Replies

1. 
   CaseyR_ | Feb 26, 2002 05:24am | #1

   *
   A "like" area? Like what?

   Monitors that have been left with a particular image on the screen for long periods of time will burn out the phosphors in that area to some degree. This was the original motivation for screen savers. This used to be a real problem in the old days but has become less so with improved phosphors. Still, if this is what it is, it probably won't get better - although the rest of the screen could fade to match that area...

   If you haven't priced monitors for a while, they have gotten cheaper lately. You can get a decent, but low end, 15" monitor for $150 to $200 bucks and a reasonable 17" or maybe even a budget 19" for less than $400. Of course, you will want to save up a grand or so for a spiffy new 17" LCD monitor. (Remember that a 17" LCD is closer in size to a 19" CRT monitor than to a 17" CRT.)

   On any CRT monitor, the phosophors will dim over time giving less brilliant colors. Even if you can live with the "ghost" in your monitor, you might find the increased brilliance of a new monitor worth it just for the brightening of the faded khaki and dingy gray Breaktime buttons...

1. 
   Steve_Weeks | Feb 26, 2002 06:06am | #2

   *Agree with Casey -- too cheap to worry about, like toasters and microwaves. Toss it and get environmentally correct by getting an LCD display. No flicker or over the shoulder glare, takes less space, and no heavy metals to put into the landfill.

1. 
   jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Feb 26, 2002 06:14am | #3

   *You sure you're not just having flashbacks, Joe?

1. 
   Uh_Huh | Feb 26, 2002 07:18am | #4

   *Look for a degaussing button on the monitor; some have this an a software option that you get to via the menu button. When you degauss the monitor, it will make a brief, loud hum or buzz. My Sony monitor does this automatically when I turn the power on, as does my Sony television. Degaussing solves many, but not all, image problems.

1. 
   Joe_Hennessey | Feb 26, 2002 07:42am | #5

   *No flash backs for a looooooooooong time! Tried the degaussing button, no joy. Can't just pitch it, Ejunk is very unEnviro now. Today's paper had an article about toxic comput waste in China. Typical 3rd world set up with us being blamed. Joe H

2. 
   allaround_ | Feb 26, 2002 07:49am | #6

   *Check your local recycling center - most of them are set up to handle materials containing CRTs. I bought a 17" monitor recently at Office Depot for $149 less a $30 rebate. Has built-in on screen setup and came w/a 3 year replacement guarantee.

3. 
   xJohn_Sprung | Feb 27, 2002 12:44am | #7

   *Joe --Do you have some way of putting up a grid of black lines on a white background, say in a CAD program? If so, are the lines uniformly sharp both inside and outside the dimmed area? I'd look at convergence and focus to see if maybe the shadow mask is eating too many electrons. -- J.S.

4. 
   Joe_Hennessey | Feb 27, 2002 09:09am | #8

   *xJohn, I ran a grid of lines across the screen. I can't see any difference in sharpness. Convergence & focus adjustments? And what is the "shadow mask"?This is a Hitachi 802 21" & I think it self degausses & also has manual button. I think the barely legal teens are getting shadows........Joe H

5. 
   Luka_ | Feb 27, 2002 09:11am | #9

   *Would that be 5 o-clock shadows ?Is there something you're trying to tell us, Joe ?b : )

