Display Devices

The most commonly used display device is a video monitor. The operation of most video
monitors based on CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). The following display devices are used:

1. Refresh Cathode Ray Tube

2. Random Scan and Raster Scan
3. Color CRT Monitors
4. Direct View Storage Tubes
5. Flat Panel Display
6. Lookup Table

1) Cathode Ray Tube (CRT):

CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube. CRT is a technology used in traditional computer monitors
and televisions. The image on CRT display is created by firing electrons from the back of the
tube of phosphorus located towards the front of the screen.

Once the electron heats the phosphorus, they light up, and they are projected on a screen. The
color you view on the screen is produced by a blend of red, blue and green light.
Components of CRT:

Main Components of CRT are:

1. Electron Gun: Electron gun consisting of a series of elements, primarily a heating filament
(heater) and a cathode. The electron gun creates a source of electrons which are focused into a
narrow beam directed at the face of the CRT.

2. Control Electrode: It is used to turn the electron beam on and off.

3. Focusing system: It is used to create a clear picture by focusing the electrons into a narrow
beam.

4. Deflection Yoke: It is used to control the direction of the electron beam. It creates an electric
or magnetic field which will bend the electron beam as it passes through the area. In a
conventional CRT, the yoke is linked to a sweep or scan generator. The deflection yoke which is
connected to the sweep generator creates a fluctuating electric or magnetic potential.

5. Phosphorus-coated screen: The inside front surface of every CRT is coated with phosphors.
Phosphors glow when a high-energy electron beam hits them. Phosphorescence is the term used
to characterize the light given off by a phosphor after it has been exposed to an electron beam.

2) Random Scan Display:

Random Scan System uses an electron beam which operates like a pencil to create a line image
on the CRT screen. The picture is constructed out of a sequence of straight-line segments. Each
line segment is drawn on the screen by directing the beam to move from one point on the screen
to the next, where its x & y coordinates define each point. After drawing the picture. The system
cycles back to the first line and design all the lines of the image 30 to 60 time each second. The
process is shown in fig:
Random-scan monitors are also known as vector displays or stroke-writing displays or
calligraphic displays.

Advantages:

1. A CRT has the electron beam directed only to the parts of the screen where an image is to
be drawn.
2. Produce smooth line drawings.
3. High Resolution

Disadvantages:

1. Random-Scan monitors cannot display realistic shades scenes.

3) Raster Scan Display:

A Raster Scan Display is based on intensity control of pixels in the form of a rectangular box
called Raster on the screen. Information of on and off pixels is stored in refresh buffer or Frame
buffer. Televisions in our house are based on Raster Scan Method. The raster scan system can
store information of each pixel position, so it is suitable for realistic display of objects. Raster
Scan provides a refresh rate of 60 to 80 frames per second.
Frame Buffer is also known as Raster or bit map. In Frame Buffer the positions are called picture
elements or pixels. Beam refreshing is of two types. First is horizontal retracing and second is
vertical retracing. When the beam starts from the top left corner and reaches the bottom right
scale, it will again return to the top left side called at vertical retrace. Then it will again more
horizontally from top to bottom call as horizontal retracing shown in fig:

Types of Scanning or travelling of beam in Raster Scan

1. Interlaced Scanning
2. Non-Interlaced Scanning

In Interlaced scanning, each horizontal line of the screen is traced from top to bottom. Due to
which fading of display of object may occur. This problem can be solved by Non-Interlaced
scanning. In this first of all odd numbered lines are traced or visited by an electron beam, then in
the next circle, even number of lines are located.

For non-interlaced display refresh rate of 30 frames per second used. But it gives flickers. For
interlaced display refresh rate of 60 frames per second is used.

Advantages:

1. Realistic image
2. Million Different colors to be generated
3. Shadow Scenes are possible.

Disadvantages:

1. Low Resolution
2. Expensive

Differentiate between Random and Raster Scan Display:

Random Scan Raster Scan

1. It has high Resolution 1. Its resolution is low.

2. It is more expensive 2. It is less expensive

3. Any modification if needed is easy [Link] is tough

4. Solid pattern is tough to fill [Link] pattern is easy to fill

5. Refresh rate depends or resolution 5. Refresh rate does not depend on

the picture.

