Definition of display devices:

An electronic device on which the output signal of another electronic device may be presented in a visual form, also called display device. Typically the display device it is the screen of a cathode-ray tube, as in a computer monitor, but other forms of visual display such as LED or liquid crystal devices are also used. The printed output from a computer or other device is not considered as a display. The output signal from a computer program, displayed on a display device. The displayed signal may consist of letters, numbers, or any graphical image.

Characteristic of display devices:

Display devices can be characterized according to:

Colour capability Sharpness and view ability The size of the screen The projection technology

Colour Capability:
Today, most desktop displays provide colour. Notebook and smaller computers sometimes have a less expensive monochrome display. Displays can usually operate in one of several display modes that determine how many bits are used to describe colour and how many colours can be displayed. A display that can operate in Super VGA mode can display up to 16,777,216 colours because it can process a 24-bit long description of a pixel . The number of bits used to describe a pixel is known as its bit-depth. The 24-bit bit-depth is also known as true colour. It allows eight bits for each of the three additive primary colours - red, green, and blue. Although human beings can't really distinguish that many colours, the 24-bit system is convenient for graphic designers since it allocates one byte for each colour. The Visual Graphics Array ( VGA ) mode is the lowest common denominator of display modes. Depending on the resolution setting, it can provide up to 256 colours.

Sharpness and View ability:

The absolute physical limitation on the potential image sharpness of a screen image is the dot, which is the size of an individual beam that gets through to light up a point of phosphor on the screen. (The shape of this beam can be round or a vertical, slotshaped rectangle depending on the display technology.) Displays typically come with a dot pitch of .28 mm (millimetres) or smaller. The smaller the dot pitches in millimetres, the greater the potential image sharpness. The actual sharpness of any particular overall display image is measured in dotsper-inch (dots per inch ). The dots-per-inch is determined by a combination of the screen resolution (how many pixel s are projected on the screen horizontally and vertically) and the physical screen size. The same resolution spread out over a larger screen offers reduced sharpness. On the other hand, a high-resolution setting on a smaller surface will produce a sharper image, but text readability will become more difficult. View ability includes the ability to see the screen image well from different angles. Displays with cathode ray tubes ( CRT ) generally provide good view ability from angles other than straight on. Flat-panel displays, including those using light-emitting diode and liquid crystal display technology, are often harder to see at angles other than straight on.

The Size of the Screen:

On desktop computers, the display screen width relative to height, known as the aspect ratio, is generally standardized at 4 to 3 (usually indicated as "4:3"). Screen sizes are measured in either millimetres or inches diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner. Popular desktop screen sizes are 12-, 13-, 15-, and 17-inch. Notebook screen sizes are somewhat smaller.

The Projection Technology:

Most displays in current use employ cathode ray tube ( CRT ) technology similar to that used in most television sets. The CRT technology requires a certain distance from the beam projection device to the screen in order to function. Using other technologies, displays can be much thinner and are known as flat-panel displays. Flat panel display technologies include light-emitting diode (LED), liquid crystal display ( LCD ), and gas plasma. LED and gas plasma work by lighting up display screen positions based on the voltages at different grid intersections. LCDs work by blocking light rather than creating it. LCDs require far less energy than LED and gas

plasma technologies and are currently the primary technology for notebook and other mobile computers. Displays generally handle data input as character maps or bitmap s. In charactermapping mode, a display has a reallocated amount of pixel space for each character. In bitmap mode, it receives an exact representation of the screen image that is to be projected in the form of a sequence of bits that describe the colour values for specific coordinates starting from a given location on the screen. Displays that handle bitmaps are also known as all-points addressable displays.

