Benefits of AMLCDs over CRTs as Related to the StereoMirror

Advantages of LCD monitors over CRT monitors

• Higher brightness: You don’t have to dim the lights to use your monitor. If your LCD monitor is too bright, it can be dimmed.
• Better contrast in high ambient illumination: CRT monitors reflect more room light which will cause blacks to look gray and vivid colors to appear dull.
• Reduced footprint: LCD’s use much less desk space. This makes it much easier to use multiple monitors at the same time.
• Reduced weight: Save your back when moving your monitor to a different desk.
• Longer lifetime: An LCD can be used 30-50 thousand hours before it reaches half-brightness, while a CRT will last 10-20 thousand hours. LCD monitors do not require a high voltage (≥25KV) power supply and therefore have a longer MTBF.
• Flicker-free: An LCD monitors holds an image on the display. A CRT flashes one pixel at a time, sometimes resulting in screen flicker. The flicker can cause eyestrain and headaches.
• Lower power consumption: The environmentally conscious will appreciate that an LCD monitor uses approximately one-third of the power of a similar sized CRT.
• Less heat output: An LCD saves money on power and cooling. This is especially beneficial in a room with many monitors.
• Sharper image quality: Each LCD pixel is clearly separated from its neighboring pixels while a CRT pixel is less distinguished.
• No distortion: CRT monitors exhibit geometrical distortion due to their curved screen and electron beam scanning over some distance. LCD’s have direct pixel mapping which gives more precise imaging.
• Lack of image retention: When a portion of a display has the same image exhibited over a period of time, it can develop image retention or “burn-in”. This is caused by phosphors degradation in CRT’s and is usually irreversible. Because the backlight of an LCD monitor ages uniformly, it is less likely to exhibit image retention.
• Ruggedness: The vacuum envelope of CRT picture tubes is relatively fragile while LCDs are more resistant to shake, shock and vibration.
• Electromagnetic radiation: Unlike CRTs, AMLCDs have no sensitivity to all but the most extreme magnetic fields. CRT monitors also emit electromagnetic radiation that can interfere with other electronic devices.
• Capability for higher resolution (9 megapixel AMLCD monitor)
• AMLCDs are commercially available in screen sizes over 60-inch diagonal. Prototypes over 80-inch diagonal have been demonstrated. It is impractical to manufacture a CRT with over 40-inch screen diagonal and even then the tube weighs >200 lbs.
• Availability: The number of LCD monitors sold passed up CRTs in 2004. In 2006, LCD monitors had about 80% market share. Most prominent CRT manufacturers have discontinued their manufacturing.
• Less hazardous waste: The lead, cadmium, phosphor, barium and mercury used in CRT monitors present a disposal issue. This is a large source of hazardous waste in landfills. LCD monitors are not off the hook since their backlights usually contain trace amounts of mercury; however, they are a step in the right direction and efforts are being made to improve their environmental friendliness.

Disadvantages of LCDs versus CRT and Answers to Them

• Color: CRT’s used to have a wider color gamut than LCD monitors; however, with improved color filters and LED backlights, LCD’s are surpassing color capability of CRTs.
• Response time: CRTs have very fast response time; however, with features like overdrive for gray to gray transitions and improved LCD structures and tolerance, today’s LCDs have less than 5 ms rise and fall times which is sufficient for most applications.
• Higher refresh rate: CRT monitors are often run at high refresh rates to reduce the appearance of flicker. LCD’s show a continuous, flicker-free image.

LCD versus CRT summary

The following table is a summary of the advantages of LCD monitors versus CRT monitors

	LCD	CRT
Use less space	•
Consume less energy	•
Emit less heat	•
Capable of sharper image quality	•
Fewer problems with eyestrain due to screen flicker	•
Pivoting is more feasible	•
Monitor is more aesthetic (arguably)	•
Generally contain less hazardous waste material	•
Image "burn-in" less likely	•
Less electromagnetic radiation	•
No distortion due to screen shape	•
Longer monitor lifespan	•
Higher resolution versions available	•
Wider viewing angle	•
Higher brightness	•
More rugged	•
Capable of showing more colors		•
Less motion blur		•

Optimized transflective displays result in:

• Excellent viewability over all ambient light conditions
• Lower Power
• Less Heat
• Extended Lamp Life

Related Content

• Comparing Dual Stacked LCD Stereoscopic Monitors with Planar StereoMirror™ (pdf)
• Planar's StereoMirror Technology versus Red Rover/True 3Di (pdf)
• Stereopsis: Two Eyes, One 3D Image
• Exploring 3-D display technology