6. Only screen with view on an area is 6. Whole screen is scanned.

displayed.

7. Beam Penetration technology come 7. Shadow mark technology came

under it. under this.

8. It does not use interlacing method. 8. It uses interlacing

9. It is restricted to line drawing 9. It is suitable for realistic display.

applications

5)Color CRT Monitors:

The CRT Monitor display by using a combination of phosphors. The phosphors are different
colors. There are two popular approaches for producing color displays with a CRT are:
 1. Beam Penetration Method
2. Shadow-Mask Method

1. Beam Penetration Method:

The Beam-Penetration method has been used with random-scan monitors. In this method, the
CRT screen is coated with two layers of phosphor, red and green and the displayed color
depends on how far the electron beam penetrates the phosphor layers. This method produces four
colors only, red, green, orange and yellow. A beam of slow electrons excites the outer red layer
only; hence screen shows red color only. A beam of high-speed electrons excites the inner green
layer. Thus screen shows a green color.

Advantages:

1. Inexpensive

Disadvantages:

1. Only four colors are possible

2. Quality of pictures is not as good as with another method.

2. Shadow-Mask Method:

o Shadow Mask Method is commonly used in Raster-Scan System because they produce a
much wider range of colors than the beam-penetration method.
o It is used in the majority of color TV sets and monitors.

Construction: A shadow mask CRT has 3 phosphor color dots at each pixel position.

o One phosphor dot emits: red light

o Another emits: green light
 o Third emits: blue light

This type of CRT has 3 electron guns, one for each color dot and a shadow mask grid just behind
the phosphor coated screen.

Shadow mask grid is pierced with small round holes in a triangular pattern.

Figure shows the delta-delta shadow mask method commonly used in color CRT system.

Working: Triad arrangement of red, green, and blue guns.

The deflection system of the CRT operates on all 3 electron beams simultaneously; the 3 electron
beams are deflected and focused as a group onto the shadow mask, which contains a sequence of
holes aligned with the phosphor- dot patterns.

When the three beams pass through a hole in the shadow mask, they activate a dotted triangle,
which occurs as a small color spot on the screen.

The phosphor dots in the triangles are organized so that each electron beam can activate only its
corresponding color dot when it passes through the shadow mask.

Inline arrangement: Another configuration for the 3 electron guns is an Inline arrangement in
which the 3

electron guns and the corresponding red-green-blue color dots on the screen, are aligned along
one scan line rather of in a triangular pattern.

This inline arrangement of electron guns in easier to keep in alignment and is commonly used in
high-resolution color CRT's.

Advantage:

1. Realistic image
2. Million different colors to be generated
3. Shadow scenes are possible

Disadvantage:

1. Relatively expensive compared with the monochrome CRT.

 2. Relatively poor resolution
3. Convergence Problem

6)Direct View Storage Tubes:

DVST terminals also use the random scan approach to generate the image on the CRT screen.
The term "storage tube" refers to the ability of the screen to retain the image which has been
projected against it, thus avoiding the need to rewrite the image constantly.

Function of guns: Two guns are used in DVST

1. Primary guns: It is used to store the picture pattern.

2. Flood gun or Secondary gun: It is used to maintain picture display.

Advantage:

1. No refreshing is needed.
2. High Resolution
3. Cost is very less
Disadvantage:

1. It is not possible to erase the selected part of a picture.

2. It is not suitable for dynamic graphics applications.
3. If a part of picture is to modify, then time is consumed.

7) Flat Panel Display:

The Flat-Panel display refers to a class of video devices that have reduced volume, weight and
power requirement compare to CRT.

Example: Small T.V. monitor, calculator, pocket video games, laptop computers, an
advertisement board in elevator.

1. Emissive Display: The emissive displays are devices that convert electrical energy into light.
Examples are Plasma Panel, thin film electroluminescent display and LED (Light Emitting
Diodes).

2. Non-Emissive Display: The Non-Emissive displays use optical effects to convert sunlight or
light from some other source into graphics patterns. Examples are LCD (Liquid Crystal Device).

