LCD monitor life span
What's the average life span of an (let's say)an Apple 20" LCD? I'd like to purchase some nice large monitors that will last me 6 or more years. Will an lcd last that long, or will the amount of dead pixels just be to much to use. I will be purchasing extended warrenty for the Apple Lcd to help insure my purchase. Spending $1400 seems alot for something that will only last 3 years.
I would go for CRTs, but dislike the refresh rates, and strain on the eyes.
I would go for CRTs, but dislike the refresh rates, and strain on the eyes.
Comments
reg
I have a CRT right here from 1994 and another from 1996.. work perfectly.
The recommended brighness for a laptop LCD is 90cd/m^2, but my four year old TiBook can only manage 70cd/m^2. My one year old ACD can go up to 150+, but that's way too bright for me. I use it at 100cd/m^2, which is the CRT recommendation. Desktop LCDs are recommended to be set at 120cd/m^2. Just FYI...
Originally posted by slughead
LCDs use a light source unlike CRTs. Usually it makes them have much shorter life spans.
The CRT itself is a light source and they dim over time as well.
LCDs have a backlight which may or may not be replaceable.
I have a CRT right here from 1994 and another from 1996.. work perfectly.
I guarantee you that your CRT monitors are dimmer now than they were new. Same goes for television sets. CRTs don't last forever either.
Originally posted by mikef
I guarantee you that your CRT monitors are dimmer now than they were new. Same goes for television sets. CRTs don't last forever either.
Yes but they dim evenly so I can just turn up the brightness!
Even with the brightness really far down, it is much brighter than my old iBook, which is half the reason I got it. My plan is to keep it for 5-6 years, and just buy a new Mac mini type machine every 18-24 months, so I need it to last well.
I have set it to sleep after one minute as well - any other tips?
Originally posted by drumsticks
These things wear and tear. Just use it as normal and enjoy your new LCD!
^^^
Originally posted by G_Warren
Is it better to run my shiny new LCD with the brightness down to prolong its life?
Even with the brightness really far down, it is much brighter than my old iBook, which is half the reason I got it. My plan is to keep it for 5-6 years, and just buy a new Mac mini type machine every 18-24 months, so I need it to last well.
I have set it to sleep after one minute as well - any other tips?
Good ideas, that could easily extend the lifespan.
we are about to get a "pac system reading station" from GE. though the lcd's/ flat panel dysplays are more $$$ the independent buying consultant agreed with me (the crt's are massive i pushed the flat panels just due to less bulk and resolution) spending the extra $ "since they last 3 times as long and maintain their resolution, edge detection thoughout their life"
Originally posted by NOFEER
lcd last 3 times longer than crt's
we are about to get a "pac system reading station" from GE. though the lcd's/ flat panel dysplays are more $$$ the independent buying consultant agreed with me (the crt's are massive i pushed the flat panels just due to less bulk and resolution) spending the extra $ "since they last 3 times as long and maintain their resolution, edge detection thoughout their life"
The LCD will probably last 20 years, but the light source probably doesn't last 6.
If you're looking for lifespan, CRTs are the way to go. The reason CRTs dim is that the phosphors in the tube slowly escape as they are bombarded by current. Yes, mikef, they dim. But very slowly. However, with a CRT, you're looking at all kinds of other problems like heat and inconsistency. A flicker is also noticeable in low-end CRTs.
LCDs have a much shorter lifespan, for the same reason as everyone else has said -- The backlight grows dimmer. To answer your question, most modern LCD monitors will be at half brightness after about 60,000 hours, about 5 years for many computer users. But in the past 2 years, their performance has begun to blow away CRT monitors, which were traditionally much better in terms of quality. Also, LCDs are much easier to dispose of.
I see a lot of wrong information being thrown around.
If you're looking for lifespan, CRTs are the way to go. The reason CRTs dim is that the phosphors in the tube slowly escape as they are bombarded by current. Yes, mikef, they dim. But very slowly. However, with a CRT, you're looking at all kinds of other problems like heat and inconsistency. A flicker is also noticeable in low-end CRTs.
LCDs have a much shorter lifespan, for the same reason as everyone else has said -- The backlight grows dimmer. To answer your question, most modern LCD monitors will be at half brightness after about 60,000 hours, about 5 years for many computer users. But in the past 2 years, their performance has begun to blow away CRT monitors, which were traditionally much better in terms of quality. Also, LCDs are much easier to dispose of.
Of course, everyone is aware of televisions and monitors, but what about the low-level radiation from LCD monitors? Are there reliable studies on this?
I have set it to sleep after one minute as well - any other tips?
Oh boy, this will certainly NOT prolong the life span of the background lighting. Don't do this as constantly switching the lamps on and off wears them out VERY quickly. This results in the lamps needing more and more time to reach full brightness when switching the display on. The effect can already be seen after less than one year!
Once again, the backlights usually can't be replaced, so this is a very expensive error!
Often turning a light on and off wears it more than a long time of constant use. (...) Mine is set for an hour.
Good advice, or do the following: whenever you leave your computer for more than five minutes, turn the display off manually (if you have an external one) and don't use the timed switch-off function.
What happened to me constantly: whenever I came back to my desktop, the display would switch itself off JUST at the time I came back. Then waking the screen could destroy it very quickly...
but what about the low-level radiation from LCD monitors? Are there reliable studies on this?
What I'm curious about is where you got this idea that LCD monitors even would produce any appreciable amount of low-level radiation. I don't mean any offense, and I could be wrong without doing any research on it, but it seems rather absurd to me.
I cannot think of any major components in an LCD TV/Monitor that would even produce such radiation. As far as I know, they hardly produce any radiation but that on the visible spectrum, which is obviously necessary.
From http://www.computerwriter.com/archiv...8/cw072398.htm (old source, I know, but still valid):
"Concerns over low-level radiation emanating from monitors have led to two international standards, the Swedish MPR-II (which is fairly strict and regulates electromagnetic, magnetic and electric field emissions) and the European TCO '92 or TCO '95 (which are even stricter and regulate electromagnetic field emissions as well as power and energy conservation standards). I haven't been able to find any Canadian or American standards relating to low-level radiation (if you find some, let me know). Monitors may come with none, one, or both emission standards, and this can affect price."
--> buy a TFT display that meets the TCO 99 (or better: '01, '03 or '06) standard and you're safe.