Monday, November 12, 2012

Pros And Cons Of Common Display Screens

This post is about different display screen types, what are their advantages and disadvantages.


CRT - Cathode Ray Tube

a CTR computer monitor
PROS:
  • No lag from input ( very fast response time )
  • Very good viewing angle ( can be viewed from any angle )
  • Special pens and guns can be used for interaction ( ex. Duck hunt game )
  • Good contrast ratio, color, black level
  • No native resolution ( there is no designed resolution for the display, no image scaling is needed )
  • Almost no color, contrast, brightness deformation.
CONS:
  • Very "big-assed" and heavy
  • Sometimes image burn-in may occur ( ghost images,occur because of non-use of pixels )
  • Generates quite a bit of heat when used for a long time
  • Consumes a lot of power ( especially when brightness is turned up )
  • Contains toxic barium and lead ( may be harmful if it somehow got broken and toxics contact with skin)
  • May have geometric distortion ( image is deformed ,most high-end displays don't have this problem )
  • Older displays may have flickering at lower refresh rates

Plasma

Panasonic 50 inch plasma TV
PROS:
  • Response time in milliseconds
  • No geometric distortion ( image is not deformed by glass cover )
  • Good contrast ratio, black level, color
  • Good viewing angle, almost no color, contrast, brightness distortion
  • Can be made very big ( 150 inches ) and low weight gain per inch
CONS:
  • Lag in input
  • Relatively heavy
  • May also have image burn-in ( ghost image )
  • Large pixel pitch ( distance between sub-pixels of the same color, because of that it requires a large screen or a low resolution )
  • May have flickering image
  • Glass screen may cause reflection or glare
  • Generates some heat and consumes a lot of power.
  • Dead pixels/stuck pixels may occur ( during the use or manufacturing, dead pixel - never shows light, stuck pixel - always shows light )
  • Fragile ( has to transported very carefully )
  • Screen-door effect ( lines separating the pixels are visible )
  • Only one native resolution, needs a video scaler for other resolutions

LCD - Liquid Crystal Display

Samsung LCD TV
PROS:
  • Thin and very light
  • No geometric distortion
  • Low power consumption
  • No resolution limit
  • Relatively cheap to make in big sizes, can be made almost any shape or size
  • No screen burn-in
  • Very sharp image
  • Low chance of flickering ( LCD panel also refreshes itself and isn't affected by the image refresh rate )
CONS:
  • In hot places, contrast may suffer
  • Very poor display when in direct sunlight.
  • Also dead/stuck pixels may occur during use or manufacturing
  • Slow response time
  • May have bright black levels ( crystals are unable to block all the light )
  • Backlighting may be uneven and cause brightness distortion
  • Limited viewing angle ( causes color, brightness, contrast distortion )
  • Lag in input
  • Only one native resolution, needs a video scaler for other resolutions
  • May occur overheating in some parts of the screen ( when your display is on for a long time, those parts become discolored )

OLED - Organic Light-Emitting Diode

LG OLED TV

PROS:
  • Very good viewing angle
  • Very light
  • Very good contrast, black level
  • Very good response time ( thus no ghosting )
  • Can be used for flexible displays ( can be fabricated on flexible plastic )
  • Wide vivid colors and gamut ( there is no blacklight )
CONS:
  • Expensive and difficult to manufacture
  • Gets damaged if exposed long time to UV light ( sun )
  • Isn't waterproof ( may damage displays organic material )
  • May suffer from image burn-in
  • Image is hard to read when the ambient light is too bright
  • Dead/stuck pixels may occur durin manufacture or use
  • Organic material may decay over time ( makes the display unusable )

LED - Light-Emitting Diode

Samsung LED display monitor
PROS:
  • Good brightness, contrast and black level
  • Low power consumption
  • Thin
  • Good color, and the color will not tim with display age
  • Good refresh rate
  • Fast on/off feature, LED-s light up very quickly
CONS:
  • Expensive to manufacture
  • Limited selection, can't be manufactured to all sizes ( bigger than 40 inces )
  • Burn-in image possibility
  • One native resolution
  • High ambient temperatures may cause LED to fail

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