LCD display modes in modern laptops?!

[leon]

Hi all, firstly am not sure if this is the right newsgroup, if not -
please point to the one that is...

I would like to establish the exact way most laptop LCD displays work in
(if any specific info re. iBook is present - it will be most welcome).

I am aware of the general theory of LCD functionality (e.g. use of
polarised filters and applying voltage to crystal molecules to untwist
them)... but... there are essentially two mode for LCD displays to work
in (http://www.altadox.com/lcd/knowledge/lcd_display_modes.htm):

positive mode - this is where BLACK is achieved by fully turning the
pixels ON (i.e. applying the voltage to them) which is kind of opposite
to the way CRT monitors work

negative mode - the opposite of positive (i.e. WHITE is the result of
fully tuning the pixel ON in terms of applying a voltage to it)...

i would like to know which mode is used by most laptops (esp macs).

This is important for a number of reasons, one of which is the default
"blackness" in some of the screensavers and autopower display managers.

Whilst displaying full black on CRT monitors actually provides power
saving and "time off" for relevant pixels, in some LCD displays this may
be actually driving corresponding pixels (i.e. the ones that display
black) fully.

Kind regards,
Leon.

 

[leon]

ok, i got the point, thanks...

but i still would like to know the display mode (ie positive or
negative) used by LCD laptops - even if only for the purposes of not
"wearing out" pixels (ie not applying voltage on them) in the
"background" areas of display (e.g. terminal window). I also understand
that prolonged display of static images (e.g. task bar in window$ os)
has a non-permanent "burn in" on LCD displays and this is a result of
pixels being in "on" state for continuous amount of time. I realise that
the net effect of either display mode on lifetime of a pixel is rather
minimal, but still, would be nice to know...

CWatters wrote:

"leon" <svz@iprimus.com.au> wrote in message
news:421c43b4$1@duster.adelaide.on.net...


Whilst displaying full black on CRT monitors actually provides power
saving and "time off" for relevant pixels, in some LCD displays this may
be actually driving corresponding pixels (i.e. the ones that display
black) fully.


That doesn't matter because the LCD backlight is what burns most of the
power. True power saving modes turn off the backlight.

If the backlight is on it doesn't matter much if the display is all black or
all white - except that the panel may get warmer when displaying an all
black image.