Flat Screen TV

Flat screen is a thin display screen that uses any of a number of technologies, such as LCD, plasma, EL and FED. Unlike CRTs, flat panel displays are entirely digital. LCD is the standard for computer use and is gaining significant ground on the plasma technology used for home theater TVs. First used in laptops, LCD flat panels have become very popular for the desktop, and in 2003, exceeded sales of CRTs for the first time.

In order to work with the millions of existing PCs, most desktop flat panels accept the standard analog VGA signal from the PC's display adapter. This means that the display adapter in the computer converts the digital data to analog, and the flat panel converts the analog signals back to digital. With their low power consumption, low radiation, space-saving footprint and flicker-free performance, flat panels are expected to replace CRTs entirely. LCD panels are also glare-free as long as they do not have a clear, rigid overlay for enhancing colors, in which case they are just as reflective as CRTs.

Flat panel displays requiring continuous refresh:
•    Plasma displays
•     Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
•    Digital light processing (DLPs)
•    Liquid crystal on silicon (LCOSs)
•    Organic light-emitting diode displays (OLEDs)
Flat panel displays balance their smaller footprint and trendy modern look with high costs and in many cases inferior images compared with traditional CRTs. In many applications, specifically modern portable devices such as laptops, cellular phones, and digital cameras, whatever disadvantages are overcome by the portability requirements.