The United Kingdom's Radar Research Establishment (RRE) started work on liquid crystals in the late 1960's. At the University of Hull, George Gray and others were working on the same lines. It was with RRE's support that cyanobiphenyl liquid crystals (stable and have the right temperature properties for use in LCDs) were later discovered by Gray.

The United Kingdom's Radar Research Establishment (RRE) started work on liquid crystals in the late 1960's. At the LCD or liquid crystal display is a flat and thin display device constructed of monochrome or color pixels that are kept in front of a reflector. Engineers highly value this technology because of the minimal electric power it consumes. In fact, it is just about perfect for use in mechanisms that are powered by battery.

LCDs are found in many digital watches and portable computers. LCD displays have two areas of polarizing substance, and a liquid crystal solution in between. With the passing of electric current through the liquid, the crystals line up in such a way that light cannot infiltrate them. Each crystal acts like a shutter, either blocking the light or allowing it to come through.

Monochrome LCD images generally show as dark gray or blue images atop a grayish-white backdrop. In color LCDs, two fundamental techniques are used for producing color: Passive matrix is the less costly of the two. Limited in color and viewing angle, passive matrix was broadly used with earlier laptops for mono or color displays. The second technology is called active-matrix or thin film transistor (TFT). It puts out color images that are sharp, but its technology is costly. Active-matrix is used for laptops, desk-top computers, home theatres, etc. Recently, passive-matrix displays have been come up with technology that can produce colors sharp enough to rival active-matrix displays.

When purchasing an LCD monitor, it is important to thoroughly check the entire package, which includes resolution, response time, viewable size, viewing angle, brightness and contrast ratio, color support, etc.