For anyone who has plopped themselves down in front of the latest liquid crystal display TV, the quality of the picture being displayed can truly be astounding. It’s certainly the case that modern display technology has come a long way lately, especially when it comes to extremely tiny LCD screens that can be found, for example, in certain expensive automobiles or even in modern aircraft. CRT tubes and big, fat televisions have definitely left the scene, it seems.
As an example, look around and take note of the flat-panel LCD TV that’s probably occupying a place of pride in the home. This TV has been improved over the last few years through use of LED backlight technology that makes use of light emitting diodes to improve the brightness and clarity of the TVs display screen. The LEDs have replaced more traditional fluorescent tubes that are still used to light many of these TVs, though it may not be for long.
These light emitting diodes run along the edges of a typical LCD TVs display screen, hidden behind what’s called a ‘bezel, ‘ helping to brighten and sharpen the display in very useful ways. This is a classic example of how innovation and technology is used to improve a common consumer good like a modern LCD TV to the point where it is stunningly slim in its appearance.
Not that this is the only innovation that display screen technology has benefited from. There are now very tiny custom LCD screens that can be used for all manner of applications, including measurement and information dissemination. These little screens cost well under $100 and are capable of adding a seriously good looking and high-tech appearance to almost anything that once used old style analog gauges.
Whether these display screens are used in televisions or as part of another application, just about all of them use much less energy than typical display screen lighting technology is capable of producing. This is especially the case with LCD TVs and other display modules that take advantage of light emitting diodes. All use a great deal less energy, and are seen in everything from aircraft cockpits to medical equipment.
A sibling to the custom liquid crystal display is the graphic LCD module. Many of these small display units can interface easily with all manner of computer equipment through very handy USB or even serial port connections. All are capable of being programmed to display an extremely diverse amount of information and data and usually cost somewhere around $100 or thereabouts.
Improvement is basically a desire of most humans and that desire seems to transfer over to the ways in which people have been taking relatively common liquid crystal display screens and turning them into some seriously good looking and high-tech gear. Certainly, the last several decades have shown that old-style TVs have nothing in common with new style LCD TVs. The work that’s gone into improving just that consumer good is particularly impressive, it must be said.