What You Must Know When Buying A Small LCD Monitor

Small LCD Monitor Guide

This is a guide to small LCD monitors which is aimed to provide you with all the general and some technical information that you need to know when looking for a small monitor. Also I will tell you some of the usages that these particular monitors are currently being used for in today‘s industries.

First things first……The range of small monitors that are available

There are two model types which are currently available – a touch screen and a non touch screen. Both units look and perform in the exact same way apart from one has a touch sensitive screen (I will go into more detail about the touch screen function shortly).

There are also three screen sizes which you can choose from. They are a 7 inch, 8inch and 10.2 inch screen. (the photographs below shows you each model).

As you can see the general look of all three units are pretty similar. The one major difference between them all is that the 8inch model has the buttons on the side rather than the bottom.   Also another noticeable look about the monitors is that they all come “widescreen” rather than the old 4:3 screens which are now becoming more obsolete and generally not needed due to widescreens being able to do everything that 4:3 screen can do plus it is now generally the way forward.

The other thing that you may or may not be able to tell from the photographs is that the material used for the framework has a matt finish which in my opinion gives the monitors a much more professional look rather than the cheap glossy/shiny plastic finish which you see all the time with monitors in this day and age. This is because most companies decide to use the cheap industry standard material to save as much money as they can but by them doing this I feel that it jeopardises the overall quality of the entire unit.

Also what you will not be able to tell from the photograph is that the thickness of the plastic used on these monitors is nearly double the thickness of the industry standard plus they have a protected rubber coating on the entire framework which increases the units protection therefore making them very solid and robust.

Also one last thing is that the 10.2 inch model is thinner and has a thinner framework.

The next topic is the all important SCREEN QUALITY….

This is no doubt the most important and probably the turning point when looking and making your decision on a monitor. Whatever the size of the screen you should expect no less than a good high quality clear screen.

Following this, I am please to say that these two models have over ONE MILLION pixels and brightness of 400cd/m2 and above which provides a crisp, clear and overall a bright screen.

I have taken a picture of the 7inch and 10inch models with the monitor linked up to a DVD player so you can see screen quality and difference is sizes.

As you can sort of see from the photographs that I have taken both screens have very vibrant, crisp and sharp colours that all together provide a very clear monitor. (Please note that the photographs were taken by a digital camera and doesn’t show off the screen’s full potential).

As these pictures do not show the full potential, I thought I would mock up a little video clip of 10inch monitor in action. Please have a look at the following:

Probably the first thing you noticed from this video is that there is sound. This is because on the back of each model there is a built in speaker. As you heard from the video it is pretty loud and clear which is very good considering it is only 1 Watt.

Now moving to some of the general features and functions of these monitors. The easiest way to explain and describe these will be to bullet point them. So please see the following:

AUTO DIMMING – This is one of the most impressive and I will go as far in saying BRILLIANT features that I have seen for a monitor and frankly is the ONLY monitor that I have ever seen with this facility.

What this does is automatically change the brightness of the screen depending on what environment the unit is situated in. For example when it is situated in daylight the screen will be bright like a normal screen. However when it is situated in a dark environment the monitor recognizes this by the little sensor situated on the front of the unit and automatically adjusts the brightness to prevent glare and eye strain which leads to headaches.

This feature has been hugely popular throughout different industries because everyone finds (and me) that those symptoms happen when looking at a screen in a dark environment. With this function automatically enabled you will not have to worry about getting headaches from these monitors.

INPUT CONNECTIONS – All units come with cabling allowing you to connect up to 3 different applications to each monitor plus one video connection that is solely used for connection for vehicles. Please see the range of connectors below:

- VGA Connector - For connection primarily for Computers/Laptops

- Composite Connector (Video + Audio) – For use for a vast range of applications

- Video Connector without a set of Audio Connectors – For use on a vast range of applications

- Video Connector solely used for vehicles – the reason why this connector is solely used for vehicles is because it is for connecting up to a camera situated on the back of a vehicle. What happens is once the driver initiates reverse gear the monitor will automatically switch to that AV channel and show the
driver what is behind them.

- USB Connector – this connector comes only with the touch screen models as the touch screen function works via USB (more on this later).

SOUND - As I mentioned earlier all units will comes with a speaker which is situated on the back of the units. On the pictures below I have highlighted in red the where the sound will be coming from.

The speaker is 1 Watt. I know it doesn’t sound much but don’t under estimate it as it sends out a loud and clear enough sound to be heard from around 15 to 20 feet away which I think is more than enough for what these monitors are used for.

SECURING DEVICES - All the units will come with 2 or 3 different securing devices that enables you to secure the monitor in certain ways. They are as follows:

- Metal Stand - All models comes with metal stands.  However the 10inch one is slight different due to it having to hold a bigger/heavy unit.

The 10.2 inch stand is a VESA mounting stand. On this stand it has a swivel top to adjust the angle up and down and also has a swivel base where you can adjust the unit left or right. Please see the picture below which will give you a better understanding of it:

For the 7 inch and 8 inch models the metal stand is a lot smaller as the weight of the these monitors are far less. By having this, the stand will not only allow you to angle it up, down, left and right but also enable you to adjust the height of the unit by placing the stand along the metal plate which is on the back. Please see the pictures below to get a better idea.

