Each pixel of LCD monitor display has a layer of aligned molecules between two electrodes which are transparent and two polarizing filters. Because there is no liquid crystal between the aligned polarizing filters, light which has passed through the first filter will be blocked by the second polarizer. The surface which is in contact with the crystal is treated to align it in particular direction. The direction of alignment is defined by direction of rubbing.

Resolution, in terms of horizontal and vertical size expressed in pixels, is native supported for the best display effects. This is one of the things that sets LCD monitor apart. Dot Pitch is defined as the distance between two adjacent pixels. It is the minimum for sharper image. Each pixel is divided into three cells, or sub pixels. These are colored red, green and blue. Each sub pixel can be controlled independently for millions of combinations and hence colors. Older CRT monitors use phosphors for sub pixel structure. The analog electron beam though does not hit the exact sub pixel.

Color components can be arrayed in various geometries, depending on how the monitor is to be used. If the software being used knows the geometry, it can be used to increase the apparent number of pixels using sub pixel rendering. This kind of technique is often used in text anti-aliasing. LCDs which are used in digital watches and calculators have separate contact for each segment. Thus an external dedicated circuit charges each segment individually. This is not possible if the number of elements increases.

Small monochrome displays like the ones used in Personal Organizers or in older laptops have passive matrix like structure and employ super twisted nematic or double layer STN technology. Here, each row or each column has a single electrical circuit and the pixels are hence addressed according to rows and columns. But as the number of pixels increases, the response time decreases and the technique no longer remains feasible.

Color displays used in modern LCD monitors and televisions use active matrix structure. An array of thin film transistors (TFT) is added. Each pixel has a dedicated transistor. Active Matrix display looks brighter and sharper than passive matrix display of similar size and has better response time.

LCD technology has some critical drawbacks too. Resolution of a CRT monitor can be changed without introduction of any new artifact. But LCDs can produce only their native resolution and non native resolutions are achieved by scaling. The blacks of LCDs are actually grey because of presence of a light source. This results in lower contrast ratio when compared to CRTs. LCDs with cheaper parts cannot display as many colors plasma or CRT counterparts.

Also, LCD display has longer response time when compared to Plasma or CRT counterparts. Input lag is also present and the viewing angle is limited. In spite of these drawbacks, LCD display is quickly gaining prominence.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/the-technology-in-a-lcd-monitor-298083.html

About the Author:

This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/monitor-lcd.php

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

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The VXA Packet Technology offers greater advantage compared to the outdated track-based technology utilized in other tape formats, Packet Technology and VXA drives have many advantages such as the elimination of "back hitching". Back hitching occurs when the data rates between the drive and the host computer system get out of sync - as computers tend to send data in short bursts, while tracking tape drives must transfer data to/from the tape speeds. This means the drive must stop transferring data, rewind, and then move at fixed forward to 're-sync' with the data tracks on the tape.

Since VXA Packet drives read packets and not tracks, the drive can actually match the host transfer rate without back hitching-even to the point where the drive can stop completely, and start up again without ever having to back hitch. This dramatically reduces the wear and tear on the data storage media and ensures greater reliability and longer tape life.

VXA X Tapes are the only tape cartridges extreme-tested by independent labs under the most severe conditions-including violent vibration, immersion in volcanic dust, boiling water and hot coffee, and even freezing cartridges in a block of ice-to assure reliable and complete data restores. VXA is 183 times more able to restore data-even from a damaged tape-than any other tape format. You will find the full range technology tape cartridges including IBM 3480, IBM 3490E, IBM 3590, IBM 3590E, IBM 3570, IBM 3996, SDLT DLT, LTO 100GB, LTO 200GB, LTO 400GB.

Packet Technology enables VXA Packet drives, autoloaders and tapes to read and write data in packets just like the Internet, providing far superior restore integrity, exceptional transfer speeds and scalable tape capacities. With excellent reviews by analysts and data storage media experts, and adoption by major OEMs like IBM, VXA Packet Technology is the new standard in tape backup.

Leading companies around the world have formed and launched the VXA Alliance to promote and support VXA Packet technology as the new standard in tape backup and restore. For more information on how you can buy the latest VXA Packet data storage media please visit www.firscall.co.uk

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hardware-articles/the-vxa-packet-technology-data-storage-media-99021.html

About the Author:

Mike Nicholson

Market Analyst

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Ignore this crucial lesson in modern technology at your certain economic peril!

