Posted by
biancoaod on Friday, September 19, 2008 2:41:45 AM
What exactly is a
LCD
TV?
LCDs are all around us. Liquid
crystal displays so prevalent, in fact, that most people couldn't get through
their day without using one. This technology is utilized in digital clocks,
microwave ovens, car dashboards, calculators, stereos, thermometers, and even
some bathroom scales! The applications for liquid crystal displays are almost
limitless, so it should come as no surprise that this technology has
revolutionized the most basic home appliance of all-the television
set.
Liquid crystal technology has
given birth to those slim, cool-looking, bright displays that are popping up
everywhere from bank lobbies to living rooms. But how does it work?
What makes a crystal
"liquid"?
The twisted nematic (TN) liquid
crystal is the most common type of liquid crystal being used in display
applications today (e.g., LCD televisions, LCD monitors, and LCD projectors).
It has a naturally twisted crystalline structure. A particular feature of this
crystal is that it reacts to electric currents in predictable ways-i.e., by
untwisting to varying degrees depending on the voltage of the current to which
it is exposed. Hence the "liquid" part of the crystal's
moniker: Rather than being an oxymoron (How can a solid also be a liquid?), the
term refers to the relative pliability of the crystals themselves, which is to
say, their twistability.