Advantages of LCD displays over CRT displays:
• LCDs can be constructed much smaller and are
lighter in weight than CRT displays.
• LCDs are more economical to run because they
require less power.
• LCDs generate less heat.
• LCDs create images that are more detailed.
• LCDs produce less electromagnetic interference
(EMI).
Disadvantages of LCD displays as compared to CRT
displays:
• Lack of an industry-wide standard.
• Higher cost for a comparable size.
• Complexity of scaling images without distortion.
Display Resolution
Resolution is a measurement of an image's quality.
The higher the resolution, the higher the quality or more
detailed the image, Figure 23-47. The term resolution
can also be used to describe the detail produced by print-
ers, digital cameras, and any similar type of graphic
equipment and is measured in dots per inch. Display res-
olution is the amount of detail a monitor is capable of dis-
playing and is measured in pixels. A display unit with a
maximum resolution of 1920 × 1080 has 1920 pixels
Chapter 23 Television and Video Display Units 415
Repeating display pattern
TFT transistor
One complete pixel with
three transistors
Figure 23-46. Each pixel area on the TFT display con-
sists of three transistor-controlled color fields. The three
color fields—red, green, and blue—are combined to form
various shades and hues of color.
Figure 23-47. Shown are two different resolutions of the
same image. The top picture is low resolution. The bot-
tom picture is a higher resolution.
along the horizontal axis and 1080 along the vertical axis.
A display unit capable of a high resolution can dis-
play at lower resolutions, but, since the display uses fewer
pixels per area at lower resolutions, the image loses its
sharpness.
A display unit designed to operate at one frequency
and resolution is much simpler in design than a display
for multiple frequencies and resolutions. Typically, the
electronic system controlling a multiple resolution and
frequency display uses microprocessor technology simi-
lar to that found in a computer system. In fact, the mod-
ern digital television system resembles a computer more
than the earlier analog television systems.
Display manufacturers design displays to be used by
multiple applications. This means that a single display
can be used for analog and digital television systems, as
well as computer systems. This is achieved by integrating
a controller board capable of handling various inputs. The
Philips SXGA triple input display controller is one such