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Monitor: Not just CRTs

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PCQ Bureau
New Update

It’s a plain vanilla box that sits in front of you and converts your key-strokes and mouse-clicks into black, white and color. This humble box can be a pain or pleasure for your eyes, depending on its features.

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Present-day monitor technology is dominated by two choices–slim, space-saving LCD monitors and the conventional box-shaped CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) ones. LCD is more friendly to the eyes but also about five times as expensive as CRT.

Also CRTs are better for low resolution and motion video displays, but LCDs are reaching there. CRT monitors remain popular though LCDs are making an entry at the top end of the market.

The viewable area of the monitor (measured diagonally) is what most buyers start off with. Entry-level is at 15” (Rs 6,500+), while 17” (Rs 10,000+) is also popular. You might even want to buy a 19” if you need more screen real estate to work with. If you need to work on design, GIS, video, etc, then you are a good candidate for a 19 incher. But 14” is a strict no.

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Once you get a fix on the size, next comes the dot pitch (horizontal distance between adjacent pixels), resolution color depth and refresh rates. The smaller the dot pitch, the sharper will be the image. A dot pitch of 0.24 is good for a 15” monitor and around 0.28 for a

17”.

Color depth and resolution are related. As the monitor goes up the resolution axis, the color depth it can support tends to come down. Choose either of the two first, depending on your needs. For example, if you are working in graphics designing, then you choose color depth first and then resolution, but if you are working with CAD, then you would choose higher resolution first.

When it comes to color, it goes without saying that monochrome is passé. A good monitor should support at least 16-bit color depth at all resolutions. All monitors today support at least a resolution of 800 x 600, while 1024x768 dpi is slowly becoming standard. You will need a refresh rate of 72-75Hz for flicker-free viewing.

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Digital controls are better than analog ones, more so if they come with OSD (on screen display) using which you can use to personalize your settings. Degaussing controls, which remove color patches that result after long usage, are a plus.

Consider freebies like built-in microphones and speakers only if you are a casual user and not an audiophile as these offerings are usually low-end stuff.

Ready to shell out your money? Make sure that your warranty card (at least one year) is stamped by the vendor.

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