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New Technology Flat panel monitors: A buyer's guide Viewsonic.com Samsung.com Kdsusa.com Flat Panel LCD's are ideal for of today's applications and environments such as banks, offices, restaurants, industrial control systems, point of sales, and many other workplaces that require small, space saving displays. The financial industry as well as the defense industry and the medical field have adopting the technology quickly. Liquid crystal display (LCD) flat-screen monitors are the clearest displays you can hook up to your computer. If you suspect that your traditional monitor is straining your eyes, you could be right. Flat panel LCDs contribute to a healthier working environment. With a high resolution, flicker and static free display and zero radiation output, LCD's will help reduce eye fatigue while operating on less power than typical monitors. In addition, an LCD flat panel is far lighter (12 to 15 pounds) and much less bulky than a traditional cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor. The only downside is the price. The cost of flat-panel displays won't drop to CRT levels anytime soon, but the rate of adoption will grow slowly. An 18-inch flat-panel display today costs about $1,000 –(US) much higher than the $300 or $400 price tag of a 19-inch CRT monitor. If you do decide to purchase one, here's what you want to look for in an LCD monitor: Unlike CRT monitors, the specified size of an LCD panel is the actual size of the display, so you get a 15-inch viewable area (measured diagonally) with a 15-inch LCD screen. (With a CRT screen what's labeled a 17-inch monitor usually has a viewable area that's smaller than 17-inches.) The most popular size for an LCD monitor is 15 inches, but 14-inch and 18-inch are also available. Most LCD monitors support a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels, which is the minimum resolution you should get. Since LCD panels are sharper than CRT-based monitors, 1024 by 768 looks fine on a 14- 15-inch LCD monitor. (With a traditional monitor of 17-inches or larger the resolution should be 1024 by 768.) LCD panels break down into two categories, based on how they connect to your computer. Analog LCDs plug into your standard VGA (video graphics array) connector, the same 15-pin plug used to connect a traditional monitor to your system. A digital LCD is easier to set up than a CRT monitor – there are no onscreen corrections to make. You'll also get a sharper image. But digital LCDs require that the graphics card on your computer have a digital connector. If you want to go digital, you may need a new graphics card. Some LCD flat panels let you rotate the display and switch between standard landscape mode and a portrait mode. Others offer built-in speakers or act as a hub for connecting multiple USB peripherals. The price you pay for an LCD flat-panel monitor makes you understand why notebook computers are so expensive. A good 15-inch display costs about $1,000 (US), which can be around three times the price for a top-end 17-inch CRT monitor. As LCDs get bigger, the situation gets worse. An 18-inch LCD would set you back about $3,000. LCD flat-panel monitors are expensive, but if you want a display that's easy on your eyes and takes up a minimum of desk space, you may well consider it money well spent. Viewsonic.com Viewsonic.com – ViewSonic VPD150 – (about $1,000) – this 15-inch, 18-bit ViewSonic requires a digital interface on your graphics card, thus providing a display of incredible clarity. True resolution is 1024 by 768. The monitor swivels between portrait and landscape modes and comes with built-in speakers. Samsung.com Samsung.com – Samsung SyncMaster 400TFT (about $2,379) - Samsung's SyncMaster 400TFT has a lot going for it: USB connectors, two 1W speakers built into the dark-silver-gray conical base, a built-in microphone on the monitor's top front and a Display Director on-screen menu control. The Display Director consists of a large button-press it to launch the on-screen menu, then press on any main compass point to move up, down, left and right. Kdsusa.com Kdsusa.com – KDS VS-F14 – (about $899) - Supporting 262,144 colors, this XGA-resolution, active-matrix LCD panel provides edge-to-edge viewing in a very small footprint with extremely low EM emissions. The VS-F14 is ideal for any use where compact, high-performance display technology is required. © Copyright 2001. Galt Western Personnel Ltd. Unless otherwise specified, you may reprint this article, quote from it, use it in research or projects, duplicate it or distribute it. Credit of authorship and source MUST be given to galtglobalreview.com. Ownership of Copyright remains with Galt Western Personnel Ltd.     Return to Top      Business News / Business Roundup - Australia / Canada / Europe / United States / Careers / Classified / Information Technology / New Technology / Education News / World Facts / Book Reviews / Archives/Research