Computer Monitors B. Konkoth

Types of monitors CRT Cathode Ray Tube LCD Liquid Crystal Display

CRT The filaments at the back of the cathode tube shoot a beam of electrons to the screen at the front of the tube This screen is coated with phosphor that glows when struck by the electron beam.

LCD An LCD panel produces an image using a liquid crystal material made of large, easily polarized molecules

2 types of LCD panels Active matrix Most common Contains cells of liquid crystal, a matrix of thin-film transistors (TFT) provides a much brighter, sharper display Passive matrix Dual-scan display Has a row of transistors running on the top of the screen as well as the left of the screen

Features of a monitor

Video cards Interface between the monitor and the computer. Also called graphic adapters, video boards, graphics cards, or display cards. Sometimes the video controller with a video port is integrated into the motherboard.

Video card

Methods of data transfer RGB video port standard method of passing three separate signals for red, green, and blue which most video cards and CRT monitors use. uses a regular 15-pin Super VGA port

Methods of data transfer DVI port - Digital Visual Interface port digital interface standard used by digital monitor such as a digital flat panel monitor, and digital TVs (HDTV). for a video card that only has a DVI port, you can purchase a VGA converter so you can connect a standard VGA cable to use a regular analog monitor.

Methods of data transfer S-Video – Super Video this method sends two signals over the cable, one for color and the other for brightness, and is used by some high end TVs and video equipments. it uses a 4-pin round port

Methods of data transfer Composite video using this method, the red, green, and blue (RGB) are mixed together in the same signal. this is the method used by television and can be used by a video card that is designed to send output to a TV

Flat Screen Monitors LCD - Plasma Picture Quality Normal computing, both LCD and plasma screens will provide sharp and clear display Watching Blu-Ray movies or playing high- definition games, Plasma screens have less picture lag and sharper color resolution than LCD displays.

LCD - Plasma Power Usage LCDs use considerably less power than plasma displays, which use self-lighting pixels Screen Burn-In Plasma screens are more likely to experience screen burn-in (the screen becomes permanently discolored where the unchanging image was)

LCD - Plasma Pixel Levels LCD screens generally have more pixels per square inch than plasma makes them ideal if you are working with complex spreadsheet programs or editing software Size Plasma monitors are usually ahead of the curve regarding their maximum size the biggest monitors are plasma

LCD - Plasma Lifespan LCD monitors tend to be rated for 60,000-plus hours Plasma monitors range from 20,000 to 30,000 hours Price Comparable pricing

Analog – DTV - HDTV Analog CRT sets signal is made of continually varying radio waves that the TV translates into a picture and sound DTV United States broadcasting is currently changed to digital television (DTV ) The picture, even when displayed on a small TV, is better quality

HDTV 18 Digital TV standards HDTV is the highest of all the DTV standards Aspect ratio, Resolution, Frame rate determines the differences

Aspect ratio - Standard television has a 4:3 aspect ratio -- it is four units wide by three units high. HDTV has a 16:9 aspect ratio, more like a movie screen. Resolution - The lowest standard resolution (SDTV) will be about the same as analog TV and will go up to 704 x 480 pixels. The highest HDTV resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. HDTV can display about ten times as many pixels as an analog TV set. Frame rate - A set's frame rate describes how many times it creates a complete picture on the screen every second. DTV frame rates usually end in "i" or "p" to denote whether they are interlaced or progressive. DTV frame rates range from 24p (24 frames per second, progressive) to 60p (60 frames per second, progressive).