LCD monitor is rapidly becoming shipped with new computers by default, and are superior to the old CRT screens for the majority of applications. Although liquid crystal displays boast perfect image geometry and should be perfectly sharp, in reality they still have various shortcomings. Viewing-angle dependancies, poor blacks and motion-blur are still issues, particularly for photographic and LCD television applications. Certain flicker or shimmers can be caused by sub-optimal user-adjustment, or shortcuts taken at the factory.
Important factors to consider when evaluating an lcd monitor:
Resolution: The horizontal and vertical size expressed in pixels (e.g., 1024×768). Unlike CRT monitor, lcd monitor have a native-supported resolution for best display effect.
Dot pitch: The distance between the centers of two adjacent pixels. The smaller the dot pitch size, the less granularity is present, resulting in a sharper image. Dot pitch may be the same both vertically and horizontally, or different (less common).
Viewable size: The size of an LCD panel measured on the diagonal (more specifically known as active display area).
Response time: The minimum time necessary to change a pixel’s color or brightness. Response time is also divided into rise and fall time. For LCD Monitors, this is measured in btb (black to black) or gtg (gray to gray). These different types of measurements make comparison difficult.
Refresh rate: The number of times per second in which the monitor draws the data it is being given. A refresh rate that is too low can cause flickering and will be more noticeable on larger monitors. Many high-end LCD televisions now have a 120 Hz refresh rate (current and former NTSC countries only). This allows for less distortion when movies filmed at 24 frames per second (fps) are viewed due to the elimination of telecine (3:2 pulldown). The rate of 120 was chosen as the least common multiple of 24 fps (cinema) and 30 fps (TV).
Matrix type: Active or Passive.
Viewing angle: (coll., more specifically known as viewing direction).
Color support: How many types of colors are supported (coll., more specifically known as color gamut).
Brightness: The amount of light emitted from the display (coll., more specifically known as luminance).
Contrast ratio: The ratio of the intensity of the brightest bright to the darkest dark.
Aspect ratio: The ratio of the width to the height (for example, 4:3, 16:9 or 16:10).
Input ports (e.g., DVI, VGA, LVDS, or even S-Video and HDMI).