12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Computermonitor
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Amonitororadisplayisanelectronicvisualdisplayforcomputers.Themonitorcomprisesthedisplay
device,circuitryandanenclosure.Thedisplaydeviceinmodernmonitorsistypicallyathinfilm
transistorliquidcrystaldisplay(TFTLCD)thinpanel,whileoldermonitorsusedacathoderay
tube(CRT)aboutasdeepasthescreensize.
Originally,computermonitorswereusedfordataprocessingwhiletelevisionreceiverswereusedfor
entertainment.Fromthe1980sonwards,computers(andtheirmonitors)havebeenusedforbothdata
processingandentertainment,whiletelevisionshaveimplementedsomecomputerfunctionality.The
commonaspectratiooftelevisions,andthencomputermonitors,hasalsochangedfrom4:3to16:9.
HistoryEarlyelectroniccomputerswerefittedwithapaneloflightbulbswherethestateofeach
particularbulbwouldindicatetheon/offstateofaparticularregisterbitinsidethecomputer.Thisallowed
theengineersoperatingthecomputertomonitortheinternalstateofthemachine,sothispaneloflights
cametobeknownasthe'monitor'.Asearlymonitorswereonlycapableofdisplayingaverylimited
amountofinformation,andwereverytransient,theywererarelyconsideredforprogrammeoutput.
Instead,alineprinterwastheprimaryoutputdevice,whilethemonitorwaslimitedtokeepingtrackof
theprogramme'soperation.
AstechnologydevelopeditwasrealizedthattheoutputofaCRTdisplaywasmoreflexiblethanapanel
oflightbulbsandeventually,bygivingcontrolofwhatwasdisplayedtotheprogrammeitself,the
monitoritselfbecameapowerfuloutputdeviceinitsownright.
Contents[hide]
1Technologies
1.1Cathoderaytube
1.2Liquidcrystaldisplay
1.3Organiclightemittingdiode
2Measurementsofperformance
2.1Size
2.2Aspectratio
2.3Resolution
3Additionalfeatures
3.1Powersaving
3.2Integratedaccessories
3.3Glossyscreen
3.4Curveddesigns
3.5Directionalscreen
3.63D
3.7Touchscreen
3.8Tabletscreens
4Mounting
4.1Desktop
4.2VESAmount
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

1/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

4.3Rackmount
4.4Panelmount
4.5Openframe
5Securityvulnerabilities
6Manufacturers
7Seealso
8References
9Externallinks

Technologies

[edit]

Furtherinformation:ComparisonofCRT,LCD,Plasma,andOLEDandHistoryofdisplaytechnology
Multipletechnologieshavebeenusedforcomputermonitors.Untilthe21stcenturymostusedcathode
raytubesbuttheyhavelargelybeensupersededbyLCDmonitors.

Cathoderaytube

[edit]

