CRT and LCD

CRTs
The primary advantage that CRT monitors held over LCDs was their color
rendering. The contrast ratios and depths of colors displayed were much greater
with CRT monitors than LCDs. While this still holds true in most cases, many
strides have been made in LCDs such that this difference is not as great as it once
was. Many graphic designers still use the very expensive large CRT monitors in
their work because of the color advantages. Of course, this color ability does
degrade over time as the phosphors in the tube break down.
The other advantage that CRT monitors held over LCD screens is the ability to
easily scale to various resolutions. This is referred to as multisync by the industry.
By adjusting the electron beam in the tube, the screen can easily be adjusted
downward to lower resolutions while keeping the picture clarity intact.
While these two items may play an important role for CRT monitors, there are
disadvantages as well. The biggest of these are the size and weight of the tubes.
An equivalent sized LCD monitor is upwards of 80% smaller in size and weight
compared to a CRT tube. The larger the screen, the bigger the size difference.
The other major drawback deals with the power consumption. The energy needed
for the electron beam means that the monitors consumer and generate a lot more
heat than the LCD monitors.
Pros:
. Multisync Capable
. High Refresh Rates
. Color Clarity and Depth
Cons:
. Very Heavy and Large
. Use Large Amounts of Energy
. Generate Excess Heat
LCDs
The biggest advantage to LCD monitors is their size and weight. As was
mentioned earlier, the size and weight of an LCD monitor can be upwards of 80%
lighter than an equivalent dimension CRT screen. This makes it possible to users
to have larger screens for their computers than was possible before.
LCD screens also tend to produce less eye fatigue to the user. The constant light
barrage and scan lines of a CRT tube tend to cause strain on heavy computer
users. The lower intensity of the LCD monitors coupled with their constant screen
display of pixels being on or off produces less fatigue for the user.
The most notable disadvantage to LCD screens is their fixed or native resolution.
An LCD screen can only display the number of pixels in its matrix and no more or
less. It can display a lower resolution in one of two ways. Using only a fraction of
the total pixels on the display or through extrapolation. Extrapolation is a method
whereby the monitor blends multiple pixels together to simulate a single smaller
pixel. This can often lead to a blurry or fuzzy image particularly with text when
running the screen below is native resolution.
Video was problematic with early LCD monitors because of lower response times.
This has been overcome by many improvements, but there are some that still
have low response times. Purchasers should be aware of this when purchasing a
monitor. However, the improvements are often work arounds that can actually
lead to another problem of reduced color clarity. Unfortunately, the industry is
very poor about properly listing the specifications for monitors to help buyers
understand and compare monitors.
Pros:
. Smaller and Lighter
. Energy Efficient
. Causes Less Eye Fatigue
Cons:
. Blurry Images Outside Native Resolution
. Motion Blur on Fast Moving Images
. Some Models Have Reduced Color Clarity