Where do LCD TVs come from?
There are three technologies currently vying to be the number one TV technology: LCD, Plasma and DLP. LCD is likely to be the winning technology.
The popularity of LCD televisions has exploded recently. The technology is expanding and is now comparable to IBM and DVD. LCD TVs are the most up-to-date HDTVs with rich picture and color quality. It is a little known fact that LCD technology dates back to the year 1888, when the Austrian scientist Friedrich Reinitzer discovered the properties of liquid crystallization. That would make the LCD TV concept at least eighty years old! Probably the first efforts to use the liquid crystallization process for commercial products were made by George Heilmeier, an electrical engineer at the University of Pennsylvania. Heilmeier also earned a Ph.D., M.A., and M.A. in solid-state electronics from Princeton University. He then went on to work with RCA and, working alongside Lucian Barton, Joseph Castellano, Joel Goldmacher, Nunzio Luce, Louis Zanoni and Richard Williams, shaped LCD technology one piece at a time.
Before LCD TVs came together as a whole, individual parts of the technology were first developed. The liquid crystal display (LCD) was the result of experimentation with liquid crystals. While dabbling in this technology, RCA discovered that it was possible to create digital watches, clocks, calculators, etc. The digital alarm that is common in watches today is due to Heilmeier’s work with RCA.
James Fergason, a graduate of the University of Missouri, took the baton from LCD technology and developed it further. As associate director of the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University, Fergason discovered the nematic field effect, which brought the Heilmeier team’s prototype LCD TV displays toward today’s LCD technology.
Fergason’s team introduced the first LCD television in 1971, which unfortunately turned out to be a disappointment in terms of “ghosting” during action broadcasts. After making the adjustments and adding the reverse correction, the picture quality on modern LCD TVs is excellent and almost never allows distorted images to be transmitted. As a result of his work perfecting LCD technology, Fergason founded his own corporation and forged more than 100 patents.
LCD TV today is an amazing experience. At this rate, LCD televisions are sure to replace the old CRTs as the television display technology of the future. LCD TVs are now HD capable and provide amazing display resolution. It’s also a favorite for people with home theaters.