Re: LCDs for HA (was Re: FS: (18) LCD . . . )

["Robert L Bass" <RobertLBass@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> "Readable" is a very subjective word.  I've looked at a lot of
> different
> monitors and TVs since this posts try get a feel for the problem.
> While
> LCDs are indeed much more readable at an angle than they once were
> (my
> Fujitsu and Compaq PC screens, the best quality there was at the
> time, were
> unreadable when about 45% off-axis.  Any one of the newer LCD's I
> have, both
> cheap and mid-range, can do far better than that.  While 180 degree
> viewing
> is a physical impossibility, a rough eyeballing with a plastic
> protractor and a "sight tube" made out of PVC pipe (where's sextant
> when you
> *really* need one?)  you can still make out the characters at about
> 150
> degrees.  At least *I* can.

I tried read your post from a compound angle about 4" in front 16" to
the side and 16" above the top left edge of the screen.  With my poor
vision I could still read the screen clearly.  Since I invariably use
the PC from a much lesser angle I conclude that your premise is
wrong.  LCD monitors are quite readable, even at significantly
greater angles than are needed for normal use.

> That's remarkable considering the Fujitsu, as
> beautiful as useful as it is can't be mounted on a wall and then
> read easily
> from a nearby sitting position.

If you mean it can't be viewed from *below* its own level, that is
not surprising.  Most LCD PC screens are designed to be viewed from
slightly above screen center height.

> But there's a catch to the wider viewing angles of the newer,
> supertwisted
> LC displays.  The differing ways the pixels are created causes LCD
> to have
> much more of a "sweet spot" than equivalently sized CRT's.  As the
> viewing
> angle increases, the light falloff on an LCD is quite a bit more
> dramatic
> than a CRT...

The fact is that in most HA applications a viewing angle greater than
60º vertical and 90º horizontal is unnecessary.

> I find nowhere near the same falloff on CRT's because with my
> bad visions the reduction in brightness lowers contrast as well...

Actually, the eye can detect finer differences in contrast at low
light levels than at higher ones.

> and often causes normal room light to wash out the image
> when viewed at an angle...

On a related note, my main TV is a 60" Sony LCD screen.  The room is
an open space consisting of kitchen, dinette and family room and is
lined on two sides with 12' sliding glass doors and windows.  The
previous set was a 55" Mitsubishi RPTV which was all but useless
during daylight hours.  The new LCD is barely affected by ambient
light, even with all the curtains open.  The set is in a corner,
facing roughly 40º across the room.  It is crystal clear from wall to
wall seated on the floor on the sofas or from a standing position.

When we viewed sets in the store prior to purchasing I compared
off-angle viewing by walking along the aisle, close to the fronts of
the TVs.  I could easily view all of the screens from a much sharper
angle than would normally be needed in any home viewing room.  The
Sony was the clearest IMO.

By way of contrast, I compared two of our CRT sets.  Neither has as
wide a viewing angle as the Sony.  Neither has anywhere near the
contrast.  Then again, the CRT sets cost about a fifth as much as the
big screen.  Maybe you just need to invest in better quality
monitors.  :^)

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

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