Comparing LCD's and CRT's Monitor.
Physical Size:
The largest advantage for LCDs is size. Whereas CRT's are bulky and heavy, LCDs are compact and lightweight and take up a third of the desktop space when compared to a CRT monitor.
Display Size:
LCD monitors are larger in display size comparatively to CRT monitors for the same display size as claimed by the manufacturer. So a 17" LCD has a diagonal measure of 17" while a 17" CRT will have a diagonal measure of 16". Hence a 17" CRT can be compared at the nearest to a 15" LCD..
Colors:
The strong point of CRTs is their excellent colour reproduction. Newer LCDs now have comparable performance to CRTs but are pretty expensive and it is finally always second best to CRT.
Resolution:
Another minus point for LCDs is the resolution part. Whereas CRTs are capable of displaying multiple video resolutions with the same quality, LCDs have a native resolution at which it displays best. The image quality on the LCD is the crispiest/sharpest at this native resolution. So hence for gamers, if they have a 19" LCD, they should be having a graphics card powerful enough to play games at the native resolution of the LCD..
Brightness:
Since LCDs are backlit, brightness is a big issue with LCDs. CRTs dont suffer from this problem and hence is again a big plus for it.
Viewing Angle:
CRTs have a much wider viewing angle then LCDs. The problem here is LCD's when viewed from other angles, the image quality on the screen looks pretty washed out. A big minus for those planning to watch movies with a couple of friends..
Power Consumption and Radiation Emission:
LCDs use much less energy when compared to CRTs. Also CRTs emit harmful radiation which is not the case for LCDS..
Lifetime
LCDs have a much smaller lifetime compared to CRTs and are prone to the dead pixels problem.
To sum it up for CRTs
Pros:
* Inexpensive
* Multisync Capable
* High Refresh Rates
* Color Clarity and Depth
Cons:
* Large Footprint on Desktop
* Very Heavy
* Use Large Amounts of Energy
* Generate Excess Heat
To sum it up for LCDs
Pros:
* Takes up Little Space on Desktop
* Light Weight
* Energy Efficient
* Causing Less Eye Fatigue
Cons:
* Expensive
* Blurry Images Outside Native Resolution
* Motion Blur on Fast Moving Images
* Washed Out Colors
Conclusion
In my opinion, gamers and movie buffs should stick with large CRTs preferably good 17" or 19" and those programmers and internet browsing ppl (basically who sit a lot of time in front of the PC for long with text based programs) should look at a LCD as a sound investment..
Hope this solves your dilemna, Vignesh.
