Choosing the Right LCD - Laptop Screens


The “transparent” screen, from engadget.com

I’ve been fond of writing about the “right” and “perfect” equipment lately. And this includes the considerably substantial bLaptops writeup I made a while back. It’s about choosing the perfect laptop, considering tons of factors like size, weight, ergonomics, and yes, even the brand! Then, of course, speaking about the “perfect” eqipment, there’s the LCD vs. CRT question–but that’s a non-issue in the case of what we’re about to discuss.

Let’s now talk more specifically about choosing the right screen for your laptop. After all, you’ll probably spend hours on end staring at your laptop’s LCD, so you might as well get something that suits you well. Moreover, once you choose that laptop (and screen), you won’t be able to change it, unlike with regular desktop LCDs!

So you’ll have to live with whatever screen your laptop comes with. I have to admit, having used several laptops in my life (and hopefully more laptops to come), I know some screens are great. Some are bearable. Some are so-so. Some had been downright crappy!

What should I look for?

There are a few basic things to look for in laptop screens. What’s important is that you’re comfortable with viewing your screen, and the size, clarity and viewing angles would be essential, in this case.

Size

Firstly, in purchasing a small and portable computer, you can expect your laptop’s LCD screen to be smaller than the usual desktop monitor. Standard sizes would usually be 12″, 14″, and 15″, measured diagonally–this would also indiciate the general size of the laptop. Some gaming laptops measure 17″


Screen size ratios (from proportable.com)

My rule of thumb: choose a screen size that’s large enough for your viewing comfort, while not sacrificing the laptop’s portability. For my purposes, 14-inch LCDs are the best balance. They’re not too small to cause me to squint my eyes everytime I use the laptop, but they’re not too large to make the computer bulky.

However, if you so desire a smaller laptop, say, a 12-incher, be sure to try using the computer first (at the store, for instance) to see if you can bear the small screen. Most 12″ screens come in resolutions of 1024×768, and this is probably the maximum comfortable viewing resolution (remember that you cannot change resolutions on an LCD and still expect the display to look good). If the screen comes in anything higher, then the font and graphics sizes would likely be smaller than standard, and you would have a hard time viewing.

Viewing Quality

The viewing quality and longevity of an LCD screen are dependent on the technology used. Most laptops nowadays use active matrix (TFT) screens. Older models sometimes used passive matrix (DSTN or HPA) screens, which were cheaper to make and sell, but looked terrible. DSTN displays had a translucent look to them, and displayed washed-out images. HPA, meanwhile, had very terrible, limited viewing angles.

While virtually all modern laptop displays use the standard TFT, one concern is that some TFT displays still appear washed out in very bright lighting, such as when using the computer outdoors in the sunlight.

Clearview


Clearview (left) vs non-clearview (right)

One recent trend in laptop displays is the use of clearview, which is essentially a thin glass cover or overlay on the LCD screen itself. This dramatically improves the contrast and brightness, and hence viewing quality. However, clearview also causes much glare, especially in bright lighting conditions. You would, therefore, not expect much from a clearview display when using the computer outdoors.

Examples of computers using a clearview-type display are the Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro (the more recent releases), and the Toshiba Qosmio.

Resolution and Aspect Ratio

For the longest time, laptop screens have used the 3:4 aspect ratio, the standard for monitors and even television sets, since recently. This would usually give you up to the standard XGA resolution of 1024×768 or larger. Recent laptop models offer wide-screen displays, though, at aspect ratios of 16:10 and these are good if you need more viewing real estate, say, you’re editing graphics or comparing across two documents on your computer.

The latest MacBooks and MacBookPros (or is the plural supposed to be “MacBooks Pro”?), for instance, use widescreen displays of either 13″, 15″ or 17″ sizes.

Do remember that wider screens usually mean that your laptop can be shallower, but longer than the average notebook computer.

As for resolution, most laptops still come with the standard 1024×768 pixel resolution for the standard 3:4 aspect ratio, and 1280×800 for widescreen 10:16 aspect ratios.

Again, choosing the right laptop can be very challenging, espcially with the multitude of factors that you would need to consider. In this regard, the laptop display would perhaps constitute a big chunk of that preference set (I’d say about 40%), as this would already dictate the size and general usability of your computer.

June 29th, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in Tips at 10:42 pm 1 Comment ยป

1 Comment »

  1. We travel quite a bit in an RV. Can you recomend a notebook with a screen that can be seen outdoors and bright light conditions?

    Comment by Bob Petrie — September 2, 2006 @ 3:46 pm

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