Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Monitors Explained
May 27th, 2019 | Posted in Tech News
Nowadays, people are spending more and more time in front of screens including television, computers, phones, car dashboards, etc. However, the same devices could utilize different screens technologies. In this article, we will discuss the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors.
What is LCD?
LCD is a flat panel monitor technology mostly used in monitors and TVs. This technology is also used in modern cell phones, laptops, tablets, etc. The base of LCD monitors is tiny liquid crystals that each pixel is made of. They are placed between two sheets of glass. When the voltage is applied, the crystals change their directions. LCD monitors use less power because the crystals do not emit but block the light. That is also the reason why they are more energy efficient than LED monitors.
Image Source: Japan Display Inc.
Backlight Technology
Keep in mind that LCD monitors are made of several layers including the backlight. The backlight makes the content on the screen visible in dark. For example, it is impossible to use some of the modern calculators in the dark because they cannot produce their own light. So, LCD monitor creators solved this problem by having a bright light shining behind the screen, known as the backlight. That’s how people can see what is going on their screens when it is dark.
Types of LCD
There are several types of LCD displays: Twisted-Nematic (TN), In-Plane Switching (IPS), Multi-Domain Vertical Alignment (MVA), and (Patterned Vertical Alignment) PVA. These monitors all use LCD technology, and we will explain the differences in a table below:
| LCD Types | Advantages | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| TN | Cheapest Highest refresh rates Poor color reproduction Restricted viewing angles | Gaming |
| IPS | Expensive Lower refresh rate Best color reproduction Widest viewing angle (178 degrees) | Photography Graphic designers Business world Students |
| MVA | Better response time than IPS Better color reproduction than TN | |
| PVA | Better response time than IPS Better color reproduction than TN |
The video below is the best video visual explanation of LCD Displays. The author, Christopher Barnatt, skips all the unnecessary information and goes right into the subject. He also briefly discusses the types of LCD displays. By the way, we took the table above from this video as well.