Comparison of CRT, LCD, Plasma, and OLED....Just Have a Look but not necessary to learn all

Comparison

[edit]CRT

Further information: Cathode ray tube

Pros

• High contrast ratio (over 15,000:1), excellent color and wide gamut, excellent black level
• No native resolution; the only current display technology capable of true multisyncing (displaying many different resolutions and refresh rates without the need for scaling).
• No input lag
• No ghosting and smearing artifacts during fast motion due to sub-millisecond response time, and impulse-based operation.
• Near zero color, saturation, contrast or brightness distortion
• Allows the use of light guns/pens
• Excellent viewing angle

Cons

• Large size and weight, especially for bigger screens (a 20-inch (51 cm) unit weighs about 50 lb (23 kg))
• Relatively high power consumption at high brightness and contrast levels and fast scan rates
• Generates a considerable amount of heat when running
• Geometric distortion caused by variable beam travel distances but almost no distortion in most high-end displays.
• Can suffer screen burn-in
• Produces noticeable flicker at low refresh rates although all recent CRT monitors have sufficiently fast refresh rates
• Hazardous to repair/service
• Color displays cannot be made in sizes smaller than 7 inches. Maximum size for direct-view displays is limited to about 40 inches due to practical and manufacturing restrictions (a CRT display of this size can weigh about 300 pounds), though the sizing can be increased with an array of separate displays, such as the original Jumbotron used at sports arenas.
• The glass envelopes contains toxic lead and barium as X-ray radiation shielding. The phosphors can also contain toxic elements such as cadmium. Many countries treat CRTs as toxic waste and prohibit their disposal in landfills or by incineration
• Purity and convergence, affected by the Earth's magnetic field, must be factory preset for operation in either the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere, or the equatorial area. Adjustment for use outside a preset region requires high technical skill, as well as safety precautions

LCD

Further information: LCD and LCD TV

Pros

• Very compact and light
• Low power consumption. On average, 50-70% less energy is consumed than CRT monitors.
• No geometric distortion.
• The possible ability to have little or no flicker depending on backlight technology.
• Usually no refresh-rate flicker, as the LCD panel itself is usually refreshed at 200 Hz or more, regardless of the source refresh rate.
• Is very thin compared to a CRT monitor, which allows the monitor to be placed farther back from the user, reducing close-focusing related eye-strain. Though the CRT's flickering can be emulated nonetheless in niche applications.
• Razor sharp image with no bleeding/smearing when used at native resolution.
• Not affected by screen burn-in, though an identical but less severe phenomenon known as image persistence is possible.
• Can be made in almost any size or shape.
• No theoretical resolution limit.
• Can be made to large sizes (more than 24 inches) lightly and relatively inexpensively.
• Unconstrained by geographical (hemispheric) location of device with respect to Earth's magnetic field.
• As an inherently digital device, the LCD can natively display digital data from a DVI or HDMI connection without requiring conversion to analog.

Cons

• Limited viewing angle, causing color, saturation, contrast and brightness to vary, even within the intended viewing angle, by variations in posture.
• Uneven backlighting in some (mostly older) monitors, causing brightness distortion, especially toward the edges.
• Black levels may appear unacceptably bright due to the fact that individual liquid crystals cannot completely block all light from passing through.
• Smearing and ghosting artifacts on moving objects caused by slow response times (>8 ms).
• As of 2012, most implementations of LCD backlighting use PWM to dim the display, which makes the screen flicker more acutely (this does not mean visibly) than a CRT monitor at 85 Hz refresh rate would (this is because the entire screen is strobing on and off rather than a CRT's phosphor sustained dot which continually scans across the display, leaving some part of the display always lit), causing severe eye-strain for some people. Unfortunately, many of these people don't know that their eye-strain is being caused by the invisible strobe effect of PWM. This problem is worse on many of the new LED backlit monitors, because the LEDs have a faster turn-on/turn-off time than a CCFL bulb.
• Only one native resolution. Displaying any other resolution either requires a video scaler, causing blurriness and jagged edges; or running the display at native resolution using 1:1 pixel mapping, causing the image either not to fill the screen (letterboxed display), or to run off the lower right edge of the screen.
• Fixed bit depth, many cheaper LCDs are only able to display 262,000 colors. 8-bit S-IPS panels can display 16 million colors and have significantly better black level, but are expensive and have slower response time.
• Input lag, because the LCD's A/D converter waits for each frame to be completely outputted before drawing it to the LCD panel. Also some modern LCDs do post-processing before displaying the image, which adds an additional lag. 
• Dead or stuck pixels may occur during manufacturing or through use.
• In a constant-on situation, thermalization may occur, in which part of the screen has overheated and looks discolored compared to the rest of the screen.
• Unacceptably slow response times in low temperature environments.
• Loss of contrast in high temperature environments.
• Not usually designed to allow easy replacement of the backlight.
• Poor display in direct sunlight. Transflective LCDs provide a large improvement by reflecting natural light, but have not yet been widely adopted.
• Cannot be used with light guns/pens.