A few general definitions, courtesy thefreedictionary.com, are in order:

What is a Satellite? "(Aerospace) An object launched to orbit Earth or another celestial body." More specifically, the type of Satellite we are referencing here, could be appropriately called a Dedicated Earth Entertainment Satellite (DEES).

What is a TV? 1. (Television) "(Noun) broadcasting visual images of stationary or moving objects; 'she is a star of screen and video'; 'Television is a medium because it is neither rare nor well done' - Ernie Kovacs, 2. (Noun) a receiver that displays television images; the British call a TV Set, a Telly."

What is a PC? (Person Computer) "(Noun) a small digital computer based on a microprocessor and designed to be used by one person at a time."

The basis for the following brief analysis of Satellite TV for PC, and Disruptive Technology then, derives from our understanding of:

• The above three general definitions, and

• Three additional concise definitions, I will offer next, and

• Empirical details regarding Satellite TV for PC, A.K.A. PCTV, which I obtained from testing both a Software Solution called Satellite TV for PC Elite Edition 2006 and a Noware (not Software, not Hardware) Solution, called FreeSkyTV.

(See Satellite TV Seeker Exclusive Reports: Part IV: Satellite TV for PC: Product Reviews.)

Hey! This stuff will be on that essay test I mentioned, so pay attention!

What is Disruptive Technology (DT)? A concise definition in three parts:

(Courtesy: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/search)

"Disruptive technology is a term coined by Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen to describe a new technology that unexpectedly displaces an established technology. In his 1997 best-selling book, "The Innovator's Dilemma," Christensen separates new technology into two categories: sustaining and disruptive.

Sustaining technology relies on incremental improvements to an already established technology. Disruptive technology lacks refinement, often has performance problems because it is new, appeals to a limited audience, and may not yet have a proven practical application. (Such was the case with Alexander Graham Bell's "electrical speech machine," which we now call the telephone.)

In his book, Christensen points out that, large corporations are designed to work with sustaining technologies. They excel at knowing their market, staying close to their customers, and having a mechanism in place to develop existing technology. Conversely, they have trouble capitalizing on the potential efficiencies, cost-savings, or new marketing opportunities created by low-margin disruptive technologies. Using real-world examples to illustrate his point, Christensen demonstrates how it is not unusual for a big corporation to dismiss the value of a disruptive technology because it does not reinforce current company goals, only to be blindsided as the technology matures, gains a larger audience and market-share, and threatens the status quo."

[Bold Italics added for emphasis.]

Is Satellite TV for PC Disruptive Technology?

For the sake of our discussion, let's assume it is not for the moment. Judging PCTV only by the first set of criteria in the above concise definition: "... a new technology that unexpectedly displaces an established technology..." it could be argued that there is nothing really new about this technology: Satellite TV for PC is merely a recombining of existing technologies: Satellite TV, The Personal Computer, and The Internet.

Take my word: Nothing currently is, or will actually be displaced by this technology: Not Satellite Technology, TV Technology, not The Personal Computer, and definitely not The Internet.

On the flip side of the discussion, judging PCTV by the second set of criteria in our concise definition, this technology: 1. Lacks refinement, 2. Has performance problems, 3. Appeals to a limited audience, 4. Lacks a proven practical application.

The characteristics above are certainly all true of PCTV. At least, they are true today: 08/15/06. (I'll be returning to this point in Part IV of the Series.)

But before we go further, let's examine the unexpected part of the above concise definition, required for DT to exist, by taking a quick overview of this scenario from the Corporate Perspective: What of Bill, Rupert and Charlie?

"... Christensen demonstrates how it is not unusual for a big corporation to dismiss the value of a disruptive technology because it does not reinforce current company goals, only to be blindsided as the technology matures, gains a larger audience and market-share, and threatens the status quo."

And what might be the ultimate implications for the above big-three players, (MSN, DirecTV and DISH Network) Celebrities in the Pay-for-TV-In-Crowd, for being too big to be anything but blind: A certain death-nell.

