LCD Display Resolution
1 Answer
When you go out shopping for a new LCD TV, one of the most important things worth checking is the resolution. What’s the use of an LCD when your neighbor’s 20-year-old CRT has better resolution and colors? There are other things to consider, too, like health benefits and reduced power consumption of LCDs compared to CRTs—but resolution is still quite important. Why? Resolution and color are two qualities of a TV that stand out most at first glance.
LCD resolution basically depends on the number of phosphors embedded on the screen area of the TV. Phosphors are like very tiny bulbs that emit light when the TV is turned on. When a person gazes at these millions of phosphors closely grouped together, what he or she sees instead is an image or a moving picture. In short, the greater the number of phosphors present within the screen area, the higher the resolution and the better the picture quality (image sharpness, contrast, etc.).
Native Resolution
The single drawback of LCD monitors in terms of resolution is that LCDs are capable of only one resolution: the native resolution. The native resolution refers to the exact number of phosphors on the screen area. If, however, the user decides to decrease the resolution, the LCD is then forced to extrapolate. Extrapolation is the blending of several pixels together to produce a similar image. This indeed results in lower resolution but with fuzzy images. With a CRT, you won’t have this issue. The following are the common native resolutions of modern LCD monitors:
14” to 15”: 1024×768 (or XGA)
17” to 19”: 1280×1024 (or SXGA)
20”+: 1600×1200 (or UXGA)
19” (widescreen): 1440×900 (or WXGA+)
20” (widescreen): 1680×1050 (or WSXGA+)
24” (widescreen): 1920×1200 (or WUXGA+)
30” (widescreen): 2560×1600
LCD resolution basically depends on the number of phosphors embedded on the screen area of the TV. Phosphors are like very tiny bulbs that emit light when the TV is turned on. When a person gazes at these millions of phosphors closely grouped together, what he or she sees instead is an image or a moving picture. In short, the greater the number of phosphors present within the screen area, the higher the resolution and the better the picture quality (image sharpness, contrast, etc.).
Native Resolution
The single drawback of LCD monitors in terms of resolution is that LCDs are capable of only one resolution: the native resolution. The native resolution refers to the exact number of phosphors on the screen area. If, however, the user decides to decrease the resolution, the LCD is then forced to extrapolate. Extrapolation is the blending of several pixels together to produce a similar image. This indeed results in lower resolution but with fuzzy images. With a CRT, you won’t have this issue. The following are the common native resolutions of modern LCD monitors:
14” to 15”: 1024×768 (or XGA)
17” to 19”: 1280×1024 (or SXGA)
20”+: 1600×1200 (or UXGA)
19” (widescreen): 1440×900 (or WXGA+)
20” (widescreen): 1680×1050 (or WSXGA+)
24” (widescreen): 1920×1200 (or WUXGA+)
30” (widescreen): 2560×1600