8) Plasma Panel Display:

Plasma-Panels are also called as Gas-Discharge Display. It consists of an array of small lights.
Lights are fluorescent in nature. The essential components of the plasma-panel display are:

1. Cathode: It consists of fine wires. It delivers negative voltage to gas cells. The voltage is
released along with the negative axis.
2. Anode: It also consists of line wires. It delivers positive voltage. The voltage is supplied
along positive axis.
 3. Fluorescent cells: It consists of small pockets of gas liquids when the voltage is applied
to this liquid (neon gas) it emits light.
4. Glass Plates: These plates act as capacitors. The voltage will be applied, the cell will
glow continuously.

The gas will slow when there is a significant voltage difference between horizontal and vertical
wires. The voltage level is kept between 90 volts to 120 volts. Plasma level does not require
refreshing. Erasing is done by reducing the voltage to 90 volts.

Each cell of plasma has two states, so cell is said to be stable. Displayable point in plasma panel
is made by the crossing of the horizontal and vertical grid. The resolution of the plasma panel
can be up to 512 * 512 pixels.

Figure shows the state of cell in plasma panel display:

Advantage:

1. High Resolution
2. Large screen size is also possible.
3. Less Volume
4. Less weight
5. Flicker Free Display
Disadvantage:

1. Poor Resolution
2. Wiring requirement anode and the cathode is complex.
3. Its addressing is also complex.

9)LED (Light Emitting Diode):

In an LED, a matrix of diodes is organized to form the pixel positions in the display and picture
definition is stored in a refresh buffer. Data is read from the refresh buffer and converted to
voltage levels that are applied to the diodes to produce the light pattern in the display.

10)LCD (Liquid Crystal Display):

Liquid Crystal Displays are the devices that produce a picture by passing polarized light from the
surroundings or from an internal light source through a liquid-crystal material that transmits the
light.

LCD uses the liquid-crystal material between two glass plates; each plate is the right angle to
each other between plates liquid is filled. One glass plate consists of rows of conductors arranged
in vertical direction. Another glass plate is consisting of a row of conductors arranged in
horizontal direction. The pixel position is determined by the intersection of the vertical &
horizontal conductor. This position is an active part of the screen.

Liquid crystal display is temperature dependent. It is between zero to seventy degree Celsius. It
is flat and requires very little power to operate.
Advantage:

1. Low power consumption.

2. Small Size
3. Low Cost

Disadvantage:
 1. LCDs are temperature-dependent (0-70°C)
2. LCDs do not emit light; as a result, the image has very little contrast.
3. LCDs have no color capability.
4. The resolution is not as good as that of a CRT.

Look-Up Table:

Image representation is essentially the description of pixel colors. There are three primary colors:
R (red), G (green) and B (blue). Each primary color can take on intensity levels produces a
variety of colors. Using direct coding, we may allocate 3 bits for each pixel, with one bit for each
primary color. The 3-bit representation allows each primary to vary independently between two
intensity levels: 0 (off) or 1 (on). Hence each pixel can take on one of the eight colors.

Bit 1:r Bit 2:g Bit 3:b Color name

0 0 0 Black

0 0 1 Blue

0 1 0 Green

0 1 1 Cyan

1 0 0 Red

1 0 1 Magenta

1 1 0 Yellow

1 1 1 White

A widely accepted industry standard uses 3 bytes, or 24 bytes, per pixel, with one byte for each
primary color. The way, we allow each primary color to have 256 different intensity levels. Thus
a pixel can take on a color from 256 x 256 x 256 or 16.7 million possible choices. The 24-bit
format is commonly referred to as the actual color representation.

Lookup Table approach reduces the storage requirement. In this approach pixel values do not
code colors directly. Alternatively, they are addresses or indices into a table of color values. The
color of a particular pixel is determined by the color value in the table entry that the value of the
pixel references. Figure shows a look-up table with 256 entries. The entries have addresses 0
through 255. Each entry contains a 24-bit RGB color value. Pixel values are now 1-byte. The
color of a pixel whose value is i, where 0 <i<255, is persistence by the color value in the table
entry whose address is i. It reduces the storage requirement of a 1000 x 1000 image to one
million bytes plus 768 bytes for the color values in the look-up table.