A computer monitor is no more a tool for visualizing software in contemporary times. When picking one, you should consider the visual quality plus the amount of comfort it provides.
Digital technologies have advanced dramatically in recent decades, and a standard CRT monitor is no longer appropriate for household usage.
The majority of consumers have no idea what their monitor is made of and only care about attractive metrics like curve, size, price, and year of manufacturing.
Many of us were brought up in a period when historical evidence was sufficient to determine whether a myth was true or not. We didn’t require quantitative research or trials to know if a good friend’s word was accurate or unfounded.
Today, we’ll look at some of the most common computer monitor myths. Hopefully, this post will assist you in making a better-educated decision before making a purchase.
Myth 1: Monitors Can Impair Your Eyesight
Although medical experts agree that spending too much time gazing at a monitor isn’t healthy for your eyes, the amount of damage it does varies depending on who you ask.
The most serious concern is that staring at a large screen may induce macular degeneration, which is one of the significant causes of blindness. Is there, however, any evidence to back up this fear?
At this moment, there is no convincing evidence that long-term visual impairment may be caused by monitor use. However, it would help if you were cautious since monitors can induce eye strain, which might result in temporary problems.
Myth 2: You Should Get a Monitor with a Refresh Rate of 120 Hz
This is also something to which you should pay close attention. The vast majority of customers are unaware of the differences between 60 Hz and 120 Hz displays unless they make that comparison.
If you want to test the difference for yourself, go to a local tech gadgets store and look for two displays with different contrast ratios and refresh rates. Each of them should, ideally, be of the same company and product range. Request that the expert plays the same video on them. On a 120 Hz display, the picture will be smoother and more detailed, so you’ll see the contrast right away.
To eliminate the misconception regarding an adverse effect of a high refresh rate, it’s important to remember when it first appeared. CRT displays with refresh rates more than 80 Hz had a detrimental influence on human eyes in the 1990s. However, this issue was resolved with the introduction of LCD and LED displays.
Myth 3: It’s Always Better to Have a Faster Response Time
The time it takes for a monitor to process a signal is known as the response rate. In simple terms, this is the timeframe when the image on your monitor is refreshed.
When you input words on your keypad, for instance, there is a slight pause between your system processing the action and showing it. However, you will never see it because the reaction rate is recorded in milliseconds and cannot be recognized by the naked eye.
It is true that the lower the response rate, the better. You will notice unpleasant delays if you operate with a display with a 30 ms or greater reaction rate.
Lower response time, on the other hand, does not imply higher performance. If the reaction rate is less than 10 ms, the human eye will not perceive any changes. As a result, if you wish to get a monitor with an 8 ms reaction rate, you will be wasting your money and not seeing any improvement in performance.
Myth 4: Sleep Quality Is Affected by Screen Light
Is it unhealthy to stare at a monitor in the dark? Artificial light reduces the quality and length of sleep in general. Furthermore, computer screens emit artificial light. In this way, screens do have an effect on sleep.
However, using a monitor in the darkness isn’t the only way we come into contact with artificial light at night. Many other items, such as street lights, fluorescent tubes, and so on, emit this type of light. What’s the difference between the two?
Our circadian rhythm is our body’s normal sleep/wake cycle, which is disturbed by intense artificial light, particularly light in the blue-to-white range of the spectrum.
Brighter light colors, like yellow and orange, have a similar influence on sleep quality as the cooler blues, although not as much.
When you use bright monitors in a dark environment before night, your circadian rhythm is disrupted since your brain thinks it’s daytime. This inhibits the production of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep and prepares you for the night. As a result, changing the blue light on your screen to orange light might really help you sleep easily at night.
It is true in both directions. People have utilized artificial blue light to cure some mood-related diseases, including seasonal affective disorder, because of the genuine impact.
Myth 5: A Bigger Monitor Means a Better Display
On ultrawide screens, people like watching movies or playing video games. The size of a monitor is said to be the most important feature. However, this is only partially true; a monitor’s size is only relevant if it matches a particular resolution. As a result, purchasing a large display with a poor resolution will be a huge error.
The majority of contemporary displays have a resolution of 1080p (1920×1080). However, if you’re thinking of getting a 27-inch monitor, be prepared for a lot of pixelation. It occurs because the monitor’s size is insufficient to guarantee a smooth image with the available pixels.
If you’re looking for a 30-inch screen, be sure it has a resolution of at least 2048 x 1152 pixels. It still is widescreen, and it’s known as QWXGA or quad-wide extended graphics array.
Get a screen that supports a resolution of at least 2560 x 2048, commonly known as the quad super-extended graphics array (QSXGA), or the newest resolution to hit the market, known as 4K (3840×2160), for massive panels like those you’d typically see at the stadiums.
With a resolution proportionate to the size of your screen, you’ll have plenty of viewing options and a lovely, clean image. However, obtaining displays that support such resolutions would be difficult.
Conclusion
So these are the most common myths about computer monitors that still exist, and you should know. While using a computer in the dark may disrupt your sleep and cause eye strain, you should not be concerned about long-term eye damage. You can always try the dark mode to lessen some of the impact.
Choose something that you enjoy. Put it to the test. Use it to your advantage, reasonably, of course. Make sure you don’t have any regrets about purchasing it. Most importantly, avoid the wicked little figures that lead you astray into purchasing something that, in reality, offers less than it claims.
