Somehow imperceptibly the time came when monitors based on cathode ray tubes (CRTs) completely disappeared from the shelves of computer equipment stores, giving way to their liquid crystal counterparts. People unfamiliar with this technology are often confused in terms, since there are several names of the same subject at once. In order to avoid misunderstanding, let's immediately clarify this issue: LCD, LCD - all this is the same liquid crystal technology, and not different. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. Indirectly, the term “TFT” can be attributed here, which means the use of thin-film transistors to control the matrix. Since they are not used in CRTs, it is obvious that the mention of TFT also indicates LCD.
Having replaced the old CRT monitors with modern LCDs, many owners are faced with an amazing phenomenon - for the first time after the transition, their eyes begin to hurt, and some even have a red face. Hence the following question - “how is the monitor set up for the eyes.” There are many recommendations on the Web, but most of them are incomplete, because the very cause of what is happening is deftly overlooked. Indeed, if monitor contrast and brightness in LCD and CRT technologies are similar concepts, then where does eye discomfort when working with LCD? After all, this should not be. The true cause of eye fatigue is that LCD monitors flicker. The principle of operation of a fluorescent backlight is based on gas discharges in the tube, and even modern LED-backlights also have a flicker (read about PWM LED control). In addition, the color of the glow of both the lamp and the diodes is unnatural, it has a flawed spectrum. “By eye” it is invisible, but the visual receptors cannot be fooled.
In general, monitor contrast is a numerical value representing the ratio of the differences in brightness of the lightest white point to the darkest black. In the passport data of monitors is indicated in the form "xxx: y". In fact, this is a different way of recording. For example, the contrast of a monitor with a maximum brightness of 300 cd / m2 and a minimum of 0.5 cd / m2 will be (300-0.5) /0.5 = 599: 1. It is generally accepted that the higher the contrast value, the sharper the picture. This is partly true, but only to a certain limit, since an infinite increase leads to image distortions (light details on a white background cease to be distinguishable). If the contrast of the monitor is not adjusted properly, then this is one of the reasons for the sensation of sand in the eyes when changing a CRT to an LCD.
Note that all the methods offered on the Web for setting parameters are subjective. Each user must make an adjustment based on personal preferences only. In the Windows 7 operating system, there is a built-in monitor brightness setting that allows you to optimally set the brightness values, as well as contrast and gamma.
On the desktop, click the right mouse button, go to "Screen Resolution", then "Make text and other elements more or less" and "Calibrate colors." By clicking "Next", we follow the advice of the wizard (here there is detailed help). At the end, you will be asked to configure the display of fonts using Clear Type technology: in the samples we indicate the most clear and "bold" line of letters.
Additionally, you can configure the monitor itself. To do this, set the contrast to 20-40%, and the brightness we achieve a high-quality image. In some cases, the brightness can be zero, which is quite acceptable. The color temperature (deviation in the yellow or blue spectrum) must be set based on personal preferences. A yellow shade corresponding to the color temperature of sunlight (6300 K) is considered more natural. Various mechanisms for improving the image and dynamic contrast do not allow you to properly configure the monitor, so you need to compare the improved and natural modes of operation and choose the best one for yourself.