[edit]Plasma

Further information: Plasma display

Pros

• High contrast ratios (10,000:1 static or greater) excellent color, and low black level.
• Millisecond response time
• Near zero color, saturation, contrast or brightness distortion. Excellent viewing angle.
• No geometric distortion
• Highly scalable, with less weight gain per increase in size (from less than 30 in (76 cm) wide to the world's largest at 150 in (3.8 m)).
• Unconstrained by geography with respect to Earth's magnetic field
• Variable power consumption (dimmer picture draws less power) though still higher than most LCD TVs in most situations.

Cons

• Large pixel pitch, meaning either low resolution or a large screen. As such, color plasma displays are only produced in sizes over 32 inches (81 cm) and 1080p displays are only available from sizes of 42" upwards.
• Image flicker due to being phosphor-based though modern plasma displays make this effect less noticeable.
• Glass screen can induce glare and reflections.
• High operating temperature and power consumption. LCDs consume less power.
• Input lag
• Relatively heavy weight
• Only has one native resolution. Displaying other resolutions requires a video scaler, which degrades image quality at lower resolutions.
• Can suffer image burn-in. This was a severe problem on early plasma displays, but newer models have incorporated methods to reduce the chance of accidental burn-in.
• Screen-door effects are noticeable on screen sizes smaller than 127 cm (50 in); the effect is more visible at shorter viewing distances
• Do not work as well at high altitudes due to pressure differential between the gases inside the screen and the air pressure at altitude. It may cause a buzzing noise. Manufacturers rate their screens to indicate the altitude parameters.
• For those who wish to listen to AM radio, or are amateur radio operators (hams) or shortwave listeners (SWL), the radio frequency interference (RFI) from these devices can be irritating or disabling.
• Relatively fragile; should only be transported, stored, and operated upright, as the glass screen can shatter under the display's own weight if not supported properly.
• Cannot be used with light guns/pens.
• Defective pixels such as dead pixels and stuck pixels may occur either during manufacturing (except stuck pixels) or through use.

[edit]OLED

Further information: Organic light-emitting diode

Pros

• Very high contrast ratio - above 1,000,000:1 static.
• Excellent viewing angle
• Very light weight
• Excellent black level
• No ghosting and smearing artifacts during fast motion due to sub-millisecond response time.
• Wide gamut and vivid colors because no backlight is used.
• Can be fabricated on flexible plastic substrates leading to the possibility being fabricated and of creating flexible video displays.
• No geographical constraints.

Cons

• Can suffer screen burn-in.
• Increased power consumption when displaying white color.
• Blue OLEDs degrades more rapidly than the materials that produce other colors.
• Poor readability in bright ambient light such as outdoors.
• Water can damage the organic materials of the display.
• Can be damaged by prolonged exposure to UV light.
• Difficult and expensive to manufacture at the present time.
• Organic materials used (as of 2011) are susceptible to decay over time, rendering the display unusable after some time.
• Defective pixels such as dead pixels and stuck pixels may occur either during manufacturing (except stuck pixels) or through use.
• Cannot be used with light guns/pens.