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December 16, 2005
Dear CNET members,
Happy Friday! I'm really glad that George submitted the question on the advantages and/or disadvantages of LCD (liquid-crystal display) vs. CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors, because I'm sure many of you (like myself) are on the fence about switching out those CRTs for LCD monitors. While CRT vs. LCD is probably a highly debatable topic, in a few years, as LCD technology becomes increasingly competitive with CRT display qualities and prices continue to drop considerably, CRTs may be a thing of the past. But until then, we'll let our community members chime with their say as to the advantages and disadvantages of LCD vs. CRT, so that we can make the best decision on which way to go. So let's get started with Paul's winning answer (five-time winner) that goes over some great, detailed explanations on CRTs and LCDs. But don't stop there, because we have many great honorable mentions and additional advice from our members this week. And if you personally have switched to LCD monitors or have refused to switch, please join us in this week's discussion and give us the full details on your personal experience with LCDs vs. CRTs. We all want to hear it.
BTW, if you are submitting an answer for the question of the week, please be sure to go through the Q&A guidelines. Unfortunately this week, we discovered a few submissions that were straight copies from other Web sites, which was not cool at all. While we don't mind you including information from other sites, please cite the resource to give those people credit for the information provided. Thanks, everyone, for your participation and have a great weekend!
(Note: I will be taking some time off to celebrate holiday festivities including the New Year, so there will be no member Q&A in next Friday's newsletter and no newsletters sent during the last week of the year. However, I will have some community buzz for you to discuss through the holidays and many more newsletter to come after New Year's.)
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Member Question of the Week
A CRT flat-screen monitor not only has a much larger viewing
area and resolution rate, it's a lot cheaper than comparable
LCD monitors. Other than size and style, what are the
advantages and/or disadvantages of using an LCD monitor over
a CRT monitor? And if I were looking into purchasing an LCD
monitor, are there any specific things, such as contrast
ratios, refresh rate, and so forth (which is all foreign to
me), that I should pay particularly close attention to in
order to make a good buying decision on an LCD monitor? I
would be grateful for any detailed explanations. Thanks.
Submitted by:
George
Hello, George. Let's try to help you decide what type of monitor to buy. I will try not to sway you one way or the other; however, LCD monitors show obvious advantages, while CRT do not. For reference, LCD stands for liquid crystal display, which uses two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution in between. When electric current passes through the solution, it causes the crystals to align themselves so that light can't pass through them. Each crystal is like an on\off switch--either it allows light to pass through or blocks the light...
Submitted by:
Paul K. of Gladstone, Michigan
For
Paul's
efforts, we're sending him his choice of any
Help.com Learning CD.
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Check out next week's question:
I've had the same desktop for a few years now, and I'm worried about the machine overheating due to dust blocking the fan and getting in the case. I'd like to clean up the inside of my machine, but I afraid I'll damage it. What's the best, safest way to clean up all my PC components? (I've never touched or seen the inside of my machine.) Also, are there any additional precautions I can take to keep my PC from getting so grimy in the future?
--Submitted by:
Joaquin L.
If you have the answer,
e-mail us at messageboards@cnet.com.
If we choose your response, you'll get a
free Help.com CD.
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| Member Profile of the Week |
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User name: unijuglr
Location: Antioch, California
Member since: December 21, 2001
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About me: Been doing this Web stuff since before there was Web stuff (ever heard of Hypercard?) Started out in the industry being one of those folks that...(read more)
Each week we feature a CNET member who contributes to our community. Fill out your profile to get a chance to be featured in our newsletter and win a CNET t-shirt!
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Simple question, simple answer
Help your fellow members
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Click here to see full answer
