Itechtip : Choosing a good LCD Display
Put it simple - the faster the response of a LCD display, the sharper the picture.
In a computer store, every LCD computer display will list millisecond response times at the top of its product placard, above other key features such as contrast ratio, resolution and brightness.
Technically, the fraction-of-a-second description refers to the length of time it takes for the pixels within the liquid crystal display to turn on or off to display an image. For consumers, it all boils down to how much blurring might occur when viewing fast-motion video, such as in sports, movies, or video games.
The industry norm dropped from 25 milliseconds three years ago to about 8 milliseconds for LCD computer monitors and 16 milliseconds for LCD TVs by the end of 2005.
These are blistering fast times: a millisecond is one-thousandths of a second, and an eye blink is estimated to last 100 milliseconds to 150 milliseconds.
Note that other key features -- contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, and cable inputs -- are today generally more important to the quality and price of an LCD display than millisecond response times.
Samsung Electronics Co. and ViewSonic Corp., two display makers leading the way on response times, even acknowledge that new breakthroughs would likely be undetectable to the eye.
But some manufacturers and experts contend a difference, and slight blurring, can still be perceived between 8 milliseconds and 16 milliseconds.
"You're definitely getting a better image on the screen, less lag time and just a better experience, especially for fast-action movies or sports," said Ali Atash, a senior product manager for LCD TVs at Samsung.
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