Thefirstcomputermonitorsusedcathoderaytubes(CRTs).Priortotheadventofhomecomputersin
thelate1970s,itwascommonforavideodisplayterminal(VDT)usingaCRTtobephysicallyintegrated
withakeyboardandothercomponentsofthesysteminasinglelargechassis.Thedisplay
wasmonochromeandfarlesssharpanddetailedthanonamodernflatpanelmonitor,necessitatingthe
useofrelativelylargetextandseverelylimitingtheamountofinformationthatcouldbedisplayedatone
time.HighresolutionCRTdisplaysweredevelopedforspecializedmilitary,industrialandscientific
applicationsbuttheywerefartoocostlyforgeneraluse.
Someoftheearliesthomecomputers(suchastheTRS80andCommodorePET)werelimitedto
monochromeCRTdisplays,butcolordisplaycapabilitywasalreadyastandardfeatureofthe
pioneeringAppleII,introducedin1977,andthespecialtyofthemoregraphicallysophisticatedAtari
800,introducedin1979.Eithercomputercouldbeconnectedtotheantennaterminalsofanordinary
colorTVsetorusedwithapurposemadeCRTcolormonitorforoptimumresolutionandcolorquality.
Laggingseveralyearsbehind,in1981IBMintroducedtheColorGraphicsAdapter,whichcoulddisplay
fourcolorswitharesolutionof320x200pixels,oritcouldproduce640x200pixelswithtwocolors.In
1984IBMintroducedtheEnhancedGraphicsAdapterwhichwascapableofproducing16colorsand
hadaresolutionof640x350.[1]
Bytheendofthe1980scolorCRTmonitorsthatcouldclearlydisplay1024x768pixelswerewidely
availableandincreasinglyaffordable.Duringthefollowingdecademaximumdisplayresolutions
graduallyincreasedandpricescontinuedtofall.CRTtechnologyremaineddominantinthePCmonitor
marketintothenewmillenniumpartlybecauseitwascheapertoproduceandofferedviewingangles
closeto180degrees.[2]CRTsstilloffersomeimagequalityadvantagesoverLCDdisplaysbut
improvementstothelatterhavemadethemmuchlessobvious.ThedynamicrangeofearlyLCD
panelswasverypoor,andalthoughtextandothermotionlessgraphicsweresharperthanonaCRT,an
LCDcharacteristicknownaspixellagcausedmovinggraphicstoappearnoticeablysmearedand
blurry.

Liquidcrystaldisplay

[edit]

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

2/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Mainarticles:LiquidcrystaldisplayandThinfilmtransistorliquidcrystaldisplay
Therearemultipletechnologiesthathavebeenusedtoimplementliquidcrystaldisplays(LCD).
Throughoutthe1990s,theprimaryuseofLCDtechnologyascomputermonitorswasinlaptopswhere
thelowerpowerconsumption,lighterweight,andsmallerphysicalsizeofLCDsjustifiedthehigherprice
versusaCRT.Commonly,thesamelaptopwouldbeofferedwithanassortmentofdisplayoptionsat
increasingpricepoints:(activeorpassive)monochrome,passivecolor,oractivematrixcolor(TFT).As
volumeandmanufacturingcapabilityhaveimproved,themonochromeandpassivecolortechnologies
weredroppedfrommostproductlines.
TFTLCDisavariantofLCDwhichisnowthedominanttechnologyusedforcomputermonitors.[3]
ThefirststandaloneLCDdisplaysappearedinthemid1990ssellingforhighprices.Aspricesdeclined
overaperiodofyearstheybecamemorepopular,andby1997werecompetingwithCRTmonitors.
AmongthefirstdesktopLCDcomputermonitorswastheEizoL66inthemid1990s,theAppleStudio
Displayin1998,andtheAppleCinemaDisplayin1999.In2003,TFTLCDsoutsoldCRTsforthefirst
time,becomingtheprimarytechnologyusedforcomputermonitors.[2]ThemainadvantagesofLCDs
overCRTdisplaysarethatLCDsconsumelesspower,takeupmuchlessspace,andareconsiderably
lighter.ThenowcommonactivematrixTFTLCDtechnologyalsohaslessflickeringthanCRTs,which
reduceseyestrain.[4]Ontheotherhand,CRTmonitorshavesuperiorcontrast,havesuperiorresponse
time,areabletousemultiplescreenresolutionsnatively,andthereisnodiscernibleflickeriftherefresh
rateissettoasufficientlyhighvalue.LCDmonitorshavenowveryhightemporalaccuracyandcanbe
usedforvisionresearch.[5]

Organiclightemittingdiode

[edit]

Organiclightemittingdiode(OLED)monitorsprovidehighercontrastandbetterviewinganglesthan
LCDsbuttheyrequiremorepowerwhendisplayingdocumentswithwhiteorbrightbackgrounds.In
2011,a25inch(64cm)OLEDmonitorcost$7500,butthepricesareexpectedtodrop.[6]

