LCD or CRT

[Nuclear Krusader]

I didn't like LCDs for some reasons: altough they are light and look nice, the image quality is not that good when compared to CRTs, they have the "burned pixels" problem, and the vision angle is not like the CRTs. Plus they are too pricey!

But after reading a review it seems that most of the previous issues have been addressed. I never used an LCD (and since my goverment decided to tax them more because they are "luxury accesories", it seems that there's none in my future) but I wanna know your opinion about them. Some of my customers are in some way interested in throwing away their CRTs and replacing them with a flat panel.

Are they really that good? Are they better than CRTs now?

[troysvihl]

Are they really that good? Are they better than CRTs now?

Depends on how you define "better". LCD's take up less space and use less power. And the consensious seems to be that they are easier on the eyes. (but that's very subjective and will obviously vary from person to person)

But for resoultion, the LCD's aren't as good. And there's the whole cost thing. LCD's have dropped in price faster than a CRT, but they're still more expensive than a CRT.

I want a big screen that can give me the ultimate resolution. So I choose CRT. Why pay more for less?

[Lain]

You can get better resolution out of a CRT right? Why go with an LCD if you get a better image for a cheaper piece of equipment? My uncle is a 3d graphics designer and he often complains about his LCD at work.

[RJ]

Hello,

TFT's are great monitors, in much cases they have more advantages than a CRT. Much issues have been addressed, however, some still remain.

Since TFT panels are controlled digitally you don't have to mess around with any geometric setting.
Apart from the other advantages like less weight, less space and less electrical consumption, let's face the picture itself.

There are still many people who claim that TFTs aren't good for gaming because they're too slow.
Well I think those people saw a TFT 3 or 4 years ago the last time. TFTs have become very fast and speed isn't an issue anymore. Anyway there are also slower models that are not as good for gaming as the faster models. If you keep the response time below 40 it's good, keep it under 30, and even the hardcore-gamer wouldn't notice a difference to the CRT.
CRT's have a response timeof 16ms, and there is a TFT out that has 15. So the speed issue has been addressen, when you buy a TFT just check that you don't get a slow model (very slow models are very very rare, btw).

As said, TFT's arent flexible when various resolutions have to be used. Only at native resolution the TFT gives the very sharp picture (sharper than every CRT). At lower resolutions, however, the picture has to be interpolated to fill the whole screen, and this is only possible with some loss of pic quality, getting the quality below CRT.

Furthermore, due to the background light, TFTs don't have the 100% accurate color saturation. CRTs do. Therefore for people like graphics designer, who need the best color saturation and need different resolutions, CRT is better than TFT.
Also due to the background light the TFT doesn't have the 180° viewing angle without losing its contrast ratio.
And defective pixels. Well, even on big screens there is just one (good TFTs do not have more than 1 defective subpixel).

On the contrary TFTs definitely *are* easier to the eyes because they have zero radiation. The radiation caused on CRTs are due to the electron cannon, which is nonexistent in TFTs (that was one of the main reasons that I chose the TFT).

So if you want to buy a TFT you have to ask yourself:
Do you need 180° viewing angle without losing contrast ? (sure this would be nice, but the viewing angle on current TFTs is quite good, too)
Do you need 100% color accurancy ? (btw the color on TFT are not bad, it's just that CRTs are better here)
Do you need to work with different resolutions ? (if so, TFTs would not be your choice)

On the contrary you get:
Digital picture (no quality loss when using with a digital interface (DVI))
Sharpest picture (with native res. of course)
Always clear picture (don't need to mess around with the geometry settings)
Absolutely flat picture. Flat lines do not appear curved.
No flicker at all
No radiation
Less space
Less power consumption
Complete size used

About the price: 15" TFTs are as expensive as 19" CRTs now. But what you should know is that a 15" TFT displays 15", unlike a CRT. Therefore a 15" TFT can be compared to a 17" CRT (which displays 15,9"), and a 17" TFT can compare to a 19" CRT (displays 17,8"). When I bought my TFT it was 4 times as expensive, now they're just twice as expensive as CRTs.

The next step in TFT development shall get the background light out of the device. The LCs should become self-illuminating (like the plasma displays, but not that expensive because it would be still a TFT), and the scientists are currently working on it

This would address 3 issues:
1. TFTs will give 100% color accurancy
2. TFTs will have a 180° viewing angle without losing contrast
3. TFTs will have a very high contrast, even higher than today's CRTs.

What remains would be the issue with different resolutions. Well, we'll see what the future brings.

OK, but in order to answer your original question "Are they really that good? Are they better than CRTs now?" it depends what you want to do. The TFTs became quite powerful and are better than CRTs in many cases. However there are still some fields where CRTs are better.
So if you want to replace your CRT with a current TFT you should know well about them to make the right decision.

RJ

[Hpro]

RJ -
LCD screens SUCKS - including TFT - Boot your comptuer and look how the Windows 98 Logo is displayed - the fonts aren't the same thickness everywhere -
CRT for TV have the lowest Highscan frequency ~ 16'560 hertz (PAL Signal)- this eaquals a a setting time of the screen scan of about 6 Ms - almost 3 times as fast at the TFT - Computer monitors have up almost 100K Scanning frequencies - so where do you stand with the TFT there ?

Colors aren't not only not good but BAD.. and then if you buy a good flat screen monitor then you will never again look at a TFT - ..

More - do you know what happen when the backlight - goes death ? you buy a new monitor - it's not even included in warranty - is a cheap neonlamp but so produced that it
1.breaks very easy
2.can not be exchanged with similar parts
3.will start to flicker after some time of use..

