Computer Graphics:

Video Display Devices

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
Direct View Storage Devices
Flat Panel Displays
Three Dimensional Viewing Devices
Virtual Reality Systems
Video Display Devices
 A display is a computer output
surface and projecting mechanism
that shows text and often graphic
images to the computer user, using a
cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal
display (LCD), light-emitting diode, gas
plasma, or other image projection
technology.

 The primary display device is the Video

Monitor, which is based on the standard
Cathode Ray Tube design
Video Display/Output Devices
 CRT Monitors
 Raster Scan Display
 Vector/ Random Scan Display
 Colored CRT Monitors
 Flat Panel Display
 Plasma Panel Display
 Liquid Crystal Monitors
 Direct View Storage Tubes Monitors
 Three Dimensional Viewing Device
 Virtual Reality Systems
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
Monitors
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
 Most common display device today
 An Analog Device
 Electrons are fired from a filament, focused, accelerated,
then deflected to a point on the phosphor coating on the
inside of the display screen
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
 Primary Components:

 Electron Gun
 Control Electrode
 Focusing Electrode
 Deflection Yoke
 Phosphorous-coated Screen
Electron Gun
 Components:
 Heating Element - Filament
 Heated Metal Cathode
 Cathode is heated up by directing a current
thru’ a coil of wire, called the filament, inside
the cylindrical cathode structure
 Electrons get “boiled off” the hot cathode
surface
 Free, negatively charged electrons are
accelerated towards the phosphor coating of
the screen by a high positive voltage.
Control Grid
 A metal cylinder that fits over the cathode, with a small
hole at the end of the structure from which the electrons
escape
 Used to regulate the flow of electrons
 Used to control the intensity of the electron beam by
 Setting voltage levels on the control grid.
 High negative voltage
 Shut off the beam by repelling electrons and stopping them
from passing thru the hole
 Small negative voltage
 Decrease the number of electrons striking the screen
 Brightness of the display is controlled by the control grid
 Amount of light emitted by the phosphor depends on the
number of electrons striking the screen
Focusing System
 Forces the electron beam to converge into a small spot
on the screen.
 Used to create a clear picture by focusing the electrons
into a narrow beam.

 Two methods used:

 Electric Field
 Electron beam passes thru a positively charged metal cylinder,
that forms an electrostatic lens
 Electrostatic lens focuses the electron beam to a small spot on
the screen
 Magnetic Field
 A magnetic coil is mounted around the outside of the CRT
envelope
 Magnetic lens focusing produces the smallest spot size on the
screen
Deflection System
 Used to control the direction of the
electron beam

 Two methods:
 Electric Field
 Magnetic Field
Deflection System
 Magnetic Deflection
 Two pairs of coils are mounted on opposite sides of the
neck of the CRT envelope
 One pair of coils is mounted on the top and bottom of
the the neck
 Other pair is mounted on the opposite sides of the neck
Deflection System
 Electrostatic Deflection
 Two pairs of parallel plates are mounted inside the
CRT envelope
 One pair of plates is mounted horizontally to
control the vertical deflection
 Other pair is mounted vertically to control the
horizontal deflection
Phosphor-coated Screen
 Phosphorous coating on the inside front
surface of every CRT
 This surface is coated with special crystals
called phosphors
 Phosphors glow when they are hit by a high energy
electron beam
 After being exposed to the electron beam, they
continue to glow for a distinct period of time
 The exact time and color is unique to each phosphor
 Properties of phosphor:
 Persistence
 Phosphorescence
 Flourescence
Properties of Phosphor
 Persistence

 how long the phosphor continues to emit light after

the electron beam has been removed
 The time taken by the emitted light from the screen
to decay to one-tenth of it’s original intensity
 Lower persistence phosphors require higher refresh
rates; useful for animation
 Higher persistence phosphors are useful for
displaying highly complex, static pictures
 Graphics monitors are usually constructed with
persistence in the range from 10 to 60 microseconds
Properties of Phosphor
 Flourescence
 The light given off by a phosphor while it is
being exposed to an electron beam

 Phosphorescence
 The light given off by a phosphor after it has
been exposed to a high-energy electron
beam
Refresh CRT
 In a CRT, when high energy electrons strike
the phosphor coated screen at specified
position, the phosphor emits a small spot of
light.
 The light emitted by the phosphor fades very
rapidly.
 To maintain the screen picture, we need to
keep the phosphor glowing.
 Redraw the picture repeatedly by quickly
directing the electron beam back over the
same points.
 This process is called refreshing the CRT
Resolution
 Maximum number of points* that can be
displayed without overlap on a CRT
 Higher the resolution, sharper the image.
 Example: 640x480, means 480 rows, each
containing 640 pixels
 High Definition System:
 high resolution systems, such as 1280x1024,
1600x1200
 Dependent on
 Type of phosphor
 Intensity to be displayed
 Focusing and Deflection systems

*Each screen point is called pixel or pel (picture element).