Measurementsofperformance

[edit]

Theperformanceofamonitorismeasuredbythefollowingparameters:
Luminanceismeasuredincandelaspersquaremeter(cd/m2alsocalledaNit).
Aspectratioistheratioofthehorizontallengthtotheverticallength.Monitorsusuallyhavethe
aspectratio4:3,5:4,16:10or16:9.
Viewableimagesizeisusuallymeasureddiagonally,buttheactualwidthsandheightsaremore
informativesincetheyarenotaffectedbytheaspectratiointhesameway.ForCRTs,theviewable
sizeistypically1in(25mm)smallerthanthetubeitself.
Displayresolutionisthenumberofdistinctpixelsineachdimensionthatcanbedisplayed.Fora
givendisplaysize,maximumresolutionislimitedbydotpitch.
Dotpitchisthedistancebetweensubpixelsofthesamecolorinmillimeters.Ingeneral,thesmaller
thedotpitch,thesharperthepicturewillappear.
Refreshrateisthenumberoftimesinasecondthatadisplayisilluminated.Maximumrefreshrate
islimitedbyresponsetime.
Responsetimeisthetimeapixelinamonitortakestogofromactive(white)toinactive(black)and
backtoactive(white)again,measuredinmilliseconds.Lowernumbersmeanfastertransitionsand
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

3/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

thereforefewervisibleimageartifacts.
Contrastratioistheratiooftheluminosityofthebrightestcolor(white)tothatofthedarkestcolor
(black)thatthemonitoriscapableofproducing.
Powerconsumptionismeasuredinwatts.
DeltaE:ColoraccuracyismeasuredindeltaEthelowerthedeltaE,themoreaccuratethecolor
representation.AdeltaEofbelow1isimperceptibletothehumaneye.DeltaEsof2to4are
consideredgoodandrequireasensitiveeyetospotthedifference.
Viewingangleisthemaximumangleatwhichimagesonthemonitorcanbeviewed,without
excessivedegradationtotheimage.Itismeasuredindegreeshorizontallyandvertically.

Size

[edit]

Mainarticle:Displaysize
Ontwodimensionaldisplay
devicessuchascomputermonitors
thedisplaysizeorviewableimage
sizeistheactualamountofscreen
spacethatisavailabletodisplay
apicture,videoorworkingspace,

Forany
rectangular
sectionona
roundtube,the
diagonal
measurementis
alsothediameter
ofthetube.

withoutobstructionfromthecaseor
otheraspectsoftheunit'sdesign.
Themainmeasurementsfordisplay
devicesare:width,height,totalarea
andthediagonal.
Thesizeofadisplayisusuallyby

monitormanufacturersgivenbythediagonal,i.e.the

Thearea,heightandwidthofdisplayswith
identicaldiagonalmeasurementsvary
dependentonaspectratio.

distancebetweentwooppositescreencorners.This
methodofmeasurementisinheritedfromthemethodusedforthefirstgenerationofCRTtelevision,
whenpicturetubeswithcircularfaceswereincommonuse.Beingcircular,onlytheirdiameterwas
neededtodescribetheirsize.Sincethesecirculartubeswereusedtodisplayrectangularimages,the
diagonalmeasurementoftherectanglewasequivalenttothediameterofthetube'sface.Thismethod
continuedevenwhencathoderaytubesweremanufacturedasroundedrectanglesithadthe
advantageofbeingasinglenumberspecifyingthesize,andwasnotconfusingwhentheaspectratio
wasuniversally4:3.
Theestimationofthemonitorsizebythedistancebetweenoppositecornersdoesnottakeintoaccount
thedisplayaspectratio,sothatforexamplea16:921inch(53cm)widescreendisplayhaslessarea,
thana21inch(53cm)4:3screen.The4:3screenhasdimensionsof16.8in12.6in(43cm32cm)
andarea211sqin(1,360cm2),whilethewidescreenis18.3in10.3in(46cm26cm),188sqin
(1,210cm2).

Aspectratio

[edit]

Mainarticle:Displayaspectratio
Untilabout2003,mostcomputermonitorshada4:3aspectratioandsomehad5:4.Between2003and
2006,monitorswith16:9andmostly16:10(8:5)aspectratiosbecamecommonlyavailable,first
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

4/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

inlaptopsandlateralsoinstandalonemonitors.Reasonsforthistransitionwasproductiveusesfor
suchmonitors,i.e.besideswidescreencomputergameplayandmovieviewing,arethewordprocessor
displayoftwostandardletterpagessidebyside,aswellasCADdisplaysoflargesizedrawingsand
CADapplicationmenusatthesametime.[7][8]In200816:10becamethemostcommonsoldaspectratio
forLCDmonitorsandthesameyear16:10wasthemainstreamstandardforlaptopsandnotebook
computers.[9]
In2010thecomputerindustrystartedtomoveoverfrom16:10to16:9because16:9waschosentobe
thestandardhighdefinitiontelevisiondisplaysize,andbecausetheywerecheapertomanufacture.
Eventually,monitorswithnonHDresolutionssuchas1920x1200werenolongerproduced.[10]
In2011nonwidescreendisplayswith4:3aspectratioswereonlybeingmanufacturedinsmall
quantities.AccordingtoSamsungthiswasbecausethe"Demandfortheold'Squaremonitors'has
decreasedrapidlyoverthelastcoupleofyears,"and"Ipredictthatbytheendof2011,productiononall
4:3orsimilarpanelswillbehaltedduetoalackofdemand."[10]

Resolution

[edit]

Mainarticle:Displayresolution
Theresolutionforcomputermonitorshasincreasedovertime.From320x200duringtheearly1980s,
to800x600duringthelate1990s.Since2009,themostcommonlysoldresolutionforcomputer
monitorsis1920x1080.[11]Topendconsumerproductsarelimitedto2560x1600at30in
(76cm).[12]Appleintroduced2880x1800withRetinaMacBookProat15in(38cm)onJune12,2012.

Additionalfeatures
Powersaving

[edit]

[edit]

Mostmodernmonitorswillswitchtoapowersavingmodeifnovideoinputsignalisreceived.This
allowsmodernoperatingsystemstoturnoffamonitorafteraspecifiedperiodofinactivity.Thisalso
extendsthemonitor'sservicelife.
Somemonitorswillalsoswitchthemselvesoffafteratimeperiodonstandby.
Mostmodernlaptopsprovideamethodofscreendimmingafterperiodsofinactivityorwhenthebattery
isinuse.Thisextendsbatterylifeandreduceswear.

Integratedaccessories

[edit]

Manymonitorshaveotheraccessories(orconnectionsforthem)integrated.Thisplacesstandard
portswithineasyreachandeliminatestheneedforanotherseparatehub,camera,microphone,orset
ofspeakers.Thesemonitorshaveadvancedmicroprocessorswhichcontaincodecinformation,
WindowsInterfacedriversandothersmallsoftwarewhichhelpinproperfunctioningofthesefunctions.

Glossyscreen

[edit]

Mainarticle:Glossydisplay
Somedisplays,especiallynewerLCDmonitors,replacethetraditionalantiglaremattefinishwitha
glossyone.Thisincreasescolorsaturationandsharpnessbutreflectionsfromlightsandwindowsare
veryvisible.Antireflectivecoatingsaresometimesappliedtohelpreducereflections,althoughthisonly
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

5/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

mitigatestheeffect.

Curveddesigns

[edit]

Inabout2009,NEC/AlienwaretogetherwithOstendoTechnologies(basedinCarlsbad,CA)were
offeringacurved(concave)43inch(110cm)monitorthatallowsbetterviewinganglesneartheedges,
covering75%ofperipheralvision.Thismonitorhad2880x900resolution,LEDbacklightandwas
marketedassuitablebothforgamingandofficework,whilefor$6499itwasratherexpensive.[13]Asof
2013,themonitorisnolongeravailable.OstendoTechnologiesisnolongerpursuingcurvedmonitor
technology.

Directionalscreen

[edit]

Narrowviewinganglescreensareusedinsomesecurityconsciousapplications.

3D

[edit]

Mainarticle:Stereodisplay
Newermonitorsareabletodisplayadifferentimageforeacheye,oftenwiththehelpofspecial
glasses,givingtheperceptionofdepth.
Activeshutter
Mainarticle:Activeshutter3Dsystem
Polarized
Mainarticle:Polarized3Dsystem
Autostereoscopic
Mainarticle:Autostereoscopy
Adirectionalscreenwhichgenerates3Dimageswithoutheadgear.

Touchscreen

[edit]

Mainarticle:Touchscreen
Thesemonitorsusetouchingofthescreenasaninputmethod.Itemscanbeselectedormovedwitha
finger,andfingergesturesmaybeusedtoconveycommands.Thescreenwillneedfrequentcleaning
duetoimagedegradationfromfingerprints.

Tabletscreens

[edit]

Mainarticle:Graphicstablet/screenhybrid
Acombinationofamonitorwithagraphicstablet.Suchdevicesaretypicallyunresponsivetotouch
withouttheuseofoneormorespecialtools'pressure.Newermodelshoweverarenowabletodetect
touchfromanypressureandoftenhavetheabilitytodetecttiltandrotationaswell.
TouchandtabletscreensareusedonLCDdisplaysasasubstituteforthelightpen,whichcanonly
workonCRTs.

Mounting

[edit]

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

6/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Computermonitorsareprovidedwithavarietyofmethodsformountingthemdependingonthe
applicationandenvironment.

Desktop

[edit]

Adesktopmonitoristypicallyprovidedwithastandfromthemanufacturerwhichliftsthemonitoruptoa
moreergonomicviewingheight.Thestandmaybeattachedtothemonitorusingaproprietarymethod
ormayuse,orbeadaptableto,aVideoElectronicsStandardsAssociation,VESA,standardmount.
UsingaVESAstandardmountallowsthemonitortobeusedwithanaftermarketstandoncethe
originalstandisremoved.Standsmaybefixedorofferavarietyoffeaturessuchasheightadjustment,
horizontalswivel,andlandscapeorportraitscreenorientation.

VESAmount

[edit]

TheFlatDisplayMountingInterface(FDMI),alsoknownasVESAMountingInterfaceStandard(MIS)or
colloquiallyasaVESAmount,isafamilyofstandardsdefinedbytheVideoElectronicsStandards
Associationformountingflatpanelmonitors,TVs,andotherdisplaystostandsorwallmounts.[14]Itis
implementedonmostmodernflatpanelmonitorsandTVs.
ForComputerMonitors,theVESAMounttypicallyconsistsoffourthreadedholesontherearofthe
displaythatwillmatewithanadapterbracket.

Rackmount

[edit]

Rackmountcomputermonitorsareavailableintwostylesandareintendedtobemountedintoa19
inchrack:
Fixed
Afixedrackmountmonitorismounteddirectlytotherackwith
theLCDvisibleatalltimes.Theheightoftheunitismeasuredin
rackunits(RU)and8Uor9Uaremostcommontofit17inchor
19inchLCDdisplays.Thefrontsidesoftheunitareprovided
withflangestomounttotherack,providingappropriately
spacedholesorslotsfortherackmountingscrews.A19inch
diagonalLCDisthelargestsizethatwillfitwithintherailsofa
19inchrack.LargerLCDsmaybeaccommodatedbutare
'mountonrack'andextendforwardoftherack.Thereare

Afixed19inch(48cm),4:3rack
mountLCDmonitor

smallerdisplayunits,typicallyusedinbroadcastenvironments,
whichfitmultiplesmallerLCDdisplayssidebysideintoonerackmount.
Stowable
Astowablerackmountmonitoris1U,2Uor3Uhighandismountedonrackslidesallowingthedisplay
tobefoldeddownandtheunitslidintotherackforstorage.Thedisplayisvisibleonlywhenthedisplay
ispulledoutoftherackanddeployed.Theseunitsmayincludeonlyadisplayormaybeequippedwith
akeyboardcreatingaKVM(KeyboardVideoMonitor).MostcommonaresystemswithasingleLCD
displaybuttherearesystemsprovidingtwoorthreedisplaysinasinglerackmountsystem.

Panelmount

[edit]

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

7/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Apanelmountcomputermonitorisintendedformountingintoa
flatsurfacewiththefrontofthedisplayunitprotrudingjust
slightly.Theymayalsobemountedtotherearofthepanel.A
flangeisprovidedaroundtheLCDdisplay,sides,topand
bottom,toallowmounting.Thiscontrastswitharackmount
displaywheretheflangesareonlyonthesides.Theflangeswill
beprovidedwithholesforthruboltsormayhavestudswelded
totherearsurfacetosecuretheunitintheholeinthepanel.
Oftenagasketisprovidedtoprovideawatertightsealtothe
panelandthefrontoftheLCDwillbesealedtothebackofthe

A1Ustowableclamshell19inch
(48cm),4:3rackmountLCDmonitor
withkeyboard

frontpaneltopreventwateranddirtcontamination.

Openframe

[edit]

AnopenframemonitorprovidestheLCDmonitorandenough
supportingstructuretoholdassociatedelectronicsandto
minimallysupporttheLCD.Provisionwillbemadeforattaching
theunittosomeexternalstructureforsupportandprotection.
OpenframeLCDdisplaysareintendedtobebuiltintosome
otherpieceofequipment.Anarcadevideogamewouldbea
goodexamplewiththedisplaymountedinsidethecabinet.
Thereisusuallyanopenframedisplayinsideallenduse
displayswiththeendusedisplaysimplyprovidinganattractive
protectiveenclosure.SomerackmountLCDdisplay
manufacturerswillpurchasedesktopdisplays,takethemapart,
anddiscardtheouterplasticparts,keepingtheinneropen

Apanelmount19inch(48cm),4:3
rackmountLCDmonitor

frameLCDdisplayforinclusionintotheirproduct.

Securityvulnerabilities

[edit]

AccordingtoanNSAdocumentleakedtoDerSpiegel,theNSAsometimesswapsthemonitorcableson
targetedcomputerswithabuggedmonitorcableinordertoallowtheNSAtoremotelyseewhat's
displayedonthetargetedcomputermonitor.[15]
VanEckphreakingistheprocessofremotelydisplayingthecontentsofaCRTorLCDdisplayby
detectingitselectromagneticemissions.ItisnamedafterDutchcomputerresearcherWimvanEck,who
in1985publishedthefirstpaperonit,includingproofofconcept.Phreakingistheprocessofexploiting
telephonenetworks,usedherebecauseofitsconnectiontoeavesdropping.[citationneeded]

Manufacturers
Acer
AOC
AppleInc
Asus
Belinea

[edit]

HannStar
DisplayCorporation
Hewlett
Packard
Iiyama

PlanarSystems
Samsung
Sceptre
Incorporated
Sony

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

8/9

12/27/2014

ComputermonitorWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

BenQ
ChimeiInnolux
Corporation
Dell(Dell
monitors)
Eizo
Gateway

Corporation
Kogan.com
Lenovo

Toshiba
Tyco
Electronics

LG

ViewSonic

NEC

Wortmann

Packard

Zalman

Bell(Maestro)
Philips

Seealso

[edit]

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20id%3D%22firstHeading%22%20class%3D%22firstHeading%22%20lang%3D%22en%22%20style%3D%22color

9/9