Flat Screen Computer Monitor

Welcome. On this site, you'll find great information for buying the best computer monitor, along with many different, hand-selected monitors from the best brands.

Since 2006, flat screen LCD computer monitors (sometimes called "flat panel" computer monitors) have almost completely taken over the market from both cathode ray and plasma screens. The reason is that, in that year, LCD technology reached the point where it was just as cheap to produce as a similar-sized cathode ray tube television (CRT), and at that point, it simply knocked them, and soon after plasma, out of the market. Flat screen monitors have a number of advantages over cathode ray tube monitors, but they also have some real disadvantages that are worth noting before you purchase one. Buying a monitor is actually a more complex process than it used to be, partly because of the new options offered by a flat panel, and partly because of some of the new limitations introduced by flat panel screens. On this page, I will discuss those issues, and introduce four of the major brand names.

LCD screens offer a massive amount of flexibility compared to traditional CRT's. You've probably noticed how our world is increasingly looking like Los Angeles from the movie "Blade Runner". The reason for this is that, with LCD technology, the cost of the screen is goes up proportionately to the area of the screen. So, a screen that is 400 square inches will only cost twice as much as one that is 200 square inches. For CRT's, the cost of the monitor would actually go up exponentially, so a 400 square inch screen would cost four times the cost of a 200 square inch screen. What this means is that people are putting massive LCD screens up all over the place, because they simply cost no where near as much as they used to cost. Of course, the very flatness of the screen is a part of this, as one can more conveniently put a flat screen on the wall than a deep CRT screen.

What does this mean for computer monitors? There are two things. First, you can get a much larger monitor than you used to have, not because of the size of the screen, but because of the depth of the screen. As CRT's become larger, they become deeper. This means you quickly hit a point where they don't fit on your desk. Second, you can get a wide-screen monitor more easily. While wide-screen televisions did exist before the explosion of flat screen technology, they were much more expensive than the standard 4:3 ratio. This has changed the face of internet surfing and gaming, as everything has had to adapt to the existence of these new wide screens. In fact, wide screens are now just as popular as 4:3 screens, and will overtake them in the near future.

There is, however, a downside. Unlike CRT's, LCD screens have what is called a "native resolution". This means that there is a resolution at which these screens work best. Any other resolution, higher or lower will appear fuzzy on your flat panel monitor. Further, the larger your screen, the higher the native resolution becomes. This isn't a problem for watching movies (it's actually a bonus), but it can become a serious issue when it comes to gaming. The larger your computer screen, the higher power you'll need from your graphics card. It's not uncommon as a result for people to play games with their resolution turned high up to their screen's native resolution, but with the other settings turned far down to compensate. Unless you have a high-powered machine, you may have trouble with gaming on your flat panel.

Another issue with LCD's is that they are dimmer than traditional CRT screens. Those of you who have used a laptop know how difficult it can be to see the screen outside on a sunny day. Flat panel monitors have the same difficulty. Because they are dimmer, they can easily be overwhelmed by strong lighting. If you get a flat screen monitor, you may need to rearrange your computer room or office, or else you'll find yourself in the position where you cannot see your screen very well at certain times of day. Before purchasing an LCD screen, therefore, you should consider how you will rearrange your office, so that you don't find your screen dimmed out.

For watching movies, however, LCD screens are unsurpassed. If you buy a high definition monitor (and not all monitors are high definition, so be careful), you'll be able to watch whatever movies you want in the highest definition available, right on your computer. Plasma screens were never able to handle the 1080p resolution of the highest end high definition (like blue ray and many cable channels). High definition LCD screens provide resolutions compatible with the highest resolution video on the market today.

Samsung Monitor

Samsung was the original inventer of the LCD computer monitor, and they are still one of the leading producers of flat screen monitors in the business right now. They are currently one of the leaders in high-end gaming screens, especially screens designed for 3D gaming. 3D gaming has never quite caught on, partly because the images always look flickery, and partly because it can cause problems with nausea. However, Samsung has in the past few years developed systems using their monitors that avoid most of these problems. If you are looking for high-end gaming, Samsung is one of the best options.

Acer Monitor

Acer is in some ways a latecomer to the production of LCD computer monitors, originally starting as a generalized electronics company. They still specialize primarily in laptops. However, they produce extremely reliable LCD monitors at a reasonable price. Their LCD screens have in the past few years removed the last of the "flickering" problems that plagued LCD screens even up until a few years ago, and they currently produce high quality resolution. They have also recently moved into gaming screens, creating their own series of monitors for this purpose.

Viewsonic Monitor

Viewsonic has been recognized as one of the leading monitor companies for the past fifteen, and they quickly moved into the flatscreen market. As is their tradition, they offer an extremely wide range of options in buying a screen, far more than other companies. If you want a particular sized monitor at a particular resolution with a particular level of quality, they almost certainly sell it. As they did before with CRT's, they divided their models into four different groups: value, multimedia, gaming and professional. Value screens provide the lowest price, but with some sacrifice of quality. Multimedia screens are the ideal screen for those with a typical home computer. Gaming screens are designed for gamers, are more expensive, and focus on being able to capture movement extremely well. Professional screens are for graphic designers or those that want the best possible resolution for typical business multi-media.

LG Monitor

LG is one of the leading developers of LCD technology, and they have stayed largely ahead of the pack in terms of quality of their technology, though they can often be more expensive as a result. They offer a full range of monitors, much like Viewsonic, though they haven't grouped them quite so neatly. Where LG excels is in its contrast, and it consistently wins industry awards for quality. Their monitors are best at offsetting the problems introduced by bright lighting on an LCD monitor, so if that's an issue for you, an LG monitor may be the best option. In the last few years, LG has put a lot of its research into OLED displays, another flat screen display type that doesn't suffer from the same issues with respect to contrast and brightness that LCD does. However, this technology has not yet been fully developed.

Flat Screen Computer Monitor
About Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Site Map