lcd newbie here, please tell me what i need to look for when buying one.

[Goat_187]

I been on crt's all my life and now i got some money saved up but looking at some sites I just realise I know shit about lcds.

angle? responce times? pitch? contrast ration?


the only thing i recognize on some specification is resolution


please tell me what nubmers i need to look for and whats is above the average.

 

[Zardoz]

Here are just the highlights to look for on an LCD

Contrast ratio:

This will determan how light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black. where a high contrast ratio, such as 600:1, represents a better color representation (the better the information will appear against a darker background) on the monitor than a lower contrast ratio, such as 150:1


Pixel response:

When it comes to gaming on a LCD monitor, ghosting can be a problem. Pixel response time is the key LCD specification to determine if you will see ghosting or not.

Even in the high-speed world of computers happens in zero time. Most manufactures publish the total rise/fall time of the pixels and typically measure it in milliseconds (ms). This represents the amount of time it takes for a point on the screen to go from completely white to completely black. You can think of pixel response time like a camera shutter opening and closing.

On the best LCD monitors today response times are as fast as 12 to 8ms


Color purity / Viewing angle

When it comes to color saturation on a monitor CRT monitors are clearly the best choice. CRT monitors use phosphors to create the colors we see, where LCD's use color filters. The natural spectrum of phosphors gives the CRT's better color gamut or (saturation). Color intensive applications like photo editing, gaming or pre-press applications, for example, may be better displayed on a CRT.

Whether you view CRT monitor straight on or at an angle the colors stay bright and clear. Because the light emitted from a LCD is channeled through small cells the walls of the cells block some of the light when you view it at an angle. The result is a noticeable color shift or darkening of the colors as you view the screen from an angle. Even when viewing a LCD head on, LCD's with small viewing angles can appear to have inconsistent color and brightness.


Native Resolution

We are all familiar with the conventional CRT monitor and how it scales to various resolutions while keeping the image clear and sharp. Unlike their CRT cousins LCD monitor use a matrix of cells that define the native resolution of the display.

In the case of a 15 inch LCD it's native resolution is 1024 x 768. 17, 18 and most 19" LCD's have a native resolution of 1280 x 1024. Some of the higher end 19 and 20+ LCD use a 1600 x 1200 native resolution.