[TriLUG] Flat panel 17 or 19"

[Aaron S. Joyner]

Jeff Tickle wrote:

>The TigerDirect store on Capital Blvd usually has good stuff and good
>prices... most of their savings are through rebates, but if you're
>feelin lucky, it can be worth the gamble.  I got a pretty decent 17" for
>$200 after the rebate a few months back.
>  
>
Be careful what you buy at a bargain.  I've seem some truly terrible 
LCDs, but as long as you have a good look at one on a running system, 
and are happy with it, cheap is as usual good.  :)  My wife has an NEC 
17" LCD that came from Intrex, and is quite a phenomenal display, 
entirely acceptable for gaming or movies, due to it's 16ms response time 
(a measure of how quickly the pixels can change on the screen, with out 
ghosting).  Personally it doesn't meet my resolution needs at a "measly" 
1280x1024, so I'm stuck with big 21" CRTs for now, until I break down 
and spend the dough required for an LCD capable of doing at least 1600x1200.

>Also remember that for some reason LCD sizes aren't the same as CRT
>sizes; I have no idea how they measure, but I sat my 17" LCD down next
>to my 19" CRT and realized they have the same size actual display.
>  
>
This is because CRT's measure their size based on the size of the tube.  
There is a fair portion of that tube that is obscured by the plastic 
bezel, and can not be used for display purposes.  The number to consider 
when comparing size against an LCD is the "viewable area" or "viewable 
size", which is a representation of, well, exactly what it sounds like.  
The usual "conversion" ratio goes something like 1" less viewable than 
monitor size.  So 19" CRTs usually have roughly an 18" viewable area.

LCDs by contrast have no reason to "waste" display under the bezel, so 
their size isn't "inflated" in the same way that traditional CRT 
manufacturers use.  I don't quite understand why your 17" LCD would 
appear to be the same size as your 19" CRT, although they would be 
closer than you would expect upon initial consideration.

Aaron S. Joyner