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8 secrets to choosing your next PC monitor
The right LCD setup can add 20% to your productivity |
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| Take a look around your office. Do you see any CRT-based displays? Or perhaps spy a few 14-inch or 15-inch LCD panels? |
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| If so, it’s time for an upgrade. Flat panel LCD monitors are not only more energy efficient, they are also better for your and your staff’s eyes. |
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| The reason is a simple matter of physics and mechanics. CRT displays work on the principle of an electron beam which sweeps across the screen from side-to-side and from top-to-bottom, hitting specific dots of phosphors and making them emit light. This sweeping is accomplished by steering the beam magnetically, with large coils that surround the tube. |
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| Over time, the electronics wear out and become less precise, and the coils that move the beam and the mechanism -- such as a shadow mask, that help sharpen the beam -- may also shift position. The result is that the electron beam hits phosphors that it wasn’t aimed at, producing a blurred image. It may not be immediately noticeable, but that loss of sharpness can (and usually does) produce eyestrain, which in turn, undermines productivity. |
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| LCD displays work differently. The pixels (picture elements) are fixed, and cannot shift over time. Several years from now, the display will be as sharp as the moment that you unpacked it. |
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| In shopping for a new LCD monitor, you need to know what the specs mean, and which are important. Here’s a quick, eight-point cram course: |
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Size: The bigger, the better. You’ll spend a lot of time looking at data on the screen, and the larger the display, the larger font you can use, and the less eyestrain. |
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Pixel Pitch: This is an indication of how close together the individual pixels are. The smaller this number is, the sharper the image. For most office uses, pixel pitch is important, but not critical. |
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Brightness: This is measured in nits, and most modern LCDs usually vary between 250 and 300. If the spec shows less than 250 nits, look for another model or brand. |
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Contrast ratio: Higher is better. 500:1 is about the minimum you want to accept. |
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Viewing angle (horizontal and vertical): A wider (larger number) viewing angle means that monitor placement can be less critical. Too narrow a viewing angle (less than 130 degrees horizontal and vertical) means that you may have to adjust the monitor and your furniture to get a good display. |
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Native resolution: The number of actual pixels horizontally and vertically. In many cases, this will be 1280 x 1024, and represents the resolution that will give you the best image. |
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Input: This may be analog, digital, or both. You need to match the output of your video card. Analog input/outputs use the older DB-15 (VGA-like) connectors, while digital I/O connectors use a style of connector called DVI. |
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Response rate: This is how fast the screen can respond to a change in image. New monitors generally offer response rates in the area of 5 ms. This feature is critical if you are playing a game, but spreadsheets and general ledgers don’t have a lot of action going on up on the screen. |
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| And for the best productivity, get a multi-monitor setup. Finance and accounting professionals can get up to 20 percent more productivity by using a dual display setup. Many professionals like to pivot their screens into a vertical, portrait position, instead of the traditional horizontal, landscape position, because it helps to read and handle forms and documents. In all the conversations I’ve had with professionals who have adopted the dual-display format, all of have said they’d never want to go back to a single monitor. Read Dual monitors for easier multi-tasking. |
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| Rick Telberg is the most widely-followed commentator in the finance and accounting profession. He has helped launch and develop several industry-leading businesses, including the magazines Accounting Today, Accounting Technology and Practical Accountant magazines, and the websites WebCPA, SmartPros, and CPA2Biz. He serves as Editor At Large for the AICPA Insider family of e-newsletters and blogs at www.cpatrendlines.com. |
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| Any views or comments expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and not necessarily those of any other organization. No person quoted or cited has any known connection to or interest in Hewlett Packard, and their appearance here should not be construed as an endorsement. |
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| Copyright 2008 CPA Trendlines/BSG LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission. |
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