what is PAL?

A TV system. In the US, there is NTSC. In Europe, for example, there is PAL.

RJ

[Hi Ho]

V-Sync exists for the very purpose of keeping the framerate in sync with the refresh rate. That being said, why does it almost always seem to cause stuttering?

[LoC]

i believe that is attributable to the quality of your GPU because in order to enable V-sync without stuttering, the GPU needs to be sufficiently powerful.