Want to buy a flat panel display? The first thing you should do is to consult both the vendor and the manual in order to check that the following requirements are met. You should only consider a purchase if the following requirements are fulfilled:

Table 2: The most important purchase considerations

Where's The Future Taking Us? New Technologies

Two important developments are currently in progress. The first is that the panel manufacturers are working to improve the viewing angle. Parallel to improving standard TFTs (twisted nematic) by implementing a film, some manufacturers are investigating different terrain. What advantages new technologies such as IPS (in-plane switching) and MVA (multi-domain vertical alignment) will really bring us, is discussed in the article on viewing angle technology. The second trend is definitely towards digital control. The second technical article covers digital interfaces in detail.

Summary

Flat panel displays offer excellent focus and sufficient color quality for standard office applications such as word processing and spreadsheet calculations. TFTs also have a lot to offer in terms of ergonomics: less desktop space required, a third of the power consumption of standard tube monitors and of course, lower emission values. TFTs are not suitable for graphics designers who require photorealistic displays. The response time for current models is certainly not ideal for users who mainly play on their PC, whereby video playback, DVD's and presentations are handled well enough by today's TFT devices.

Flat panel displays will only find their way into the home when prices fall and of course, when their availability is improved.