is there a difference between LCD and TFT Monitors?

Virdi · 19 Mar 2007 at 18:56

Hi all,

Sorry - This is probably a silly question.... but is there a difference between LCD and TFT Monitors?

...and if so.. - What is it? and what is better?

Thanks

drak3 · 19 Mar 2007 at 20:02

Both are LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

The TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) is just an improved LCD so to speak which is used for PC monitors. A plain LCD is the one in a calculator

edit: A good read on wikiped here

Baddass · 19 Mar 2007 at 20:23

pretty much interchangeable terms for the same technology screens as said above

bluetech · 14 Apr 2007 at 00:23

So does this mean that a flat screen TV is a TFT?

jackassuk56 · 14 Apr 2007 at 09:26

some are but some arent, some tv's use LCD to display the image, whereas some use plasma

bluetech · 15 Apr 2007 at 15:26

jackassuk56 said:
some are but some arent, some tv's use LCD to display the image, whereas some use plasma

I think I see now. So TFT is should really be called LCDTFT making the TV screens on the market LCDTFT or PLASMA.

Would I be correct in thinking this?

Mud · 15 Apr 2007 at 16:26

bluetech said:
So does this mean that a flat screen TV is a TFT?

No, a flat screen literally means a flat screen, there are flat screen CRTs, but they certainly aren't thin (in comparison to LCD and plasma).

LCDTFT? I suppose you could (although TFTLCD sounds better), but it's more exacting than it needs to be. For most users this is more information than they want to know.

fish99 · 15 Apr 2007 at 18:07

Pretty sure plasma is not a type of TFT, since TFT is a type of LCD. TFT and LCD are more or less interchangeable terms these days in the monitors sector.

It's slightly confusing because once upon a time TFT meant Totally Flat Tube and was used for CRTs, but nowadays it's Thin Film Transistor and is an LCD variant.

Mud · 15 Apr 2007 at 18:39

fish99 said:
Pretty sure plasma is not a type of TFT, since TFT is a type of LCD.

Plasma is fundamentally different to TFT (they're 2 states of matter apart!).

FrankJH · 17 Apr 2007 at 08:40

sorry to dig this up - but I saw somewhere a TFT Plasma being marketed - I know i didnt read it wrong but it was a paper advert so cant link to it

I personally laughed it off as being impossible and potentially confusing not to mention "illegal" advertising..... or am I wrong?