Flat panel monitors

Flat panel monitors category contains LCD computer monitors, whether they use active or passive matrix LCD technology.

The category, however, doesn't include displays that are primarily meant to be TV displays (for TV displays, see our Flat panel TVs category).

• Panel type (Panel type)
  There are many different panel technologies used in the production of LCD monitors. When buying a monitor, one should find out the panel type used, as it has a large effect on the specifications, performance, and on the price of the monitor as well. Different panel types are suitable for different kind of uses. The three most common main types of panels are (roughly in order from best to worst) S-IPS, S-PVA/MVA, and TN.
• Size (Size in inches)
  The diagonal of the display in inches.
• Resolution (Native resolution)
  Resolution is the number of horizontal pixels times the number of vertical pixels of the display area. Unlike older CRT monitors, flat screen monitors display information well only at the resolution they are designed for (a.k.a. the native resolution). This is due to the structure of the display, which has a fixed set of both vertical and horizontal dots (corresponding the resolution). If the resolution is changed, the display needs to scale the image to fit the screen.
• Aspect (Aspect ratio)
  Aspect ratio is the width to height ratio of the projected image. Most often the aspect ratio is either 16:9 (widescreen) or 4:3. See more here
• DVI-D inputs (Number of DVI-D inputs)
  DVI-D input is the digital subversion of the DVI connector/cable and comes in two versions: a so called single link cable that supports a 1920x1080 image, and a dual link cable/connection that supports up to a 2048x1536 image. If the monitor has a digital-only DVI, make sure your video adapter supports DVI-D or DVI-I.
• DVI-I inputs (Number of DVI-I inputs)
  The DVI-I input is a digital DVI input that supports both the analog (DVI-A) and digital (DVI-D) subversion of the standard.
• HDCP (HDCP support)
  HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) is a DRM system designed to stop the unencrypted transmission of high definition video content from a source like a Blu-ray player and a display monitor. HDCP is used with DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI interfaces. All HDMI devices are bound to implement the DRM system. The lack of HDCP support may result in downgrade of video quality or even no playback at all.
• Pivot (Does the device have pivot functionality (screen can be rotated 90 degrees))
  Pivot functionality allows user to turn the screen 90 degrees without adjusting the monitor's stand. Pivot feature is extremely useful for people who use their monitors to read long documents, scanned documents, etc that are typically in U.S. Letter or A4 form.