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 highdefinition 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