In CRT you can exchange each part in the monitor - and very inexpensive - at least where I live - TFT's are may good for laptops but not for home computer - and don't come with weight etc - I don't carry my monitor around here in my house it stands on the table and it's there for 4 years already never moved..

And for radiation - yes you are right but as you know this so why you sit with your head in the picture tube ? I have from my seating place more than one meter distance to the monitor - and I can see everything sharp and clear - comon forget about - LCD will DIE And TFT will DIE also.. you will see - they have some new material in testing right now so you wait for a year or two and then you will see - remember that I told you - LCD is a dead duck.. and you know it's the germans who are developing the new substract - and the Austrians - I recently read a long story on this on the ORF website..may you have a look in there and find it..

I also don't need to adjust the screen every few minutes - have 14 user definied settings and one default setting - with a click on the mouse I get everything within one second.. as for the lines here are straight - horizontal and vertical lines and this monitor is running on 100Hz Vertical Scanning frequency and on 93'K Horizontal color frequency - your tft when it comes high can do may 4 - 6K, hey that's not enough for a natural picture...

sorry but I have to disagree with you - if you like it - OK but I do sure not..

As for the Power consumption - if you like to drive a Porsche or Ferrari you got to have the cash for the GAS - otherwise take a Toyota or what ever Jap car.. the same goes for the Monitors - if you like to have a good picture then you need to give it a bit more power - so it cost you some more money - it the law of earth - you can't have the bred and the Quarter - you have to choose either of them - you stay hunhgry or you pay.. so easy.. so there again makes no sense..

Use some paint editor and then Draw a Circle line and then Zoom it - and you see after the second time you use the zoom the line is already broken - you do this on a CRT - and you go as high as 1000% - meaning zooming 10 times by a hundred % and if this is a mac then even higher..

Philips has one out but it isn't TFT it's HD flat CRT short neck - and it cost only about 2000 usd for a 17inch - this is the future and not TFT..

[troysvihl]

No radiation

Radiation? What are you talking about? What part of the electromagnetic spectrum do CRT's use that TFT's don't?

The only "radiation" that I'm aware of is the visible spectrum of light and heat. And they both give off those. (if they didn't, you wouldn't be able to see a picture)

Yes, CRT's use an electron gun, but those electrons hit glass and are converted to the visible spectrum of light. So there is no difference in "radiation" from a CRT and a TFT.

[RJ]

Well, Hpro, that does not convince me. I have been using a TFT for since may 2000 and in this time I also was confronted with 19" flat screen CRTs and 17" normals CRTs. No, I don't go back to CRT, the TFT is just much better and everyone else who I know agrees. Also they who used the 19" flat screen CRTs were inspired by my 15,1" TFT. TFTs are very liked here, it's just the price that holds them back so far. No, they definitely do not suck.

Color is bad ? Maybe for you, but not for me. Sure, it's not as saturated as the CRT, but that's all.

And I've booted my PC very very very often (at least once a day) in the past year and a half, so I actually know how the Win98 logo looks like.

No I didn't know what happens when the backlight goes dead. My lamp still works very well and does not flicket yet. BTW I carry my PC alot (some times about 4 to 5 times a week. My mother says I need a notebook. . lol), so I do care about the less space and less weight. I can carry my whole PC just at once. Within 5 minutes I have packed it and within another 3 minutes it's packed and I'm ready to go.

And about the speed: You run a CRT normally with 120 Hz or 150Hz or whatever, but usually below 200 Hz. No matter how fast the CRT is but if the monitor runs with 120 Hz then 120 fps are displayed and no more. Actually I don't care if TFTs will be as fast as CRTs, they should be fast enough so that the human eye will notice a smooth animation, and fast CRTs already have achieved this.

And yes there is a big difference in radiation. If I now use a CRT I will get headache within 30 minutes. And another friend who had a Samsung CRT and bought a TFT told me that it was the first monitor that he could play the whole night through without getting headache or tired eyes.

I believe that CRT will die as soon as the TFT prices come down to a affordable price. The future belongs the flat panels. If not the TFT technology, then its successor, although I believe that TFT will make the breakthrough.

But I will never use a CRT again of my own will, I like the TFT too much to exchange it.

I don't know what TFT you've seen, but the ones I know are great.

RJ

[Hpro]

RJ -

Your mother is right you should get a Laptop - or a second computer and then LAN..

As for the Flickering - just wait and see it will come...

It must be the head which aches - as I can sit more than 10 hours before my screen and I don't get headache - never have and never will - what people already have forgotten - a direct light source - is it whatever it comes from - and then looking in to it from a to close place or distance will always affect the eyes.. so what's the matter move the monitor away or move your seat backwards.. -

But I'm happy that you are happy with the Limited Crappy Display you got out of a LCD - nothing for me though..

Do a screen shot and then compare them on the same computer and same VGA with LCD and then CRT and you will know..

Anyway this isn't a big problem as all - as each and everyone uses what it fit's him most - so no harm done here -and I'm using a SAMSUNG here over 4 years and till to this very day - it never gave me headache - except when the Signal cable had a crack in it so it wouldn't display red color no more..

OH Vertical Speed it the one which causes the flickers and not the Horizontal speed (hz)so in geramny they are using 220 volts on 50Hz - this means that a light bulb will switch on/off 50 times per second - a TV will operate at this frequency - newer TV's will get twice - as for monitors usually Ver freq. is set to 60 Hz (because to make it compatible for NTSC as it has a other Line frequency and needs a higher refresh rate - )Now, I don't even use the monitor on this one - it's set to 100 and there is only a very few which going higher then say 120 or more - this also has to be in reference with the size of the monitor and the Color resolution, which again is dependent on the horizontal SCAN as higher the better and faster picture you get..