Types of display devices:

1. Analog display devices (cathode-ray tubes) Oscilloscope tubes TV CRTs 2. Digital display devices LCD (liquid crystal) displays Nixie tube displays and PDPs (plasma display panels) Data projectors 3. Others: Electronic paper Laser TV

There we will discuss three major types of displays you should be knowledgeable of:

CRT monitors LCD monitors Data projectors

CRT Monitor:
Cathode ray tube (CRT) displays are now fading in popularity but are still in widespread use on older systems. CRTs use a picture tube that is similar to the picture tube in a tube-based TV set. The narrow end of the tube contains an electron gun that projects three electron beams (red, blue, green) toward the wide end, which is coated with phosphors that glow when they are hit by the electron beams. Just

before the phosphor coating, a metal plate called a shadow mask is used to divide the image created by the electron guns into red, green, and blue pixels or stripes that form the image. Shadow masks use one of three technologies:

A phosphor triad (a group of three phosphorsred, green, and blue). The distance between each triad is called the dot pitch. An aperture grill, which uses vertical red, green, and blue phosphor strips. The distance between each group is called the stripe pitch. A slotted mask, which uses small blocks of red, green, and blue phosphor strips. The distance between each horizontal group is also called stripe pitch.

If you look closely at a CRT display, you can see the individual triads or strips. However, from normal viewing distances, they blend into a clear picture. Generally, the smaller the dot or stripe pitch, the clearer and sharper the onscreen image will be. Typical standards for CRT monitors call for a dot pitch of .28 millimeters (mm) or smaller. Generally, low-cost monitors have poorer picture quality than higher-cost monitors of the same size because of wider dot pitch, low refresh rates at their highest resolutions, and poor focus at their highest resolutions. Typical CRT displays range in size from 15 inches (diagonal measure) to 19 inches, and feature support for a wide range of resolutions. CRTs are analog display devices that can display an unlimited range of colors, and use the 15-pin VGA connector.

ADVANTAGES : A CRT can easily increase the monitors brightness by reflecting the light. It produces more colours. The CRT monitors have lower price rate. The quality of the image is superior to others. The contrast features are highly excellent.

DISADVANTAGES : It have a big back and It take-up space on desk. Constant refreshing of CRT monitors can resulting headache. CRTs are operating at very high voltage. These are heavy to pick-up and carry around.

LCD Monitor:
Liquid crystal displays (LCD) use liquid crystal cells to polarize light passing through the display to create the image shown on the monitor. In color LCD displays, liquid crystal cells are grouped into three cells for each pixel: one each for red, green, and blue light. All LCD displays use active matrix technology, which uses a transistor to control each cell, as the basic technology. Variations in how quickly a display can refresh, how wide the viewing angle, and how bright the display help distinguish different brands and models from each other. An LCD monitor is a digital design, but many models, particularly low-end models and older designs, use the same VGA analog interface as CRTs. In such cases, the monitor must include an analog-digital converter to change the analog signal received by the VGA cable into a digital signal. High-end LCD displays and most recent midrange models also support digital signals and use DVI-D ports. Compared to CRT monitors, LCDs are much lighter, require much less power, emit less heat, and use much less desk space. An LCD display has only one native resolution; it must scale lower resolutions to fit the panel, or, depending upon the options configured in the video card driver, might use only a portion of the display when a lower resolution is selected. When a lower resolution is scaled, the display is less sharp than when the native resolution is used. LCD displays are found in both standard (4:3 or 1.33:1) and widescreen (16:9 or 16:10) aspect ratios, and range in size from 14 inches (diagonal measure) to 24 inches or larger.

ADVANTAGES : The sharpness of a LCD display is at maximum weakness. High peak intensity produces very bright images. Screens are perfectly flat. Thin, with a small footprint. Consume little electricity and produce little heat. The LCD display unit is very light and can be put anywhere or moved anywhere in the house.

DISADVANTAGES : After a while the LCD display the some of the pixels will die you will see a discoloured spot on a black spot on the display. The cost of a LCD is considerably at a high price. The LCD display will have slow response times. The LCD display has a fixed resolution display and cannot be changed.

Data Projector:
Data projectors can be used in place of a primary display or can be used as a clone of the primary display to permit computer information and graphics to be displayed on a projection screen or a wall. Data projectors use one of the following technologies:

Liquid crystal display (LCD) Digital light processing (DLP)

LCD projectors use separate LCD panels for red, green, and blue light, and combine the separate images into a single RGB image for projection, using dichroic mirrors. A dichroic mirror reflects light in some wavelengths, while permitting light in other wavelengths to pass through. Red and blue dichroic mirrors are used to split the image into red, blue, and green wavelengths. After passing through the appropriate LCD, a dichroic combiner cube recombines the separate red, green, and blue images into a single RGB image for projection. LCD projectors use a relatively hot projection lamp, so LCD projectors include cooling fans that run both during projector operation and after the projector is turned off to cool down the lamp.

