LCD

Liquid Crystal Device computer/video panel and projector displays. Miniature television sets, laptop computers, and notebook computers generally use some type of LCD display due to difficulties in manufacturing portable cathode ray tube monitors. LCD displays may come in black and white, gray scale, and various degrees of color depth. The panels that can be laid on top of overhead projectors for displaying computer images on walls and large screens are called "LCD panels." LCD panels differ as to whether they can display full-motion video as well as computer images. For a review of some of the leading vendors and their panels, see NewMedia, September, p. 89, and NewMedia, February 1994, p. 85. One of the top new generation projectors is the Sharp XG-E850U that is so bright it is "bringing the obsolescence of CRT-based projectors one step closer" according to a quotation from Videography, October 1994, p. 112. (See also Three-beam projector )

Abbreviation of liquid crystal display, a type of display used in digital watches and many portable computers. LCD displays utilize two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align so that light cannot pass through them. Each crystal, therefore, is like a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking the light. Monochrome LCD images usually appear as blue or dark gray images on top of a grayish-white background. Color LCD displays use two basic techniques for producing color: Passive matrix is the less expensive of the two technologies. The other technology, called thin film transistor (TFT) or active-matrix, produces color images that are as sharp as traditional CRT displays, but the technology is expensive. Recent passive-matrix displays using new CSTN and DSTN technologies produce sharp colors rivaling active-matrix displays.Most LCD screens used in notebook computers are backlit to make them easier to read.

Stands for "Liquid-Crystal Display." LCDs are very thin displays which are used for laptop computer screens and flat screen monitors (as well as handheld TVs, PDAs, and portable video game devices). The image on an LCD screen is created by sandwiching an electrically reactive substance between two electrodes. By increasing or reducing current, LCDs can be lightened or darkened. Since LCDs are based on the principle of blocking light (rather than emitting it), they use up much less power than a cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor.