What is a LCD Monitor?
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display, referring to the technology behind these popular flat panel monitors. An LCD monitor is distinguishable from a traditional CRT monitor as the latter has a bulky footprint with a depth of several inches and a weight of 30 – 50 pounds (13 – 23 kilograms) or more, while LCDs are commonly 1 – 3 inches (2.5 – 7.5 cm) thick and weigh less than 10 pounds (4.5 k). LCD displays were used on laptop computers before the technology improved enough to make the jump to desktop monitors. An LCD monitor consists of five layers: a backlight, a sheet of polarized glass, a “mask” of colored pixels, a layer of liquid crystal solution responsive to a wired grid of x, y coordinates, and a second polarized sheet of glass. By manipulating the orientations of crystals through precise electrical charges of varying degrees and voltages, the crystals act like tiny shutters, opening or closing in response to the stimulus, thereby allowing degrees of light that have passed thr