General Monitor Terms and Knowledge
Before you try and pick out a flat screen monitor that fits your needs, there are some terms and general knowledge that you should know. Depending on your level of tech savvy, you may already be somewhat familiar with this, or it could be completely new to you. But that’s the purpose of this quick list. New or not, you should be able to get a good handle on the knowledge you need to pick out the correct monitor for you.
Pixel: A digital unit used to measure screen space. For example, one of the most common widescreen resolutions is 1680×1050 pixels. For reference, a period in Times New Roman size twelve font is the size of one pixel.
Dead Pixel: A pixel that is either permanently black, or permanently displaying part of an image that is no longer on the screen. When you buy a new monitor, be sure to check for these immediately.
ms: This is the response time for how long the pixels in a monitor take to change from black to white and then back to black once again. You should aim to find a monitor with a low response time, as high response times can cause lag when watching videos or playing games. 4ms-5ms is the most common, but if you need higher performance out of your monitor, you may want to pay more and go with 2ms-3ms.
Native Resolution: The default resolution of the monitor. While other resolutions can be run, the picture quality and crispness will be at its best when using the monitor’s native resolution.
VGA: Analog display, the original standard used for monitors. If you have a CRT monitor, then this is the connection method it uses.
DVI: Digital Visual Interface, a high quality interface used on flat screen monitors.
HDMI: High Definition Multimedia Interface is a compact method of transferring high definition audio/video digital data. HDMI offers a higher quality picture than VGA and DVI. Also, if you intend on using your monitor with a Blu-ray player, you’ll need a monitor with an HDMI port. You’ll also benefit greatly from it if you intend on using your monitor with either Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.
This should wrap up this section in covering the basic terms and abbreviations you need to be aware of when purchasing a flat screen monitor. For more information, you can always check out our other posts.