Monitors have come a long way since the days of the monochrome CRT. The biggest computer monitor available today far exceeds the practical requirements of the individual workstation user.The units approaching the upper limit can be described as enormous. Check them out here and prepare to be amazed!
Monitor or TV Screen?
LCD televisions and larger monitors are similar enough to be used interchangeably. The output of your computer’s video card can, with the right connectors, be displayed on your flat screen television. Likewise, with a TV tuner, it’s possible to watch television on your monitor. For the sake of argument, our definition of “monitor” here will include similar devices that can be and often are used as such.
Measuring Up
The largest dedicated computer monitors are used for specialty operations such as medical imaging, air traffic control, security, and utility monitoring. Consider Barrco’s NSL-4601 . Although it is comprised of four tiled LCDs, its total size is 46 inches. At a cost of nearly $6000, it carries a considerably large price tag, but it is still a far cry from the biggest of the big.
Moving beyond this size range brings us to the realm of LCD panels that function primarily for HDTV viewing, but can still be viably used as monitors for computer video. Check out the Sony KDL-70XBR3 . According to the specifications, it has inputs for composite, S-video, and component video. Weighing in at 204 pounds, (including its pedestal) with a 70 inch screen, and a price of $33,000, this monster monitor makes the Barrco NSL-4601 look puny by comparison. However, it’s still not what could be considered the biggest computer monitor.
LCD and PDP
The absolute biggest LCD monitor in the world, is the Sharp Aquos LB-1085, which, at 108 inches, and weighing 430 pounds, can be purchased for the price of a small house or condominium. It’s a bit steep at $150,000.00 , but owning the biggest LCD monitor in the entire world means no more worries about “keeping up with the Joneses.”
There is a plasma TV in existence that is actually larger than the LB-1085. Meet the LG 120 inch PDPTV . It’s actually four tiled 60 inch PDP TVs. As of this writing, it is not yet available and no price has been indicated, which means there’s plenty of time to start saving up.
LED Screens
LED technology is what powers the tremendous HDTV screens used in live sporting events and concerts. An example of how big these can get is at the Sun Life Stadium (formerly Dolphin Stadium) in Miami, Florida; its main screen has a width of 137 feet. The Tokyo Racecourse screen is even larger at 8000 square feet. However, the biggest of them all is at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. At 71 feet, 4 inches high and 159 feet, 7 inches across (just over 11,000 square feet) it is currently the largest screen, bar none, in the world.
The Biggest Computer Monitor
The point at which a monitor ceases to be a computer monitor and becomes a TV screen is subjective, but now you have an idea of the range of possible sizes in context with intended usage.
