Most laptops these days use TFT-LCD screens, or Thin Film Transistor – Liquid Crystal Display screens. Often called simply TFT for short (because all laptops use LCD in the first place). TFT technology allows laptop manufacturers to improve image quality without having to create a thicker screen. Image quality is mostly improved in terms of contrast and addressability. TFT LCD is a form of active matrix LCD, although, all LCD screens are actually based on TFT. We see these types of screens all over just about everything these days: flat screen computer monitors, cell phones, PDAs, newer television sets, GPS navigation units, projectors, and so on.
In layman’s terms, TFT-LCD lets us make really flat screens which still provide nice, quality images!
You may have heard that the liquid crystals found inside of LCD screens are poisonous. This has been spread around so much that it might make you think of the kid in grade school who told you that the inside of a golf ball is radioactive. And so, you might be led to believe that it’s just another urban legend. Surprisingly, it actually is not. It’s completely true that the contents of an LCD screen are actually poisonous if ingested, and dangerous upon skin contact.
If you somehow manage to get the contents of a broken LCD screen on your skin, wash it off with soap and water, right away, and throw it away safely in a thick garbage bag or with multiple bags. Avoid broken LCD screens! If your LCD screen stops working, do not try to repair it on your own unless you know exactly what you’re doing. If you’re just poking and prodding without any real knowledge of the problem, there’s a chance of cracking or breaking the screen and getting some of the liquid crystals on your skin.
It’s interesting to note that there aren’t a whole lot of TFT screen manufacturers around. This is because it costs quite a bit to build and maintain a TFT factory. There are even fewer companies who make large display panels.
We don’t really need to talk you into looking for a laptop equipped with a TFT-LCD screen. Again, this is pretty much the only kind of screen available! However, we can recommend one important thing to keep in mind when you’re shopping for laptops…
Don’t go on specs alone
If you’re buying a laptop, you should be able to get a demo of it first. High resolution and 24 million colours is nice and all, but you want to pop the laptop open and give it a look, first. You should be able to know at first glance if this laptop is going to suit your needs. Plus, you want to be able to spot dead pixels. If you see a bunch of tiny black specks all over the screen, those are dead pixels. One or two probably won’t even be noticed, but if there are enough to spot after looking at the screen for a second or two, you might want to look at another laptop.
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