Difference Between LCD and Flat Panel

LCD vs Flat Panel
Flat Panel Displays are a more recent class of displays that does away with the curvature and the bulk that is present in conventional CRT screens. Flat panel screens are a few folds thinner and lighter compared to CRTs and often consumes less energy. Liquid Crystal Display is a type of flat panel display among the multitude of other technologies that have sprung up. It utilizes transistors made from a semiconductor like silicon to provide the image.

Although LCD screens are very popular, it is not the only flat panel display option out there. Other technologies like plasma, LED, and OLED displays exist. Plasma screens are used in displays that are too big for LCDs to be economical while OLED is a new technology that offers a lot of significant advantages over LCD, but suffers from a few flaws that makes manufacturers hesitant to totally move to OLED.

For big displays like TVs, LCD screens are the usual choice for most people. It provides the best cost and advantages like low power consumption and very high native resolution that makes it very suitable for HDTV applications. The only hindrance to LCD is the fact that building very big LCD screens that are over 50 inches is very expensive making plasma a better option at these levels, though the technology is already improving and LCD screens are getting bigger and bigger.

In hand-held devices like mobile phones and netbooks where a flat panel display is the only viable option, LCDs are used in almost all devices. The only contender of LCD displays in this area is the OLED which has begun to appear in a few mobile phones. OLEDs can display images with better contrast and consumes less power compared to LCDs which is why manufacturers are very curious about it. The only drawback of OLED is the relatively short lifespan compared to LCDs.

Summary:
1. LCD is a type of flat panel display
2. Other types of flat panel display include plasma, OLED, and LED
3. LCD is the most economical option among flat panel displays for sizes under 50 inches
4. Other flat panel displays like plasma are cheaper at bigger screen sizes
5. LCD is the most widely used flat panel display in small devices like mobile phones and other hand-held devices
6. Manufacturers are looking into the use of OLED as a possible flat panel replacement for LCD

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