Comment: Day of the flat panel dawns

It's that time of the year again, when flat-panel manufacturers predict the imminent demise of the cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor. This happens on a regular basis, just like the religious groups who confidently predict a date for Armageddon and then have to reschedule when they're rudely awakened by the dustbin men and not by blinding flashes prefacing the end of the world.

I've attended quite a few presentations where the CRT has been given the last rites only to find months later that 'Lazarus-like' the technology has risen back on the purchasing lists. So, are LCDs actually better than CRT monitors? Well, they must be, because nothing else would explain the price differential. Why would anyone pay several times as much for an LCD monitor if it wasn't better than a similarly sized CRT?

The advantages of LCDs compared with their CRT competitors include energy savings, according to the vendors. In offices fitted with air-conditioning systems, a large number of CRTs may add significantly to running costs, as the aircon fights to combat the heat produced by all those screens.

Of course, the flip side of this is that the CRTs should therefore help to heat the office in winter.

LCD monitors also recover from standby mode faster than CRTs do and they take up much less room. As a result, users have more workspace and room for hot-desking, which means space for more desks. I suppose if you're going to set up a new office or business, installing LCDs instead of CRTs would mean that you could have a smaller office for the same number of staff. You can also store a larger inventory of LCDs in case of display failures than is the case with conventional CRTs.

LCDs are supposed to last longer than conventional CRTs - some figures suggest they can last twice as long. If true, this demolishes any cost advantages that CRTs may have. Eyestrain is also supposed to be much reduced due to LCD screens being brighter and flicker-free. Those who subscribe to the theory that the electromagnetic radiation put out by CRTs can pose real health risks may also prefer LCDs. Also, for organisations using CRTs, the electron gun may pose a security risk, because data on the screen can be reconstructed from electromagnetic emissions, unless appropriate counter-measures are taken.

But do CRTs have any advantages left apart from lower initial purchase price? The answer is that they still have advantages in applications requiring ultra-high display resolutions and their field of view is significantly wider than most LCDs, though some of the newer flat-panel models have improved significantly.

Monitor options

I suppose that companies deploying hundreds of screens would much rather deal with the lighter LCD displays. In the current economic climate, businesses may well decide to choose conventional monitors due to their lower initial capital cost, but in the long run the LCD has a lot going for it.

I suppose it's a case of short-term versus long-term considerations, but if LCDs are good enough for the bosses, they should be good enough for staff as well. Rock stars, however, will still probably prefer the satisfying explosion of CRTs hurled from hotel windows, rather than the dull thud of an LCD.

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