Knowing Your LCD Screen

LCD stands for liquid crystal display. This is a screen technology that has been in use for many decades and is continuously evolving to display images brighter, clearer and larger. The latest incarnation of the LCD screen is the TFT LCD which is the technology that enables televisions to produce high definition images. The use of LCDs in technology also spans basic electronics such as calculators and wristwatches. The LCD screen is quite common due to simple manufacturing technology, its low production cost and low power consumption rate.

How LCDs Work

LCD technology is simple to understand, a series of small pixels of segments will either have a display or not depending on the polarity or charge of the electric current that runs through it. This means that at any given time, variety of signals are sent to an LCD screen for it to project the appropriate image. The time it takes for these signals to change and take effect is considered the refresh rate.

LCD Technology in Action

The basic LCD produces only black and white images. In calculators and wristwatches, the segments light up allowing you to see numbers and other figures. In more complex applications such as the Nintendo GameBoy, larger screen of pixel arrays allow for more complex images. By adding transistors to each segment or pixel, and increasing the display to show the three primary colors, modern LCDs are able to produce complex images with millions of colors. This is seen in many modern electronics.

The New Standards

As technology progresses so does the demands of the consumers. As more and more monitors are able to display higher resolution images, the demand for better graphics with even faster screen refresh rates is increasing. Manufacturers are meeting this demand by further creating screens that can produce higher resolutions.

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If you have an electronic mobile device, chances are it is using a QVGA screen. Be it a handheld gaming device, a smart phone or a pocket PC, then you probably have seen what a QVGA screen looks like. The video graphics array is the series of lights, diodes or what not that makes up the LCD. The QVGA on the other hand, literally stands for quarter video graphics array. The quarter in the name is based on the fact that the QVGA screen is a quarter of the original VGA display used by old IBM monitors. QVGA is the current standard of mobile screen size and resolution thanks to its excellent aspect ratio, decent resolution and actually physical size.

Why QVGA is a Good Compromise

In terms of resolution, QVGA is 320×240 pixels. This produces excellent quality images for viewing media on the go. The original IBM VGA screen is 640×480 pixels which is the basis of the quarter size. This resolution may seem small, but it actually does a very good job. Many video are also encoded in this size aspect ratio for playback in portable devices.

The Importance of Physical Size

The rules of screen technology are simple, the bigger it is, the better. Computer monitors, television sets, digital displays are all raking in more inches, higher resolutions and better quality images as long as technology permits it. The only drawback is when you are limited by size. This is the case for laptops, mobile phones and other portable devices. This is because of the nature of portable devices as they need to be light enough to carry and small enough to not be cumbersome.

QVGA Touch Screens

Another great feature of QVGA displays is that the size is just right for touch screen phones. The space in all directions is easily accessible with just one finger, making it perfect for mobile devices.

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Get Educated About AMOLED Touch Screens

AMOLED touch screens have nothing to do with moles. The term stands for active matrix organic light emitting diode. While these are the real terms used, there really is not much sense behind this conglomeration of strange words. In smaller groups however, they speak of an interesting technology that has revolutionized the digital screen industry.

The Active Matrix

Active matrix refers to the way the TFT screen has been designed. By enabling individual pixels to refresh faster and at a more synchronized manner, the result is a visual display that far surpasses that of standard TFT screens. Screens are lit by electrical pulses that determine which pixel color will light up. This has been upgraded with active matrix.

What is Organic

The organic part of an LED is how the LED functions without the need for a backlight. There is nothing organic about this technology. Instead, organic technology is focused more on creating individual electroluminescent layers for each pixel that exists on a screen. This allows for a screen to function without an additional backlight. This also means that you can have larger screens since you will not be limited by the amount of light provided by backlights.

The Light Emitting Diodes

Lastly, the LED part of the screen is what allows any screen to properly show graphics. LED are composed of small pixels that change according to the image to be displayed onscreen. They are very cheap to produce and make very little to no heat at all making them appropriate for many different purposes. As a whole, AMOLED touch screens are significantly better than others. They are lighter, thinner and consume less power. They are also easier to manage and control. Today’s mobile devices rely heavily on AMOLED technology in order to make the most out of their battery capacities and capabilities.

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Understanding Thin Film Transistor Liquid Display Technology

TFT displays are next evolution of the old LCD screens used for calculators and wristwatches. LCD, or liquid crystal display, uses positive and negative charges to determine whether a certain segment of an image or a pixel on a grid would have a graphic or would remain blank.

The Old LCD

LCDs allowed for the creation of black and white images. These were very useful way back when a display required a minimal degree of detail. That was a time when most imaging technology was CRT or projector based. The large space requirements of projectors and CRTs meant that devices could not afford to have electronic displays. LCDs made this possible. The only drawback to LCDs was the fact that it was all in monochrome.

From Black and White LCD to Colored TFT

Perhaps the most graphically intensive black and white LCD systems to be made are the Nintendo Gameboy and the WonderSwan. Still, these devices were limited by the lack of color. This was solved by the creation of thin film transistors. These enabled the LCD to hold three colors per pixel, allowing for the creation of complex images. The main concern was that the conversion of LCD technology required that each pixel would have its own connection telling the pixel which color to light up. This was solved by installing transistors for each pixel, this allowed the screen to control displays on a row and column basis.

Application of TFT Display Technology

TFTs of today can produce images of very high resolutions. They are used in mobile phones, hand held electronic game devices, desktop and laptop monitors, and even large flat screen television sets. These are used in giant digital billboards and at times, for public and private establishment signs. It should be noted that the liquid crystal are highly toxic and skin exposure should be immediately washed and brought to a doctor for examination.

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