Liquid crystal displays, or LCD’s, is a technology far beyond that of a CRT or cathode ray tube display, which was the normal computer monitor of the 1990’s. The LCD rapidly became better known and implemented in normal procedures and led to the rise of industrial LCD monitors. These monitors have usually been specially crafted to withstand incredible problems they may face. It is an interesting thing to note that LCD monitors use up to two thirds less energy to run and if treated properly will outlast any CRT you have to compete with. They are also proven to cause less eye trouble and take up space up to 90% less than a CRT.
Then there are the high end TFT LCD monitors. The TFT, thin film transistor, LCD’s are just a higher quality image LCD screen. They are commonly found in TV’s, flat computer monitors, and projectors.
The first LCD screens were originally installed in laptops before the technology was increased to allow use with every day computers. An industrial LCD monitor greatly differs from that of your friend’s 26 inch HP LCD monitor, in fact, it is superior in every way except maybe image quality, and even then, it proves to be a challenge to beat. The industrial LCD monitor world is tough as the monitors must endure heat enough to melt the plastic of normal monitors, they need to be able to go underwater (try that with your LCD tv), they must be able to be dropped, stepped on, tossed, and even sometimes shot, as the military now uses industrial LCD monitors for their work.
A feature that frequents the world of industrial LCD monitors is a touch sensitive screen. These are more common in the military setting and the aquatics setting than any other industry. The loss of needing a keyboard and mouse is huge for some industries, which is why aquatic companies sometimes use these. Another feature some of these LCD monitors have is being sunlight readable monitors. In other words, there is no reflection. This can be huge for construction companies that need to be able to evaluate what is on the screen without having to worry about the sun blurring their vision. To do this, sometimes the companies have increased the backlight. Other companies have taken this several steps further by adding a highly reflective backlight which increases the reflection of ambient light. It also eliminates the need for extra cooling units and just as a side positive to this feature, it requires no additional energy.