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Types of Laptop Screens

Unlike the desktops, notebook computer users only have to choose among the LCD displays. In LCD Panels there are

three common types: the transmissive, the transflective and the reflective type. Its easy to differentiate between them.

Transmissive: a large part of the laptops a model use this kind of LCD Screens because they offer best-quality result and

is a most economical option for the manufacturers. The active matrix called TFT (thin film transistor) is used and when

the current is passed through its diodes they lit up in different colors and intensity to form an image on our screen.

Reflective: A reflective screen does not have the backlighting like the transmissive screens which makes them ideal for

use in bright sunlight where transmissive screens fail. But the reflective type of screens look very dim the in the indoor

environment. This is its biggest disappointment and the reason why its not opted by many laptop manufacturers

worldwide. However, they have devised it into a new variety of LCD screen called ‘transflective’.

Transflective: as the word sounds too, a transflective screen is made with a fusion of the transmissive and reflective

screen. When outdoors, transmissive screens act much like a reflective screen and display bright pictures with great

clarity. While indoors, they use the backlighting to have the needed brightness for the clear images. But still transmissive

screens are better in terms of economy and quality; hence major manufacturers don’t use this technology for their

products. Transmissive screen costs less and perform better inside your bedroom of office.

The size of the laptop screens

The size (diagonally) usually varies from 10.6 inches to 20 inches; the size of the display screen is a significant factor

influencing the weight of the laptops. Most users prefer a 14.1 inch screen at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. Along

with the size, you might want to choose from several other factors like resolution, aspect ratio, and shininess.

Resolutions

it is a graphical age and everyone wants best graphics in his laptop. There is a new trend developing in the screens to

support really great resolution, but very little segment of people really use these as it gets really small and difficult to

read. The most popular resolution setting among the users is 1024 x 768 and is usually found in any model of laptop.

However, If you are a graphics artists and want a sizable amount of desktop space for you, you can have a large lcd

screen with a huge resolution of 1600 x 1200 dots or pixels per inch. Only the higher end models would support this kind

of resolutions but great if you can take care of its higher expense.

The least resolution a windows xp machine can have is 800 x 600. The highest resolution varies with your graphic card

and LCD panel compatibility. The easiest way to find it would be to check the documentation/manuals of your laptop or

by either getting into the graphic settings and checking the highest resolution. Be sure you have the latest graphics

drivers installed in your system otherwise it can show a false indication.

What is a Widescreen LCD Panel

recently, manufacturers have realized and cashed in with a feature called ‘widescreen’. It actually refers to

the aspect ratio of your laptop screen. Just as it sounds, widescreen means that the screen is wider than the usual

screens. Widescreens have a width to height ratio of 16:10 compared to a normal 4:3 ratio found in normal screens.

Matte or Glossy?

You might also need to choose among the matte or glossy type of screens. As the name suggests the glossy screens

are more shinier than the matte. This is because they have a coating applied to provide rich colors and more contrast.

Glossy screens are much in trend while matte screens are unpopular.

Matte screens too have a coating applied on them to avoid any reflection on the screen. With the power turned off, you

cannot use this kind of screen as a mirror. Matte screens have a non-reflective coating and do not reflect the

surroundings but these are not as ‘vibrant’ as the glossy screens.