DLP projectors use a spinning wheel with red, green, and blue sections to add color data to light being reflected from an array of tiny mirrors known as a digital micro mirror device (DMD). Each mirror corresponds to a pixel, and the mirrors reflect light toward or away from the projector optics. The spinning wheel might use only three segments (RGB), four segments (RGB+clear), or six segments (RGB+RGB). More segments help improve picture quality. Advantages: Largest possible picture. Smaller images a great option also. Low cost. Space saving. Easy to install.

Disadvantages: Dark room often required. Maintenance required. Separate audio system required.

Touch Screens:
Touch screen (or touch screen) monitors enable the user to transfer data into the computer by pressing onscreen icons. Touch screen monitors are popular in publicaccess and point-of-sale installations. Touch screen monitors use liquid crystal display (LCD) or cathode ray tube (CRT) technology and also incorporate one of the following surface treatments to make the monitor touch sensitive:

Four-wire resistive technology uses a glass panel coated with

multiple layers that conduct and resist electricity. A flexible polyester cover sheet fits over the glass panel and is separated from the panel with insulating separator dots. The outer side of the cover has a durable coating; the inner side has a conductive coating. When the cover is pressed, an electrical signal is generated and is sent through the interface to the computer. The lowestcost touch screen technology, this type of screen is designed for public use.

Five-wire resistive technology a more sensitive and more accurate

version of four-wire resistive technology suitable for use by trained personnel (offices, point-of-sale, and so on).

Surface wave Uses horizontal and vertical piezoelectric transducers to

create ultrasonic waves. Touching the screen overlay disrupts the waves and the coordinates of the touch determine what signal is sent to the computer. Its a durable surface able to compensate for surface damage and dirt and is suitable for self-service applications such as banking or information kiosks.

Touch-on-tube Combines surface wave technology with direct touch

contacts to the CRT; no overlay is necessary. LCDs use an overlay with a simple air gap between the overlay and the panel surface. Suitable for selfservice applications.

Scanning infrared A light grid created by infrared (IR) signals is used to

sense touches. Works with plasma as well as other types of displays.

Touch screens are available in freestanding versions similar to normal desktop CRT and LCD displays as well as in kiosk and built-in designs. Touch screens, like ordinary LCD and CRT monitors, use standard VGA analog or DVI digital interfaces to the video card. However, the touch signals are transmitted to the computer through a separate interface known as the touch screen controller. Touch screen controllers can use either of the following interfaces:

Serial Some touch screen monitors have an internal serial controller;

others use an external serial controller. The internal serial controller might use a standard 9-pin serial cable or a special PS/2to9-pin serial cable to connect the controller to a serial (COM) port on the computer, depending upon the monitor model. The external serial controller uses a controller with a built-in serial cable.

USB A touch screen monitor with an internal USB interface uses a standard
USB cable to connect to a USB port on the computer.

DISADVANTAGES:

Screen has to be really big not to miss things when pressing them with your finger: I only like HTC Touch HD, screen size wise, and big screen means increased size of the device. Big screen leads to low battery life. Touch screen means screen cant be read too well in direct sunlight as it applies an additional not 100% transparent.

Touch screen devices usually has no additional keys and this means when an app crashes, without crashing the OS, you cant get to the main menu as the whole screen becomes unresponsive. Touch screens usually have low precision, virtual QWERTY keyboards being one of the most annoying things. Most user interfaces are not optimized for thumb operation, so a stylus in necessary, and this means using two hands. Screens get very dirty. These devices require massive computing power which leads to slow devices and low battery life.

ADVANTAGES:

Big screen is ideal for web browsing, picture and movies. Touch screen gadgets usually have simple user interfaces, which are more intuitive. Touch screen devices have fewer buttons that might break after a few months/years of operation.