Definition: flat panel display

A thin display screen for a computer, tablet, smartphone or TV. LCD is the primary screen technology for computer and mobile devices with OLED increasingly employed in smartphones. LCD and OLED compete for TVs. Plasma TVs are no longer made. See LCD, OLED, plasma display and flat panel TV.

The first LCD panels appeared on laptops in the mid-1980s. In that same time frame, LCD computer monitors became available and in 2003 exceeded sales of CRTs for the first time.

Digital Computer to Digital Display
Although flat panel computer monitors accept digital inputs, they may also include an analog VGA input to accommodate old PCs. Going digital all the way creates a sharper image (see flat panel connections).

Know Your Resolution
Flat panel monitors have a precise matrix of rows and columns ("native resolution"). Most monitors have at least 1,080 lines (rows) of resolution to accommodate HD video, but business users and graphics designers often take advantage of 1,440, 1,600, 2,560 and more lines of resolution on premium displays. See 4K monitor and 5K monitor.

The Switchover

This early flat panel LCD monitor took less space, energy, glare and radiation than its CRT counterpart. (Image courtesy of EIZO Nanao Technologies Inc.)

Revolutionary in 1999

The SGI 1600SW was the first wide-screen, high-resolution panel for business users. At 1600x1024 pixels, two documents or Web pages could appear side-by-side on a single screen.

Bigger and Bigger

By 2004, this 42" LCD panel from LG was considered huge. Three years later at CES in Las Vegas, Sharp proudly displayed a 108" TV.

Beware the Glare

Laptops were first noted for their lack of glare compared to desktop CRTs. By 2003, laptop LCDs emerged with an overlay to enhance colors, and it caused reflection as in this photo. Today, glare runs from a lot to a little.