Aspect Ratio
 Ratio of the vertical points to the horizontal
points necessary to produce equal-length lines
in both the directions
 An aspect ratio of ¾ means
 a vertical line plotted with three points has the same
length as a horizontal line with four points
 The monitor with a resolution of 640x480 has
aspect ratio=480/640 =3/4

 Sometimes, aspect ratio is stated as the ratio of horizontal to

vertical points
Raster Scan Displays
 The most common type of CRT display
 Electron beam sweeps across the screen, one
row (scan line) at a time from top to bottom
 The beam intensity is turned on or off, as the
beam moves across each row
 Picture definition is stored in a memory area
called the refresh buffer or frame buffer.

 Well suited for realistic displays

 Television and printers use raster scan
methods
Raster Scan Display
Raster Scan Displays
Raster Scan Displays:
Refresh Buffer
 Memory area that holds the set of
intensity values for all screen points
 Intensity values are retrieved from the
refresh buffer and displayed on the
screen, one row (scan line) at a time
 Intensity range for pixel positions
depends on
 the capability of the raster system, i.e. how
many colors are supported by the system.
Raster Scan Displays:
Refresh Buffer
 For black-and-white display,
 Each screen point is either on or off
 One bit per pixel is needed to store the intensity for
the pixel
 Frame buffer is called bitmap.
 For colored displays,
 Multiple bits per pixel are required
 e.g. Four color display needs two bits per pixel,
Sixteen color display needs 4 bits per pixel
 In high quality systems, up to 24 bits per pixel are
included, and this requires several megabytes of
storage
 Frame buffer is called pixmap.
Raster Scan Displays:
Refresh Buffer

 A refresh buffer holds an intensity value for every pixel in

a raster display, a total of x resolution× y resolution
pixels.
 The depth of the refresh buffer determines how many
colors can be represented.
 Number of bits required per pixel
Raster Scan Displays:
Refresh Rate
 Refresh rate determines how many times per
second the screen is to be refreshed

 Generally, refreshing of raster displays is done

at the rate of 60 to 80 frames per
second/cycles per second/ Hertz

 The faster the refresh rate, the lesser the

monitor flickers.
Raster Scan Displays:
Horizontal Retrace & Vertical Retrace
 Horizontal Retrace
 At the end of each scan line, the electron beam
returns to the left side of the screen to start
displaying next line
 This is called the horizontal retrace of the electron
beam.
 Vertical Retrace
 At the end of each frame, the electron beam returns
to the top left of the screen to begin the next frame
 This is called the vertical retrace of the electron
beam.
Raster Scan Displays:
Horizontal Retrace & Vertical Retrace
Raster Scan Displays:
Interlacing

 Used with slower refreshing rates

 In interlaced refresh procedure,

 Each frame is displayed in two passes
 In the first pass, the beam sweeps across every other
scan line from top to bottom
 In the second pass, the beam retraces vertically and
sweeps across the remaining lines

 The entire screen is displayed in one-half the

time it would take to sweep across all the lines
at once from top to bottom.
Interlacing
 Interlacing scan lines on a raster
scan display.

 First, all points on the

even-numbered (solid) scan
lines are displayed;

then all points along the odd-

numbered (dashed) lines are
displayed.
Raster Scan Displays:
Interlacing
Interlaced vs. Non-Interlaced Display

Even field Odd field

Frame Buffer
Random/Vector Scan Displays
 Electron beam is directed only to the
parts of the screen where a picture
is to be drawn.
 Draw a picture one line at a time.
 Component lines of a picture can be
drawn and refreshed in any
specified order.

 Vector displays, calligraphic displays,

stroke-writing displays
Random/Vector Scan Displays
 Refresh Buffer
 Picture definition is stored as a set of line
commands
 Also called refresh display file
 Refresh Rate
 Depends on the number of lines to be
displayed.
 System cycles thru the set of commands in the
display file, drawing each component line in
turn.
 Suitable for line-drawing applications, and not
suited for realistic displays.
Random/Vector Scan Displays
Color CRT Monitors
 Color pictures can be displayed by using
different phosphors that emit different-
color light.
 A range of colors can be generated by
combining the emitted light from the
different phosphors

 Two basic techniques:

 Beam-Penetration Method
 Shadow Mask Method
Beam Penetration Method
 Two layers of phosphor, usually red and green are
coated inside the CRT screen
 The color that is displayed depends on
 how far the electron beam penetrates into phosphor
layers.
 Slow electrons excite only the outer red layer
 Fast electrons penetrates thru the red layer and excites
the inner layer
 Intermediate beam speed displays combination of two
colors (orange and yellow)
 Speed of the electrons, and hence the screen color, is
controlled by the beam-acceleration voltage.
 Mainly used with random scan monitors
 Disadvantage:
 Only four colors are possible
 Quality of pictures is not good as with other methods.
Shadow-Mask Method (Dot Trio)
 Mainly used in raster scan monitors
 Much wider range of colors as compared to beam
penetration method

 In a Shadow-Mask CRT
 Three phosphor color dots at each pixel position are
arranged in a triangular form, known as dot trio
arrangement
 One emits a red light
 Second emits a green light
 Third emits a blue light
 Three electron guns, one for each color dot
 Shadow-Mask grid is placed just behind the phosphor
coated screen
Shadow-Mask CRT
 Before the electron
beam strikes the
phosphor dots, it travels
through the shadow
mask located directly in
front of the phosphor.

 Dot Pitch:
 The physical distance
between adjacent
phosphor dots of the
same color on the inner
surface of the CRT.
 The closer the dots, the
smaller the dot pitch, and
the sharper the image
Color crts
Shadow-Mask CRT
Shadow Mask

 Shadow Mask is a perforated sheet and is now available

in a number of forms, designed to suit the various CRT
tube technologies that have emerged over the years.

 Important functions of these sheets:

 they "mask" the electron beam, forming a smaller, more
rounded point that can strike individual phosphor dots
cleanly
 they filter out stray electrons, thereby minimizing
"overspill" and ensuring that only the intended phosphors
are hit
 by guiding the electrons to the correct phosphor colors,
they permit independent control of brightness of the
monitor's three primary colors.
Variations to Shadow Mask

 Aperture Grille

 Slotted Mask
Aperture Grille
 The phosphor separation method
used in a Trinitron CRT in place of a
shadow mask.
 Mask: Set of thin vertical wires,
stabilized by one or two horizontal
wires, that rests behind the glass in a
CRT monitor
 The pixels are separated vertically
 Phosphors (Red, Green and Blue)
are arranged in uninterrupted
vertical lines with no horizontal
breaks
 Slot Pitch
 the distance between the vertical
stripes of same color
Slotted Mask
 Uses the slot-mask design used on many non-Trinitron
TV sets.
 Combination of shadow mask and aperture grille
technology
 Slot masks have a metal screen like a shadow mask
display, but its holes are long and narrow, which makes
it more closely resemble the lines in an aperture grille
display.
Direct View Storage Tube (DVST)
 Stores the picture information as a
charge distribution just behind the
phosphor-coated screen
 No need of refreshing the screen

 Two electron guns used

 Primary gun:
 Used to store the picture pattern
 Flood gun:
 Used to maintain the picture display
Flat Panel Displays
 A class of video devices that have reduced
volume, weight and power requirements
compared to CRT.

 Thinner than CRTs

 Examples:
 Laptops, calculators, armrest viewing of
movies on airlines, etc.
Flat Panel Displays:
Categories
 Emissive Displays (emitters)
 Convert electrical energy into light
 Examples:
 Plasma Panels
 Thin Electroluminescent Displays
 Light-Emitting Diodes
 Non-Emissive Displays (non-emitters)
 Convert sunlight or light from some other
source into graphics patterns
 Example:
 Liquid Crystal Displays
Emissive Displays:
Plasma Panels
 Principle:
 Passing a high voltage through a low-
pressure gas generates light.
 Construction:
 Filling the region between two glass plates
with a mixture of gases, usually includes
neon.
 Series of vertical conducting ribbons are
placed on one glass panel
 Series of horizontal conducting ribbons are
placed on the other glass panels
Plasma display panels
Emissive Displays:
Plasma Panels
 Working:
 Voltage is applied to a pair of horizontal and
vertical conductors
 The gas at the intersection breaks down into
a glowing plasma of electrons and ions

 Pixel positions are at the intersections of

the conductors.
 Picture definition is stored in a refresh
buffer.
Emissive Displays:
Plasma Panels
 Compared to conventional CRT displays,
plasma displays are

 about one-tenth the thickness--around 4'',

 one-sixth the weight--under 67 pounds for a
40" display,
 use over 16 million colors and
 have a 160 degree-viewing angle.
Emissive Displays:
Electroluminescent Displays
 Similar to Plasma Panels
 The region between the glass plates is filled
with a phosphor (doped with manganese), instead of
gas

 Working:
 High voltage is applied to a pair of crossing
electrodes
 Phosphor becomes a conductor in the area of the
intersection of the electrodes
 The manganese atoms absorb electrical energy
 This energy is released in the form of a spot of light
Emissive Displays:
Light Emitting Diodes
 A matrix of diodes is arranged to form
the pixel positions of the display.

 Picture definition is stored in the refresh

buffer.

 Information is read from the buffer

 It is converted to voltage levels
 Which are applied to the diodes to produce the
light patterns in the display.
Emissive Displays:
Light Emitting Diodes
 A solid-state device that contains
a chemical compound that gives
off light when an electric current
passes through it.

 It consists of
 a semiconductor diode chip
mounted in the reflector cup of a
lead frame
 that is connected to electrical
(wire bond) wires, then encased
in a solid epoxy lens.

 LEDs emit light when energy

levels change in the
semiconductor diode.
Non-Emissive Displays:
Liquid Crystal Displays
 Principle:
 Polarized light is passed thru’ a liquid crystal
material, that can be aligned to either block
or transmit the light
 Liquid Crystal:
 A compound having a crystalline
arrangement of molecules, yet they flow like
a liquid
 Generally, Nematic (thread-like) liquid
crystal compounds are used
 It tends to keep the long axes of the rod shaped
molecules aligned
Non-Emissive Displays:
Liquid Crystal Displays
 Construction:
 Two glass plates
 each contains a light polarizer at right angles
 Rows of horizontal transparent conductors are built into
one glass plate
 Columns of vertical transparent conductors are built
into the other glass plate
 Liquid crystal material is placed in between these two
plates
 Pixel position:
 Intersection of two conductors
 Normally, the molecules are aligned in the on-state
Non-Emissive Displays:
Liquid Crystal Displays
 Working:
 On-State (to turn on the pixel)
 Polarized light passing thru the
material is twisted
 It passes thru the opposite
polarizer
 Off-State (to turn off the pixel)
 A voltage is applied to the two
intersecting conductors
 Molecules get aligned and as a
result the light is not twisted
 This type of device is called
passive-matrix LCD
 Each crystal, therefore, is like a
shutter, either allowing light to
pass through or blocking the light.
 Liquid crystal display monitors
 LCDs are organic
molecules that, in the
absence of external
forces, tend to align
themselves in crystalline
structures.
 When an external force is
applied they will
rearrange themselves
as if they were a liquid.
Some liquid crystals
respond to heat (i.e.
mood rings),others
respond to
electromagnetic forces.
Non-Emissive Displays:
Liquid Crystal Displays
Non-Emissive Displays:
Liquid Crystal Displays
 Picture Definitions are stored in refresh buffer
 Refresh rate is 60 frames per second

 Active Matrix Displays

 Uses Thin-Film Transistor TFT() technology
 A transistor is placed at each pixel position
 Transistors control the voltage at pixel
positions and prevent charge from leaking
out of the liquid-crystal displays
 Expensive as compared to passive-matrix
displays
 Produces sharper images as compared to
passive-matrix
Three-Dimensional Viewing Devices
 A CRT image is reflected from a vibrating,
flexible varifocal mirror
 The focal length of mirror changes as it
vibrates
 Vibrations are synchronized with the display of
an object on a CRT
 Each point on the object is reflected from the
mirror into a spatial position
 We can walk around the object and view it
from different sides

 Applications Areas:
 Medical Applications
 Geological Applications
 Design Applications
Three-Dimensional Viewing
Devices
Stereoscopic Views
 Used to represent three-dimensional objects
 No true three-dimensional images are
produced,
 only three-dimensional effect is produced by
presenting a different view to each eye of an
observer
 Two views of the scene are constructed as
computer–generated scenes, with different
viewing positions
 User simultaneously looks at the left view with
left eye and the right view with the right eye
 Both the views merge into a singe image
 User perceives the scene with depth
Virtual-Reality Systems
 Systems where user can step into a scene and
interact with the environment
 Main component is Stereoscopic Viewing
 Headset
 Contains an optical system, used to generate
stereoscopic views
 In conjunction with interactive input devices, to
locate and manipulate objects in the scene
 Contains a sensing system,
 to keep track of the viewer’s position,
 so that front and back of the objects can be seen as the
viewer “walks-through” and interacts with the display.