Q: Why would anyone (a typical Consumer for example) who could get all the entertainment, news, weather and sports, they could possibly ever desire, ever voluntarily pay for the same thing they could get Off-The-Air (OTA) or Online, free for nothing?

A1: The Typical American Consumer Profile (As perceived by the Mega Corporation):

Ignorance: Perhaps they, the great unwashed, have simply never heard of PCTV.

Stubborn-ness: Perhaps they can't, or won't buy a PC, en masse.

Laziness: Perhaps they just can't be bothered to investigate their options.

A2: The Typical American Corporate Profile (As perceived by the Common Man):

Control: Because of their behemoth size and capital resources, they, (MSN, DirecTV, and DISH Network) individually or as allies, could easily swallow this infant Disruptive Technology in a single, merging mouth-full.

Complacence: Perhaps due to their unrivalled position in the World Marketplace, they couldn't care less.

Greed: Or they could simply find out what makes the new, contentious PCTV technology go, and copy it! (Much more likely, and a whole lot cheaper.)

(I'll also return to this point in Part IV of the Series.)

Hey! Wake up! Are you still with us? I'm just getting to the good part!

In any case, it's doubtful if any of the big three are totally unaware of this 'new' PCTV technology. This being the case, it's also highly unlikely that the bigs will knowingly, benignly let loose of the gigantic empires, (or any critical fraction thereof) they have spent most of their adult lives building!

So, the final criterion, by the third concise definition, and most decisive of all considerations in this analysis, may have everything to do with industry leaders, and the status remaining quo.

Notwithstanding the above, for a technology to be truly disruptive, it must eventually overtake and supplant the existing technology utterly, or very nearly do so.

Let's take the following example.

A very brief history of TV

TV is an invention of the mid-20th Century. Although many vital technological elements arrived to set the scene, some time earlier, TV as we know it, began officially in England, one day in 1936.

Television (a Disruptive Technology) hit the American Scene in the late 1940's, with such a tremendous impact that it nearly killed Wireless Radio, the reigning king.

Historical Bench Mark: At this point, there were no Satellites, and no Computers, and even the concept of the Internet as we know it, didn't surface until the late 60s!

The cool bit about this new American TV technology in the 1950s was, that apart from the original cost of Equipment: The TV Set, The Rabbit Ears or The Roof Antenna, and of course The Electricity The TV consumed; the programming, such as it was then, was 'free': i.e., no per hour, or per month charge.

For many who actually still listen to American AM and FM Radio and get their TV exclusively OTA, the free nature of this ability to access these services, without apparent cost, is akin to a Constitutional Right!

Cable TV

The next technological wave nearly swept the previous (free, if Antenna-dependent) TV technology away completely.

Cable TV, (a Disruptive Technology) the first Pay or Subscription TV Service, actually got its start in America in the late 40s. With its tens and eventually hundreds of relatively high-quality programs, and programming variety, it practically put an end to The Free OTA TV World, at least so far as the American Consumer was concerned.

Historical Bench Mark: At this time (late 50s) there were probably many Military Satellites capable of receiving and transmitting radio signals, but no operational Commercial Satellites, (DEES) and no Personal Computers, as we know them. The PC didn't arrive until the 80s!

Satellite TV

Although Satellite TV (a Disruptive Technology) lagged behind Cable TV by a nearly decade, it rapidly closed the gap as a viable way for the typical American Consumer to get first-class quality, variety TV, wherever they lived.

Again, this new technology seriously challenged the existent entertainment king, Cable TV. (Very many small CATV businesses went out of business as a direct result of the advent of Satellite TV.)

Historical Bench Mark: By the early 60s (TelStar 1962) we were using Commercial Satellites to broadcast all sorts of Radio and TV signals, which could be gathered and decoded by receivers located at almost every point in the Continental USA.

And that, so far as Disruptive Technology in the TV industry is concerned, brings us to the court of the current and reigning entertainment king: Satellite TV. (Cable TV relies on the Satellite signals it packages and redistributes to Consumers via coaxial and/or optical fiber cable.)

Convergent Technology (CT)

Though this precise term is not in any of my Dictionaries or my Wikipedia today, considering the circumstances surrounding the above succession of Disruptive Technologies (Radio, TV, Cable TV, and Satellite TV) as exemplars for "displacement," I believe Convergent Technology better describes what PCTV actually is, and what it is also in store for us in the future.