6. 
   CaseyR_ | Feb 27, 2002 08:08pm | #10

   *Shadow Mask:"A perforated metal sheet inside a color monitor. Most color monitor screens use cathode-ray tube (CRT) technology in which electrons are fired from an electron gun onto a phosphor coating on the screen's faceplate. The phosphor converts the kinetic energy of the electrons into light and is illuminated in tiny red, green and blue dots, which comprise the image that one sees when looking at a monitor's screen. The phosphors in a group are packed so closely together that the human eye can only perceive them as a single colored pixel. Before the electron beam reaches the phosphor dots it passes through the shadow mask, a perforated metal sheet that ensures that the electron beam hits only the correctly colored phosphor dots and does not illuminate more than one dot. Essentially, the shadow mask "masks" the electron beam, thereby forming a smaller and more rounded point that can hit individual phosphor dots. The shadow mask absorbs electrons that are directed at the wrong color phosphor." For the Trinitron system:http://www.zdnet.co.uk/pcdir/content/2000/03/peripherals/eb_flat_pan_crt/shadow.htmlTrinitron tubes do not use a Shadow mask but they do give you two horizontal fine wires about a third down from the top and a third up from the bottom that can sometimes be seen when viewing a white image. Some people find this bothersome, but I generally don't notice it. http://www.howstuffworks.com/question406.htm

7. 
   Mike_S_ | Feb 27, 2002 09:32pm | #11

   *JoeI came across this monitor diagnostic program from SoftDarek over atZDnet it's shareware so it's free. http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,10615,73136,00.html. I haven't tried it though. I think Nokia also use to have a free monitor diag. tool but I couldn't find it.Does adjusting the brightness or contrast have any effect ?Mike S.

8. 
   darrel1 | Feb 27, 2002 09:41pm | #12

   *i Toss it and get environmentally correct by getting an LCD display. No flicker or over the shoulder glare, takes less space, and no heavy metals to put into the landfill.LCDs aren't necessarily more environmentally friendly. They do use less power, but they don't last as long, so you can go through two or 3 LCDs in the same lifetime as a CRT. LCDs are also rather bad for the environment in the production stage. Newer LCD technologies, such as OLCD will help remedy this particular problem.

9. 
   Steve_Weeks | Feb 27, 2002 11:32pm | #13

   *Darrell,Have to comment to yours:1. I'd say that the jury is still out on how long a LCD monitor will last vis-a-vis a CRT, since LCD monitors haven't been mainstream more than four years. The earlier ones certainly had quality control problems (hence their high cost), but that's not as present today.2. I'd be interested in how LCDs are bad for the environment in the production stage, or is this just a sweeping assumption? I'm certain that we could agree that controlling any production problems there may be would certainly be easier than controlling post sales problems, such as monitors dumped in landfills.

10. 
    xJohn_Sprung | Feb 27, 2002 11:43pm | #14

    *Since the lines are sharp all the way, it's not focus or convergence. That pretty much leaves phosphor burn-in as the problem. It's likely to continue to deteriorate slowly rather than fail suddenly, so figure on using it until you can't stand it, and then get a new one. It's like deciding when your socks have worn thin enough to be tossed and replaced. ;-)-- J.S.

11. 
    darrel1 | Feb 28, 2002 01:00am | #15

    *i 1. I'd say that the jury is still out on how long a LCD monitor will last vis-a-vis a CRTIt's not the LCD that wears out, it's the backlighting that does. These are rated tso you can usually determine the lifespan of the LCD monitor. The problem is that a lot of LCD monitors and not servicable, and you can't replace the backlighting. So, you end up throwing it away and purchasing a new one. That's where LCDs get a little 'iffy' in terms of environmental wastes.As for the production hazards, this is from memory, so someone with more concrete data, please jump in, but I believe the issue was taht a lot of Ozone creating products were used to develop the LCD panel itself.I'm not saying that one monitor is better than the other from an environmental standpoint, I'm just saying that one shouldn't automatically assume that LCDs are more environmentally friendly without digging a bit deeper.

2. 
   Joe_Hennessey | Feb 28, 2002 01:00am | #16

   *
   My monitor has a "like" shadowy area in the center of the screen. A vague cloud like effect just slightly darker area that can be seen only when the background is white, like a document.
   Not a clear cut shadow, more like a cloud in the fog effect. The actual shape kinda reminds me of the shadow of a chain link fence shape...kind of an elongated center area with a pair of rays coming off each end going diagonally towards the corners of the screen.
   Again, it is so faint it's hard to make out, but it is there. Is this impending doom, start saving my pennies for a new one? Or a don't worry about it? Smack it with hammer? Joe H