A scant few years ago, flat panel monitors were reserved for image-conscious geek hipsters with money to burn. Times have certainly changed. Now even low-end vendors such as eMachines offer LCD monitors for substantially less than $500.
Why the rapid ascent? Let us count the ways:
- Smaller size and weight
- Better image contrast
- Better image accuracy: No distortion or focus problems
- Less power consumption
- Less eyestrain: No flicker or glare
- Just plain cooler
The Samsung SyncMaster 192MP multi-function LCD monitor ably demonstrates all these advantages. It costs more, but it is worth it.
My home office (like myself) is behind the tech curve and still labors with a desk-bending 19" CRT monitor, coincidentally also a Samsung, the SyncMaster 950p. The 950p was highly rated back in the 20th century when I bought it, but now seems only a few steps away from the quill pen compared to the 192MP.
The first problem was getting the old dinosaur off the desk. Weighing a whopping 48 lbs., the 950p is not easy to lift, even for a strapping young geek like myself. Replacing it with the dainty 13 lb. 192MP was a joy, not to mention all the extra space it created. (I now have much more room for piles of paper and multiple coffee mugs!) I connected the power and display cables and it worked perfectly without any new drivers or any configuration whatsoever.
More joy! Text and colors were clear, bright, crisp and very noticeably better than the old CRT -- even brighter than my Dell laptop screen. This is good for somebody who not only spends all of the work day in front of a computer, but much of his free time as well. (Like I said, I'm a geek.) There was no "ghosting" common to early laptop screens. The maximum resolution of 1024x768 resolution is less than the 1600x1200 maximum available in my old 950p but unless you're a graphic designer or a hardcore gamer, it probably won't matter to you.
The SyncMaster 192MP is more than a computer monitor, of course. It includes a HD-ready TV tuner and built-in speakers, and accepts both digital and analog inputs, including DVD players and VCRs. It even has a "Picture-in-Picture" function that will allow you to view two inputs at once. Samsung says that this feature will increase your productivity by "leaps and bounds." How is watching X-Files reruns going to help you do your work during the day? Indeed, until computer and home entertainment systems thoroughly converge, I don't see a pressing need for these sorts of "multi-function" features at all, at least in a home office context.
Nonetheless, I hooked the 192MP up to my satellite TV receiver, and it worked like a charm. The resolution and display quality didn't knock my proverbial socks off like the computer input did, but it was adequate. If I had a HDTV signal, I'm sure it would have been more impressive.
Flat panel monitors have one final, but very significant, advantage over CRT TVs and monitors. The 192MP uses a mere 62 watts, half the power usage of a typical CRT monitor. For big companies, the cost savings can really add up. (This site from Sharp will calculate exactly how much you can save.) Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
I'm not one to follow every technology trend merely because it is new -- our society is disposable enough without hopping on every tech bandwagon -- but flat panel monitors are a clear advance. The SyncMaster 192MP is a superlative representative of this trend. Get rid of your CRT monitor now!