So, let's assume that The TV and The PC have at last merged into one device which has multiple, powerful capabilities, many of which are now generally under-utilized!

Let's further assume that the previous technologies: Satellite and Internet, are not swept away by the new technology (they won't be) but that the foursome, all get married and begin living happily together as CT partners for all the millennia: Will this then be the one, and true Satellite TV for PC, and the new, soon-to-be crowned, king of entertainment?

It's too early for me to call!

Why it matters at all

In a very real way, this issue of DT or CT, is essentially a battle for your wallet. Whether Satellite TV for PC turns out to be Disruptive Technology, or Convergent Technology, may not seem to be an important issue to you perhaps, right now.

But it can mean thousands of dollars, either saved or spent, in acquiring the programming that, you as a Typical American Consumer, will no doubt want to partake of, in the course of your TV-Watching Career.

So, this will be the subject of the essay test I mentioned earlier. Since lots of your money could potentially be riding on your answer, best take the mock exam right now!

Q: If you were offered the choice right now, would you prefer to: 1. Pay less than $50, one time for access to all the entertainment, news, weather and sports, you could possibly ever desire? Or, would you rather: 2. Continue to pay $50, or more monthly, to your Cable TV Provider or your Satellite TV Provider, for the rest of your TV-Watching Career?

You will have all the time you want to formulate your answer. (You can even change your mind later!)

So, might it be Satellite TV for PC for you today? Then you must read the final Installments in the Series: Satellite TV Seeker Exclusive Reports: Part IV: Satellite TV for PC: Product Reviews.

Missed the previous episode(s) Part I, or II? Visit: satellitetvseeker.info

Click: Article Page.

Best Regards,

Craig Guest

CEO, Satellite TV Seeker

stsinfo@satellitetvseeker.info

Fair Use Policy: This Article may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced in total, provided that the following resource is cited:

(See Resource Box.)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/communication-articles/satellitetvseekerinfo-exclusive-reports-part-iii-satellite-tv-for-pc-disruptive-technology-48296.html

About the Author:

Web Site: http://www.satellitetvseeker.info

Email: stsinfo@satellitetvseeker.info

Hi, Craig Guest here. The Satellite TV Business has been my occu-passion for the last six years. Looking back, it's been an extraordinary journey. My favorite quote: "It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." - Ursula K. LeGuin

Craig started as a Satellite TV installer and serviceman, and soon got involved in selling for both DISH Network and DirecTV. When Satellite Internet arrived on the scene in 2001, Craig took the plunge and got certified for StarBand, Pegasus Express and DirecWay as an installer and serviceman. High Speed Satellite Internet sales soon followed, and today his watchwords are: Anything Satellite.

Web Site: http://www.satellitetvseeker.info

Contact: stsinfo@satellitetvseeker.info

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Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler profiled the significant technology advances of More Than Gourmet (MTG) is a Gourmet Sauce manufacturer with nearly $20 Million in annual sales. Located in Akron, Ohio the company faced many lean challenges from excessive paperwork and manual processing to lack of visibility to inventory and customer data; there was no integration between manufacturing and warehousing operations. The complete article in the International Food Safety & Quality Network publication can re read at http://www.ifsqn.com/articles_detail.php?newsdesk_id=325&osCsid=69ea2362ea240ed62d7d66872f1f60c3&t=More+Than+Gourmet+Sauces+Realize+Lean+Efficiencies.

To overcome the lean challenges the sauce manufacturer implemented Enterprise 21 ERP (enterprise resource planning) by Technology Group International (TGI). When MTG purchased the ERP system, the company was booking $2 million in annual sales. Since that time the company has transformed into the premier provider of gourmet sauces and is recognized worldwide for it’s outstanding culinary achievements. The company not only quickly obtained their return on investment, the implementation of Enterprise 21 allowed the company to experience exponential growth over a short period of time without a corresponding growth in manpower to service that growth.

The specific benefits from the TGI technology solution included:

♦ Fully integrated operations from quoting and order entry through manufacturing and shipping

♦ Streamlined inventory control via integration of RF and barcode processing

♦ Automated shipping manifesting and freight cost determination

♦ Increased customer satisfaction via proactive management of customer base and online availability to account information

♦ International product sales offered 24/7 via the e-commerce module Using the internet-based user interface capability of Enterprise 21, More Than Gourmet services its customers and distribution network throughout Europe and Southeast Asia using its computing facility located in Akron, Ohio.

