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From: golden@frith.uucp (James M Golden)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: Re: Various Display systems
Summary: sidelit (edge-lit) vs. back-lit
Message-ID: <1990Dec22.105337.23423@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Date: 22 Dec 90 10:53:37 GMT
References: <1990Dec20.044401.14280@contact.uucp>
Sender: news@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu
Organization: Michigan State University, College of Engineering
Lines: 22

In article <1990Dec20.044401.14280@contact.uucp> rasmus@contact.uucp (Rasmus Lerdorf) writes:
>Do LCD screens decay with time, and what is the actual difference between
>a sidelit and a backlit LCD screen?

I have a Toshibe T1200HB with a back-lit LCD, and a friend has a T1000SE
with a sidelit display.  The sidelit provides better contrast and is easier
on the eyes.  The backlit makes the LCD display thicker and has a tendancy
to make the characters appear to "float" above the background.  Also, there
is some tendancy for the electroluminescent panel to have "waves" of lighter
and darker bands that move slowly in a vertical fashion, the frequency 
dependant on the brightness setting.  This may or may not be a problem
only with the T1200 series, but I have seen it on other laptops.  The
phenomenon is not terribly distracting and can be minimized or even
eliminated (in certain ambient light conditions) by adjusting the brightness.

For a battery-poweered, gas-plasma portable, check out Toshiba's line
of portables.  One of them (the 3100sx [I think] but not the 3100)
fits this requirement.

				Mike Golden (golden@frith.msu.edu)
				Electrical Engineering Undergrad.
				Michigan State University