Finding The Flat Panel Monitor of Your Dreams

If you are still not on the flat-panel monitor camp, you ought to be considering doing it soon. And, if not, then you should! Its the coolest peripheral to own. It represents power, fashion and all things youthful and out of sight. Until you replace your CRT display you wouldnt find out how much you hated that eyesore! But before you dish out your hard earned money, getting to know the object of desire will stand you in good stead.

Browsing tips:

1. Flat panel monitors use interfaces - analog or digital. The latest models have digital interface but an all-digital environment costs more. If you are attaining an analog flat panel, you really should attach it with a digital interface to your video card with a digital out jack to mainstream the signal.

If you are thinking about to buy a digital interface, you need to investigate its compatibility. There are several digital interface standards available today-Plug and Display (P&D) from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), Digital Flat Panel (DFP) from the Digital Flat Panel Working Group, and Digital Video Interface (DVI) from the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG).

The P&D interface is the oldest of the three standards and chances are your new model wont have this standard. Support for DFP standard is seen across many hardware vendors. The DVI standard is the most up-to-date and the most popular. Do your research and whichever standard you chose, you need to match its factors that consists of cables and video cards!

2. Pixel-refresh response time: In a LCD monitor, the time needed to switch from light to dark objects or vice versa, is referred to as Pixel-refresh response time. If the response time is poor (more than 40ms), you may see ghosting effect, i.e., the image seems to remain longer on the screen than it actually is!

Whereas in a text environment this would hardly matter, in a gaming or media centric environment the effect could be a nuisance. More economical models give more ghosting than their pricey counterparts. Also, pixel-refresh response time is not mentioned on the monitors. You need to watch in detail to judge the performance of each model.

3. Viewing angle: One problem with a flat panel monitor is its viewing angle. Laptop users must have experienced this problem. Moving away from the monitor in any way causes the monitor to black out! Different models offer different viewing angles horizontally and vertically.

Find the one best suited to your funds! In any case, for a home PC, the viewing angle doesnt make much difference but if the monitor is going to be used for official presentations then it should have viewing angle of at least 120 degrees horizontal and 100 degrees vertical. Also, ask for add-ons like pivoting frames.

4. Size: bigger is better, but with flat panel, remember 15-inch screen gives you the experience of a 17-inch CRT monitor. If you can pay for 17-inch flat panel, by all means, go for it, if not, a 15-inch screen should not be a disappointment.

Other things to check when buying a flat panel are guarantees and warranties. A three-year warranty is sufficient. People change the monitor settings in stores and while purchasing; make sure that you scrutinize the piece adequately. You now have the basic information; all you need is time to check out the market!

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