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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
www.siliconchip.com.au
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Staff
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Peter Smith
Ross Tester
Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO
Rick Walters
Reader Services
Ann Jenkinson
Advertising Enquiries
Leo Simpson
Phone (02) 9979 5644
Fax (02) 9979 6503
Regular Contributors
Brendan Akhurst
Rodney Champness, VK3UG
Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed
Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK
Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW
Bob Young
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ISSN 1030-2662
CRT video monitors
have had their day
A few months ago I wrote that the VCR was
coming to the end of its life cycle, not only
because VCRs are very cheap but DVD players
are also coming down in price. And while DVD
burners, the ultimate replacement for VCRs,
are still not cheap, they are starting to come
down too.
Now it is becoming clear that CRT video
monitors for PCs are on the way out too, being
rapidly replaced by LCD monitors. In this case,
the price parameters are a little different. CRT
(cathode ray tube) monitors have not drastically reduced in price but LCD
monitors have done so, and so large numbers of companies and public
institutions are re-equipping with LCD and to a lesser extent, plasma
monitors. If you need any evidence, drop into your local supermarket,
insurance company office, court house, library or virtually any large public company or government institution – they are buying LCD and plasma
monitors by the thousands.
Apart from the price factor, you can readily understand why CRT monitors are falling out of favour. LCD monitors take up far less desk space, use
less power, are much lighter to move around, have no flicker and do not
present any latent hazards such as exposure to X-rays or intense magnetic
fields (from the CRT sweep circuitry). In the longer term, LCD monitors are
bound to be more reliable and much less of a fire hazard because they do
not contain high-voltage drive circuitry.
It is true that the ultimate screen resolution of LCD monitors is not quite
as good as the best of the larger CRT monitors but in practice that does not
seem to matter for most applications. And there is a further benefit in that
the viewable area of LCD monitors is greater than CRT monitors with the
same nominal diagonal measurement.
Actually, we suspect that the real reason why so many organisations are
changing over to LCD monitors has little to do with the factors listed above;
it is just because they look “cool”. Mind you, I think that in our own office
at SILICON CHIP we won’t buy another CRT monitor either, but of course
we are not likely to be motivated by the fashion aspects (serious nodding
all round, I see).
Seriously, for those organisations who persist in running their computers
24 hours a day, often without power saving monitors, the changeover to
LCD monitors will lead to major energy savings and for that reason they
will represent a worthwhile investment.
For domestic users, the situation is not so clear cut. Typical PC video
monitors seldom wear out when they are not left on for long periods every
day. Nor is energy use a major factor. Unless you are well-heeled and can
cope with the price of a new LCD monitor, you will probably have to make
do with your present computer monitor for some time to come. But if you
use a computer with a CRT monitor at work, you can console yourself with
the thought that the monitor’s days are numbered and that sooner or later
you will have a snazzy new LCD monitor.
Leo Simpson
* Recommended and maximum price only.
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