LCDs: A love-hate relationship

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By Asher Saeed LD Writer

Over the past 7 years, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) evolved into a mainstream consumer item and have found their way into every walk of our lives. In fact, almost every digital device we interact with is via the means of an LCD. We use LCDs in desktop PCs, cellular phones, MP3 players, PDAs, notebooks, portable gaming consoles, microwave ovens, watches and other countless consumer items. They are, frankly, indispensable. There is one particular breed of LCD which is steadily driving me insane. I am referring namely to notebook LCDs.

Before I go on, let's understand how LCDs work. The most common kind of LCDs in use today are "Active Matrix" LCDs, based on Thin Film Transistor (TFT). This translates (from ubergeek to run-of-the-mill technie) to mean that for each pixel on screen there is one corresponding transistor.

TFT LCDs offer stunning and vivid colors, especially when compared to the older "Passive Matrix" LCDs where each row had one transistor, hence a relatively slower refresh rate. Passive Matrix LCDs are now obsolete, considering how TFTs have dropped in production costs. However this does not seem to prevent any companies from producing products with these inferior displays, which is still common. To the average consumer, a Passive Matrix display is the kind that is very hard to see from any angle other than straight-on.

As I begin my rant, I'll start by considering the cause as to why the production costs of TFTs, and LCDs in general, have dropped. First, since consumer demand has gone up for 'highly stunning LCD displays,' manufacturers need to find ways to cope with the demand while keeping production costs at a minimum. However this is where a clash of interest occurs. LCD manufacturing is not an easy process and if attention to detail is given, quite a few LCDs in each batch should be considered faulty.

Now what defines faulty in a TFT? Simply put: a single dot on screen known as a 'dead' or 'hot' pixel. In the LCD assembly process, the automated assembly lines pack together millions of transistors in a 'thin film', a very delicate process indeed. The fact that certain pixels get 'dislodged' or stuck can not be helped due to the microscopic nature of transistors. Once a pixel is either dislodged or stuck, you can consider it a gone case, there is no way to fix it.

Unfortunately, most manufacturers do not discard such LCDs. In fact, some think it is perfectly acceptable for an LCD to have up to seven, (yes seven) dead pixels on a display! This means up to seven visible, dead, pixels, on your screen, all the time. Now I don't know how many of you think this is outrageous but I certainly cannot work on a TFT where I have to live with even a single black, white, red, green or yellow dot. It gets even worse: some LCDs get assembled perfectly. But they still might develop dead pixels over time!

I use a lot of laptops at work, and have recently had some quite bad experiences. Let's start from the top:

The Bad: Sony VAIO notebooks

TR1: This was my first 'ultra portable' notebook, after around five months of use; it developed three dead pixels on the 10.6 inch screen (WSXGA resolution - normally looks beautiful). At the beginning of usage it had a perfect screen but only five short months later, three pixels one by one died. Time to sell this one off I guess!

TR3: My second ultra portable, it developed three dead pixels after only three months of use (same 10.6 inch screen WSXGA resolution). Is it me or is that ridiculous? By the way, to make sure this point is clear: you as a user cannot cause a bad pixel - it just happens.

A130: A rather large notebook with a 15 inch display I picked up for an interim period. Within the second day of use it developed one dead pixel, although it was hardly noticeable considering the massive size of the screen. I let this one pass considering the 'faint' nature of the pixel. However just knowing that the 'dead pixel is out there', kept me up at night.

T150/L: My current ultra portable notebook, and the successor to Sony's immensely successful TR series of notebooks. It has the same 10.6 inch display with WSXGA resolution. A could-be-great notebook marred only by Sony's stupidity in LCD production.

When I got this notebook I was really happy at having finally found the perfect laptop with a small display, the ultimate form factor, spectacular connectivity and a simply stunning design. The notebook worked great for the first two days and then the 'curse of the dead pixels' decided to give me a visit. On the third day of use, the notebook developed a faint dead pixel similar to that on the A130 I had a few days prior. Since it was so faint and only visible on white backgrounds, I let it pass. However this is not where our story ends.

