Flat Panel vs Flat Screen?

[Jenny]

I am looking at getting a (I believe...) flat panel monitor.

What is the difference?

Also, I need to find a good deal. I found a 15" & a 17" at Dell SB but even with the 20% off right now, my hubby is hesitant about the prices.

Can anyone help?

Thanks, Jenny

[gear02]

Flat panels are the same as LCD monitors.

Flat screens are just conventional CRT monitors, but have a flat screen, meaning that it isn't curved like most tvs and monitors.

LCD monitors are great because they have a small footprint (doesn't take up half of your desk) and are usually pretty sharp with text and stuff, assuming you get a good LCD monitor. The bad thing is that unless you get a LCD screen with a high refresh rate, you might see "ghosting", meaning that you can see a trail behind the mouse when you move it around. These types of LCDs aren't good for gaming.

Flat screen CRTs usually have a sharp image and outstanding color. There's no distortion in the picture that you might have with a normal CRT.

I have a 19 inch Sony Trinitron Flat Screen and it's just beautiful. However, it's about 80 pounds (lugging it across campus was NOT fun) and pretty big.

[Jenny]

Yeah, I'm looking for one that is SMALL. (don't want a huge monitor sitting here on my desk like I am using now.) Plus, something about the colors on this one are off.

I do NO gaming like that whatsoever, so... hehe

Thanks gear!

[Shaq34_KB8]

Advantages of LCD (flat panel):
No glare.
Easy on the eyes.
No flicker. LCD's don't need to constantly refresh the screen.
Small footprint.
A 15" LCD will give you 15" viewable.
Consumes about 1/3 the power of a CRT.
No emissions.

Disadvantages:
Response times aren't ideal for hard core gamers. For most normal PC users, the current response times are fine. Look for 30ms or less.
The color gamut on a CRT is greater for truer colors.
CRT's have a better grey scale than LCDs.
Cheap LCD's have cheap scalars. If the scalar sucks, the screen may be blurry at non-native resolutions.

Overall, the prices of LCD's have dropped enough to make the switch. A 17" CRT will give you only 16" viewable, but a 15" LCD will give you the full 15". I'd recommend an LCD but get a 17". Wait for the prices to drop a little more if the 17" LCD is too expensive for you right now. You're probably used to looking at a 17" CRT (16" viewable) and won't like dropping down to the 15" LCD.

[Jenny]

Thanks :)

Actually, up until about a week ago, I was using a laptop with a 15" screen. ;) So a 15" wouldn't kill me. I love using this 17" big ass monitor I have right now, but in reality, everything but the 17" screen is way too big. It doesn't fit right on my desk, it's too bulky, etc. So... :)

[Molinak Sun]

costco has a 15" Sylvania 1024x768 Resolution LCD Monitor for $279.99

heres the link: http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product%2Easp&catid=84&subid=1680&hierid=1683&prdid=10031126&log= I'm not sure if it is a good deal or not, but i wanted to share it with you. :)

[Jenny]

Thanks :)

I decided to wait cause what I really would like is at least a 17" and can't afford that yet, so... :)