Ergonomic Tips (01/03)
SIZE DOES MATTER!
by John R. Chait D.C., drchait@home.com
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.As CPU technology advances, PC display technology is not far behind. Innovations revolve around Home and workplace ergonomics. Saving space and energy, lowering radiation and providing for easy viewing are also concerns.
One of the most visible emerging display technologies that found its way into the mainstream last year was the Flat panel LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor. Although LCD technology has been available for many years in digital watches and calculators, it started gaining popularity through laptop computers. Just like all computer hardware, the price of LCD monitors is falling quickly while features are improving. Compared to CRT (Cathode Ray Tube monitors), an LCD monitor contains fewer parts, uses less space and consumes less power.
The ability of LCD monitors to fit into small spaces is driving sales of this product. You will see the use of LCD's in places where space constraints would never allow the use of a CRT monitor.
Consumer marketing is a fast-growing segment. LCD monitors are being used for on-line, real-time information dissemination in malls, airports, banks and other public places. Because of their depth, LCD's can easily fit into the smallest of information kiosks.
The financial industry is one of the earliest adopters of LCD monitors. Financial consultants sometimes require at least three to four monitors on their desktops to track security prices and trading information. Using LCD monitors, they gain more desk space, and also save money by not having to expand office space as the workforce increases.
Hospitals are also using LCD monitors. Because LCD's are light, medical practitioners can wheel a system around and do real-time information processing of patient data. Unlike CRT monitors, which have an electron-emitting gun and a picture tube saturated with magnetic fields, LCD monitors are much more simplified. Labs are using LCD's for their emission- and interference-free features, making them ideal for delicate and sensitive testing environments.
A flat panel monitor consumes about one-third the power of a similarly sized CRT monitor. They use less power than a reading lamp! This makes it a popular choice for users who preach about environmental and energy savings. It's also a solution for systems where only alternate sources of power are available, such as ships, submarines and planes.
With prices falling 40 to 50 per cent over the past year, the next big boom in LCD's will be the corporate business environment. Using space- and power-saving displays can save office space and energy costs. In Europe and Japan, where space is always at a minimum, LCD monitors have long been an alternative to CRT displays. For the corporate user, power savings become significant when indirect costs such as lower cooling requirements due to decreased heat emission, and direct cost savings by consuming more than 50 per cent less energy than CRT monitors, are considered.
In 1997, prices fell from about six times that of a similarly sized CRT monitor, to as low as only twice the price. With more aggressive pricing, LCD displays will be seriously considered for more conventional applications in the years to come. However, LCD monitors will not be in direct competition with CRT monitors, as they will remain a popular choice for price-sensitive users. ?
Copyright 2003. This article is from the January 2003 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,100+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.