ALSO…

An added accessory to all the stands is that they are supplied with an adhesive sticker.

On the 7 inch model the sticker is already applied to the bottom so if you did wish to use it then all you have to do is peel the tape off and then stick it down wherever you want.

On the 8inch the adhesive sticker doesn’t come pre-stuck on but it is already shaped to the base of the stand so it will be very easy to apply if needed.

On 10.2 inch model the adhesive sticker also doesn’t come pre-stuck on but as like the 8inch it is already shaped to the base of the stand so it will be very easy to apply if needed. The reason why the sticker is not pre-stuck on the 10.2inch monitor stand is due to the stand coming with another accessory at the bottom. What this accessory is, are 4 hook eyes situated roughly around the middle of the stand which enables you to mount the monitor onto the wall via hooks (like a picture frame) and due to the stand be able to swivel up, down, left and right you will be able to angle the unit into the exact position you need once mounted. This a great feature at it saves you from buying any other equipment for mounting it on a wall IE VESA Mounting Stand.

The whole idea behind having an adhesive sticker is for the people who will be using the monitors in a mobile environment (ie. boat or car). Apart from this then the sticker is probably not really needed.

- VESA Mountable - This pretty much speaks for itself. On all units there are 4 holes spaced out evenly on the back of the units to enable them to be VESA Mountable. Please see image below on where they are on the units.

The VESA bracket that is compatible with these monitors is a 75mm bracket. This is a common size so shouldn’t be difficult to pick up from any electrical accessory shop.

- Shroud - This device is only currently available for the 7 inch and 8inch model. What this device allows you to do is flush mount the unit in to various different environments. For example in a car headrest/dash, wall, desks and any other environment that you think that you will be able to flush mount the unit in. Once the shroud is in position you are able to clip and unclip the monitor in and out from the shroud as and when you wish. Please see some pictures below of the shroud with the monitor in it as well as it on its own.

7 inch Monitor
     

8 inch Monitor
  

TOUCH SCREEN FUNCTION - This is the final function and does pretty much what it says on the tin.

Each screen size has a touch screen model available, therefore you have the option to have a 7 inch, 8inch or a 10.2 inch screen with a touch sensitive function. The way the touch screen works on these monitors is that you are supplied with a CD that is compatible with all the major operating systems (Windows 7, Vista, 9X, ME, NT4.0, 2000, XP, Mac OS 9X, OS X (Intel CPU) and Linux Readme). Install this software onto your computer which is very easy as it is all step by step instructions and then you are pretty much ready to start using the touch screen function (it is literally that simple). The only thing that you must remember is that you need to plug in the USB lead to your computer for the monitor to recognize the function.

The reason why I find touch screens so useful is because for one it eliminates other peripherals to buy (Keyboard and mouse) making space a lot less. Secondly with the price of having a touch screen model is not really that much more money from the non-touch screen units, so it makes sense to have the function there for whenever you need to use it. Thirdly and finally I find it generally quicker and easier to navigate through all options, but this is my personal opinion on this matter you possible may have a different view.

Now lastly I will inform you on what these monitors are currently being used for in today’s industry:

• In car entertainment - they have been built into the dashboard, headrests and on most occasions people have stuck the unit onto their dashboard by using the adhesive stand.
• Security - been used as CCTV monitors for home and commercial use.
• General System Monitoring - they have been used for all kinds of standard monitoring usages. From air traffic control stations all the way to factory machinery monitoring and boat navigation.
• Home Control Systems - linked up to a home control station for control of any electrical appliances in the house.
• Audio Visual Display Purposes - in conference rooms, meeting rooms, classrooms, shows, presentations which have currently been implemented in all types of companies, universities and military types.
• EPOS Systems

And lastly…..

• Normal Usages - secondary screen for home and business PCs as well as a primary screen for a mini PC to give a complete mini system.

I hope all this information that I have provided helps you make your decision on what kind of monitor you require a lot easier.

If you have any questions regarding these particular monitors please call the ESAW Sales team on 0845 25 777 40 or alternatively you can email them from there Contact Us page and they will be more than happy to help you with any questions you have about these units.

If you need full specifications on each model then please see the following links below which will take you direct to the monitor that you are interested in.

• ESAW 7 inch Composite & VGA TFT LCD Monitor
• ESAW 7 inch Composite & VGA TFT LCD Touch Screen Monitor
• ESAW 8 inch Composite & VGA TFT LCD Monitor
• ESAW 8 inch Composite & VGA TFT LCD Touch Screen Monitor 
• ESAW 10.2 inch Composite & VGA TFT LCD Monitor
• ESAW 10.2 inch Composite & VGA TFT LCD Touch Screen Monitor

To purchase any of these monitors, please go to the following links:

• Full Small LCD Monitors Range
• 7 inch Small LCD Monitor Range
• 8 inch Small LCD Monitor Range
• 10 inch Small LCD Monitor Range