|
Get The Most From Your TFT LCD Monitor |
Part of my job is visiting people in their home or business to fix their computer, and one thing that surprises me is how many people have a nice flat panel TFT LCD monitor that is not set up correctly.
As a result the picture can be blurred, difficult to see and far from the optimal picture quality available to them.
I will now explain a couple of things that you can do to get the best possible picture quality from your TFT LCD monitor.
Adjust your TFT LCD Monitor to it's Optimal Resolution: Every TFT LCD monitor has what is called it's 'native resolution' i.e the optimal resolution that particular monitor is designed for.
To find out what your monitor's native resolution is, take a look in the handbook. If you don't have a handbook you need to find out your monitor's model number (which is normally located on a label around the back somewhere), go to the manufacturer's website, where you should be able to find out the specifications for your particular model.
Now to check and adjust the resolution:
1. In Windows you need to go to Display properties. You can find this by right clicking on your empty desktop and selecting properties from the menu, or alternatively click Start -> Control Panel -> (Appearance and Themes) Display.
2. Select the Settings tab and you should now see the slider that is used for adjusting your monitors resolution.
3. Move the slider to the native resolution for your monitor and click on apply.
The resolution will now change to what you have selected and give you the choice to accept or reject the new settings. Don't worry if you have selected the wrong resolution and your screen goes blank as it will automatically revert to your previous resolution in 15 seconds.
Assuming you have selected the 'native resolution' you should now see a much sharper, clearer picture.
Enable ClearType in Windows XP The definition of ClearType Technology from Microsoft:- 'ClearType is a software technology developed by Microsoft that improves the readability of text on existing LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays), such as laptop screens, Pocket PC screens and flat panel monitors. With ClearType font technology, the words on your computer screen look almost as sharp and clear as those printed on a piece of paper'.
And it is true, although not to everyone's taste, ClearType does greatly improve the appearance and readability of text on a tft lcd monitor.
To enable ClearType on Windows XP:
1. You need to go to Display properties by right clicking on your empty desktop and selecting properties from the menu, or alternatively go to Start -> Control Panel -> (Appearance and Themes) Display.
2. On the Appearance tab, click Effects.
3. Click to select the Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts check box, and then click ClearType in the list.
Customizing ClearTypeTo get the most out of using ClearType technology you really need to customise it to your individual taste. Although Windows XP doesn't come with any utilities to let you do this, Microsoft has provided a ClearType Tuner Powertoy that you can download and install into the Windows XP Control Panel.
More information and the download can be found here - ClearType Powertoy.
Using the ClearType powertoy you can turn ClearType on and then use a wizard to help you find the optimal settings for you.
Alternatively Microsoft also provied a web interface to this wizard which can be found here - ClearType Tuner web Interface. |
|
|