On the fourth day of usage, the notebook formed a black hole. An obnoxiously thick, dark, dead pixel. This frightened the life out of me. I put away the notebook in sorrow. Later that day I timidly turned the notebook on for some work. Lo and behold after only thirty minutes of use, another dead pixel appeared out of nowhere. Frantic, I grabbed my VAIO-branded cleaning cloth to make sure it wasn't just dust. It wasn't. It was indeed a dead pixel. Now even more miserable, I resumed my work, thinking in the back of my head, "I'll call the store in the morning". Within ten minutes there appeared three more dead pixels, dark and evil! At that point, I just closed the notebook, and cursed Sony.

Needless to say I sent the notebook back and it's currently out on warranty at Sony's service centre. Five dead pixels are not acceptable in a $2200 notebook, period! And thanks to Sony I am currently notebook-less.

The Ugly: IBM ThinkPad

One of the companies I was considering when I was exchanging my VAIO TR3 notebook was IBM. I used IBM in the past and found it to be a snappy business machine, albeit as ugly as a Hummer. Yes, Hummers are ugly. Like Paris Hilton-ugly. Yes, she's ugly. Trust us.

My requirement for the perfect notebook was a small ultra portable with good connectivity and great battery life. I picked up an ThinkPad X40. After bringing it home, and turning it on, I discovered it game with a free prize. A 'hot pixel'. It was a bright blue dot the size of a small mosquito, shining brightly like an infant who just learned how to potty. That notebook went back the next day.

The shopkeeper willingly gave me another unit, and this one appeared to be fine. Once Windows booted, I discovered a smaller hot pixel, again blue. My head nearly exploded, and then I returned the notebook within the very same hour. This includes driving time.

That was when I gave up on IBM and decided to stick with Sony. But as you read about the T150/L above, Sony disappointed me again. The part that amazes me is why the V505 and the Z1 series of Sony notebooks (low-end models) possess perfect displays, but more expensive notebooks like T150/L do not.


The Good: Toshiba, Philips, and Samsung

The best displays made today, in my opinion, are those from Toshiba, Philips and Samsung, their LCD displays are truly stunning. Philips displays and Toshiba displays are very solid, both manufacturers are looking very promising. The Samsung notebooks I've used, and notebooks which use Samsung displays (HP, Dell etc), I rarely find hot or dead pixels, in fact I am yet to still to see one! Samsung is looking even more promising with the "zero dead pixel" guarantee they recently introduced.

I really think Sony should outsource more of their LCD development to Samsung; they've really had it if this kind of poor craftsmanship continues. I am flabbergasted to admit that over the last three years the Korean giant has outrun my favorite Japanese manufacturer, Sony.

I was always a big Sony supporter, whether it was television sets, LCDs, sound systems, cell phones, notebooks or gaming systems. Walk into my house or office and you might think it's a Sony display center.

With Sony's recent display of poor manufacturing quality on higher end products, I have lost my faith in their notebooks. At least until they prove they can make a display which functions without blowing pixels within a few months, or four days. I will do a complete review of the T150/L once Sony returns it to me, hopefully with a new panel!

Conclusion

LCD manufacturing is still far from being a perfect process. I think it'll be a few more years until the technology is perfected. We are seeing many amazing applications of LCD technology, with beautiful displays being used on many types of devices. The issue at hand is how manufacturers respond to this incredible surge in demand.

Companies like Sony are not winning any customers where pixels on expensive notebooks go dead within five days. LCD manufacturers need to realize that consumers are picky and expect solid quality when they shell out $2000 (or more) for a notebook. On low end notebooks it is somewhat understandable, but only to a limited extent.

My message to all the LCD manufacturers out there is simple (and especially to Sony!):

"Please use Samsung as a measuring stick for perfection, their LCD technology in the next year or so will by far exceed anything imaginable."