| LCD flat screen TVs have become the market leader | | | | relatively poor contrast ratio, leading to poor details. |
| in flat screen televisions since the turn of the millennium. | | | | Like all HDTVs, its production has environmental issues. |
| Its small size, effective energy consumption, and | | | | So what makes LCD flat screen TVs so popular? |
| affordable price has made it a favorite among | | | | It is energy-efficient, resulting in lower electricity bills. It is |
| consumers worldwide. In the 35 years since the first | | | | compact and lightweight and portable. LCD flat screen |
| LCD monitor was made in the USA in 1972, LCD | | | | TVs take up less floor space compared to all its |
| monitors have surpassed even CRT displays. | | | | competitors. Even an150 inch set would only be about |
| Each Liquid Crystal Display pixel is made up of a layer | | | | 3 or 4 inches thick. LCD TVs can be produced in small |
| of molecules aligned together and flanked by two | | | | scale or large-scale units as per consumer demand. |
| electrodes and a couple of polarizing filters, normally | | | | This means that what ever your requirement is, you |
| placed perpendicular to each other. Light getting past | | | | can find a LCD TV to suit the space available in your |
| the first filter is blocked by the second one placed at | | | | living room. Research has allowed improvements that |
| an angle. The electrode surface touching the liquid | | | | made it possible to eliminate some of the drawbacks |
| crystal material is capable of aligning the molecules in a | | | | given in the previous paragraph. Dynamic back lighting |
| particular way. A mixture made of a thin polymer layer | | | | has improved the contrast ratio and eliminating |
| is used to treat the electrode surface, made of a | | | | shadows. |
| transparent Indium Tin Oxide. Control of the voltage | | | | Another breakthrough was achieved by the adding |
| supplied to each pixel allows manipulation of the light | | | | memory to hold the display contents, improving |
| that passes through. This results in varying shades of | | | | response time. What happens is that only those |
| a color. For color production, each pixel is redivided into | | | | sub-pixels that require change are reset. This |
| three parts that are colored red, green and blue. Each | | | | improvement, which is inexpensive to implement, has |
| part can be separately manipulated. | | | | improved response time two fold. Research is ongoing |
| One of the biggest drawbacks in LCD technology is | | | | to improve the color display. The improvement after |
| that the monitor is incapable of magnifying video | | | | adding up to three more color filters has been tested in |
| resolution without introducing scaling. They also have a | | | | laboratories. |
| shimmering effect, which distracts some viewers. Due | | | | Samsung, LG, Sony and Sharp are the major players |
| to longer response time LCD displays are unable to | | | | in the word market for LCD flat screen TVs. |
| cope with rapidly changing images. You would | | | | However, innovations in other technologies have |
| sometimes see the previous image appearing like a | | | | increased the pressure faced by LCD flat screen TVs |
| ghost. Also LCD displays can blur as a viewer follows | | | | and an interesting fight to dominate the market looms |
| a moving object on the screen. They also have a | | | | in the future. |