First Flatscreen

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
Which company was the first to make a flatscreen?
- Tom Nijns (age 18)
Karel De Grote hogeschool, Belgium
A:
As odd as it may seem, the first people to develop the flat screen display was the Us Military in the 1960’s. The displays came to consumer electronics some time later with the help of Fujistsu and Mistsubishi.

The reason that the screens can be more flat and especially more thin is because they do not use the standard cathode ray tube like curved televisions and computer monitors do. The cathode ray tube involves an electron beam that sweeps across the screen. In order to hit every spot head on, the screen has to be curved. In order to correct this, manufacturers use Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) and Plasma Display Panels (PDPs). LCDs use a crystal that absorbs more or less light depending on the voltage applied to it. PDPs work like millions of tiny florescent light bulbs. The gas inside heats up and then gives off light.


Adam

(published on 10/22/2007)