Quality, Safety, and Lean Efficiency Achieved

There were specific areas of lean improvement which allowed for the maximum focus on quality and safety regulations and requirements. Some of the lean areas the More That Gourmet quantified included:

♦ Reduction in paper processing

♦ Streamlined inventory control using RF and bar coding

♦ Fully-integrated manufacturing operations

♦ Proactive Customer Relationship Management

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/more-than-gourmet-finds-lean-efficiencies-with-technology-group-international-erp-117160.html

About the Author:

Technology Group International

www.tgiltd.com

Rebecca Gill

rgill@tgiltd.com

800-837-0028

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Through recent years however, technology has made it increasingly difficult to maintain profitability. The ever increasing use of computers and sensors and related technology, the equipment required for even the simplest of repairs is through the roof. Modern vehicles come so heavily equipped with new technology it literally costs many thousands of dollars just to test parts to see if they need repair. Many garages now are forced to increase their hourly wages (upwards of $100), which forces an ever decreasing trust between mechanic and customer.

Although there is still room for small businesses in this trade to succeed, in only a decades time this many not be the case. Future generations looking to enter this field must ask the question of whether or not they have the financial backing to invest thousands upon thousands of dollars on high tech equipment. Some of these tools reach $60,000-$100,000 for a single device. Losing a customer for not possessing the proper equipment is a horror show for any service company. Inevitably this may lead to customers leaving trusted small business owners to find service at big business dealers. Will the day come when a common brake job will cost $600? Only the future will tell.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/good-mechanics-pushed-aside-by-technology-84861.html

About the Author:

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About the Author:

Technology Group International www.tgiltd.com Rebecca Gill rgill@tgiltd.com 800-837-0028

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The most obvious source of competition comes in the form of all of the services that are offering movies in HDTV format for download over the Internet. For example, Sony's Bravia HDTV sets can display a variety of HDTV videos that can be downloaded from the Internet. While this service has the disadvantage of only working with Bravia HDTV sets, an increasing amount of HDTV content is expected to be made available and it certainly provides a glimpse of how we can expect to get our HDTV content in the future.

Another service that provides HDTV programming is Vudu. Vudu is basically a set top box that can be used to download movies from the Internet and display them in high definition on an HDTV set. The only catch with Vudu is that the device downloads the movies in standard definition format and then upconverts them to HDTV format before displaying them on the screen. This system has the advantage of conserving bandwidth for easier and faster downloads, but doesn't provide the same level of picture quality as a true HDTV download would. Still, the concept of upconverting standard def video to HDTV is sound and may be able to produce better results with the technological advances of the future.

The Sony Play Station 3 is not only a Blu-ray disc player, but is also expected to be capable of downloading high def movies from the Internet in the near future, making another alternative to High Def DVD's. The Xbox 360 from Microsoft is already capable of downloading HDTV movies from the Internet, but the device is plagued by depressingly long download times- sometimes on the order of eight hours for a standard length movie! Still, these two devices make it obvious that both Sony and Microsoft (which is a backer of HD-DVD) are hedging their bets by embracing the same technology that could make their investments in High Def DVD technology a loss.

One interesting option that has been proposed for getting HDTV content in the future is providing it for consumers on compact, portable hard drives. These hard drives would be enormous in capacity and contain entire archives of movies. Instead of paying for all of these movies all at once, consumers would be able to see what's available to watch on the hard drive and then pay to have the movie that they want to watch unlocked. That way having instant access to a huge number of HDTV titles could be extremely cost effective. Of course, the disadvantage of this is that it would be difficult to add new titles to the hard drive, but maybe that's where Internet downloads could come in- to supplement a larger personal archive, rather than to provide the viewer with everything that she or he may want to watch.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/voip-articles/high-def-dvd-technology-faces-external-threats-346592.html

About the Author:

E.Sanderson writes articles for consumers who want to find the latest technonoly news about Cable Television . She has written for many major publications about Comcast Cable Promotions and how buyers can find the best deals.

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