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                                     6


                                

                                  Monitor 
                                






















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Chapter 6 - Monitor


     Computer Monitors (also called Monitors) are similar to televisions because
they both display images on a screen, but that's where the similarity ends.
Televisions are allowed to be less exact in how they display information on the
screen, because the images you see on television aren't nearly as complicated as 
the images a monitor must handle.   Monitors are used more than any other part 
of a computer, yet many people treat them as an afterthought when purchasing a
computer.  Don't!  Regardless of what you're doing on your computer, you're 
staring at the monitor.  Therefore, shop for a good monitor that's easy to look 
at and won't cause eye strain.  You'll be thankful you did. 


Size
----

     Monitors come in various sizes usually ranging from 14" to 21" and are
usually referred to by their size.  For example: most people have 14" SVGA color
monitors.  The size of a monitor is based on the diagonal distance from one 
corner of the monitor tube to the other (see Figure 6a).  This doesn't mean the 
visible part of the monitor tube, but rather the actual corner of the tube.  
Therefore, you may see a monitor that is labeled as 14", but the visible part of 
the tube is less than 14".  In monitors, this is perfectly normal, and almost 
every manufacturer labels or sizes them this way regardless of the size.  So 
when you're looking for monitors, don't be too shocked when your monitor turns 
out to be a little smaller than the name or label implies.  If you're curious, 
most television manufacturers refer to their television by the size of the 
display (corner to corner) that is actually showing and not by the tube's actual 
size.  Therefore, a 25" television IS a 25" television while a 25" monitor's 
viewing area is probably more like a 23" or 24".  I would like more computer 
monitor manufacturers to catch on to this television idea.  Usually the larger 
(and more expensive) monitors come full featured, so in addition to size, you'll 
usually get more features too.



















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Figure 6a - Example of how monitor size is measured



Dot Pitch
---------

     The "Dot Pitch" of a monitor is very important because this number 
indicates how clear the image on your monitor will be.  Have you ever adjusted 
the focus on a camera so it's almost right, but not quite, and the picture 
doesn't look as good as it could?  This is how the dot pitch works.   The lower 
the dot pitch number, the better the image will be.  The dot pitch, measured in 
millimeters, actually indicates how close the dots (that make up the letter or 
image on the screen) are together. I'll say it again, the lower the dot pitch 
number, the better the image will be.  An average dot pitch is 0.28 while and 
0.26 or 0.25 is considered great so pay attention to the numbers (see Caption 
6b).

     Therefore, when you're shopping for monitors (or the monitor that comes
with the computer) look at the dot pitch because monitors with a poor or less 
than average dot pitch will appear out of focus and may cause eye strain.  You 
shouldn't have to pay more for a monitor with an average dot pitch so if they 
try to sell you a monitor with a less than average dot pitch, walk away.  You 
will thank me later.










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==============================================================================


 Dot Pitch   Explanation
 ---------   -----------

 0.39  -     Considered terrible by today's standard.  Only Poor Quality 
             monitors have dot pitches so high!
 
 0.31  -     Considered worse than average and visibly noticeable to most
             people.  Avoid it!
 
 0.28  -     Considered average for most monitors today.  This is acceptable 
             for most people.
 
 0.27  -     Considered better than average and more suited for graphical use.
 
 0.26  -     Considered much better than average and better suited for more
             graphical use.
 
 0.25  -     Considered far superior to the average, and best suited for
             indiscriminating taste and highly graphical use.

==============================================================================

Caption 6b - What dot pitch do you want and how good are your eyes?
             How crisp and clear would you like your monitor to be?


Flat Screen
-----------

     In the last couple of years, monitor manufacturers have begun producing 
what is called "Flat-Square tube" monitors (also called Flat screen monitors).  
These tubes are somewhat misnamed because the tube is neither flat nor square, 
but they appear more so than regular "curved tube" monitors called "Vertically 
Flat tubes" that are used in most televisions.  Fortunately, more manufacturers 
are using the flat tube design and haven't raised their prices in the process.  
There are several advantages to flat tube monitors compared to curved tube 
monitors and they are as follows:

- Less glare on the front on the monitor
- More accurate colors along the edges or corners of the monitor front
- More stable graphics along the edges or corners of the monitor front
- A more realistic image (especially with highly graphical images)

If you can purchase a flat screen monitor for little or no difference in price 
then do it.  You'll be glad you did, but don't pay a ton extra just for this one 
feature.

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Resolution 
----------

     Whether you realize it or not, your television actually displays the image 
by a combination of vertical and horizontal lines.  This is called resolution 
and all televisions and computer monitors use this to display what you see.  
Your television has one resolution, and it adjusts everything to that resolution 
so all the images you see fit nicely on your television screen.  However, most 
computer monitors can display or use many resolutions, and are therefore more 
flexible to display many different types of images.   Higher resolutions (more 
lines on the screen) give you more detailed images while lower resolutions give 
you less detailed images.  When you're looking at resolutions they are usually 
written as horizontal lines by vertical lines (640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768).

     When it's time to shop for a monitor (or the monitor that comes with your
computer) you'll need to pay attention to what resolution the monitor can 
handle.  The more resolutions your monitor can handle, the more flexible it will 
be to do the things your want.  For example:  Kodak has been advertising it's 
"Photo-CD" products that allow you to display photographs you've taken to be 
displayed on your computer monitor.  This process requires higher resolutions, 
otherwise you're pictures won't look as good.  If your monitor can't handle the 
resolution Kodak needs then you're out of luck.

The average 14" monitor will support the following resolutions:  Remember it's
written as horizontal lines by vertical lines (number x number).

     640 x 480 
     800 x 600
     1024 x 768

If the monitor you're looking at doesn't support these resolutions, then walk 
away.

     Better quality monitors are now supporting even higher resolutions such as
1280 x 1024 or 1600 x 1280.  These resolutions pack so much information on the
screen at once that you will usually need a larger (17" or above) monitor to
appreciate the fine detail you'll see.













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SVGA vs VGA
-----------

     When shopping for monitors you're likely to see the letters VGA and SVGA
written everywhere.  These letters simply indicate the type of monitor it is 
and what resolutions the monitor is capable of displaying.  VGA (Video Graphics 
Array) is a standard that IBM developed some years ago for displaying 
information on the monitor in a certain way and resolution.  VGA by default uses 
a resolution of 640 x 480.  SVGA (Super Video Graphics Array) is a newer 
standard based on VGA that gives you a higher resolution of 800 x 600.   SVGA is 
considered absolutely the bare minimum for any monitor buyer these days.  
Today's monitors can handle resolutions higher than the SVGA resolution 
(800 x 600), but they're still called SVGA.


Cost
----

     The following indicates the price range one should expect to see when
purchasing a monitor.  Remember, better monitors generally cost more and have
more features, and nicer controls.  The larger the monitor is, the harder it is 
to manufacture and thus the more you pay for it.

          Low-End   High-End

14"       $150      $500
15"       $170      $600
17"       $650      $2,000
20"/21"   $1,800    $4,500


Non-Interlaced vs. Interlaced
-----------------------------

     Monitors, just like televisions, create an image on the screen by firing
electron beams at the front of the screen in horizontal lines across the screen 
from top to bottom.  An Interlaced display creates a full image on the screen in 
two passes, creating the even lines first and then going back to the top to 
create the odd 











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lines.  This is O.K. for graphics since they constantly change, but it's not 
very good for text or numbers (like in a word processor).  A newer standard 
called Non-Interlaced creates the entire image (all lines) on the screen at 
once, and makes the text and numbers appear cleaner and easier to read.  
Non-Interlaced monitors are considered superior so when choosing a monitor, 
make sure it's non-interlaced.  You may have to pay $10 or $15 more for a 
non-interlaced monitor, but it will be worth it.  Most monitors 17" or larger 
should automatically be non-interlaced, but it doesn't hurt to ask.


Vertical Refresh Rate
---------------------

     The Vertical Refresh Rate (also called a vertical scan rate) indicates the
number of full screens the monitor can "paint" in one second.  The vertical 
refresh rate is often written in terms of Hz such as 72Hz.   Since most humans 
can perceive a "flicker" effect (like a strobe light) when the vertical refresh 
rate drops to or below 60Hz, you should buy a monitor that can display a minimum 
of 72Hz in every resolution (at least the standard three resolutions mentioned 
above).  Most monitors today will do this, but not all, so be careful.  The net 
effect of using a monitor with a vertical refresh rate of 60 Hz or less is 
sometimes headaches and eyestrain.


Green Monitors 
--------------

In the past several years there has been a flurry of interest in the area of 
"Green" technology (sometimes called Energy Star).  Green is a "catch all" term 
for computer equipment that when not being used (for a certain amount of time) 
will automatically power down to conserve electricity (called Green mode).  The
"green" part comes in when you consider that using less power is healthier for 
the environment (and your wallet).  Currently, you can buy green computers and 
green monitors (not to mention green laser printers).  Most of the new monitors 
being sold are green compatible, and when I say green compatible I mean the 
monitors have the ability to power down.  Keep in mind the computer has to tell 
them when it's time, because the monitor has no other way of knowing.  Green 
computers are designed to tell the monitor when it's time to shut down and in 
addition most green 











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computers can themselves go into green mode.  If you never leave your computer 
on while it's not being used then this may be no big deal, but if you leave it 
on all the time then this could save you money on your electric bill, help the 
environment, and extend the life of your computer.














































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