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A display device is an
output device
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment which converts information into a human-perceptible form or, historically, into a physical machine-readable form for use with other non-computerized equipment. It can be text, graphics, ...
for presentation of
information
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...
in
visual
The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (th ...
or
tactile
Tactile may refer to:
* Tactile, related to the sense of touch
* Haptics (disambiguation)
* Tactile (device), a text-to-braille translation device
See also
* Tangibility, in law
* Somatosensory system, where sensations are processed
* CD96
CD ...
form (the latter used for example in
tactile electronic displays for blind people).
When the input information that is supplied has an electrical signal the display is called an ''electronic display''.
Common applications for ''
electronic visual display
An electronic visual display, informally a screen, is a display device for presentation of images, text, or video transmitted electronically, without producing a permanent record. Electronic visual displays include television sets, computer monito ...
s'' are
television set
A television set or television receiver, more commonly called the television, TV, TV set, telly, tele, or tube, is a device that combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers, for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or using ...
s or
computer monitors.
Types of electronic displays
In use
These are the technologies used to create the various displays in use today.
*
Liquid crystal display (LCD)
**
Light-emitting diode (LED) backlit LCD
**
Thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD
**
Quantum dot (QLED) display
*
Light-emitting diode (LED) display
**
OLED display
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED or organic LED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light i ...
**
AMOLED display
AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode, ) is a type of OLED display device technology. OLED describes a specific type of thin-film-display technology in which organic compounds form the electroluminescent material, and active matrix ...
**
Super AMOLED display
Segment displays
![Common segment displays](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Common_segment_displays.svg)
Some displays can show only
digits or
alphanumeric
Alphanumericals or alphanumeric characters are a combination of alphabetical and numerical characters. More specifically, they are the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits. An alphanumeric code is an identifier made of alphanumeric c ...
characters. They are called segment displays, because they are composed of several segments that switch on and off to give appearance of desired
glyph. The segments are usually single
LEDs or
liquid crystals
Liquid crystal (LC) is a state of matter whose properties are between those of conventional liquids and those of solid crystals. For example, a liquid crystal may flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a crystal-like way. The ...
. They are mostly used in
digital watches and
pocket calculator
An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics.
The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized ...
s. Common types are
seven-segment display
A seven-segment display is a form of electronic display device for displaying decimal numerals that is an alternative to the more complex dot matrix displays.
Seven-segment displays are widely used in digital clocks, electronic meters, basic ...
s which are used for numerals only, and alphanumeric
fourteen-segment displays and
sixteen-segment display
A sixteen-segment display (SISD) is a type of display based on sixteen segments that can be turned on or off to produce a graphic pattern. It is an extension of the more common seven-segment display, adding four diagonal and two vertical segments ...
s which can display numerals and Roman alphabet letters.
Other types
*
Vacuum fluorescent display
A vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) is a display device once commonly used on consumer electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders, car radios, and microwave ovens.
A VFD operates on the principle of cathodoluminescence, roughly ...
*
Electroluminescent (ELD) display
*
Plasma (PDP) display
Cathode-ray tubes were also formerly widely used.
Full-area 2-dimensional displays
2-dimensional
In mathematics, a plane is a Euclidean ( flat), two-dimensional surface that extends indefinitely. A plane is the two-dimensional analogue of a point (zero dimensions), a line (one dimension) and three-dimensional space. Planes can arise as ...
displays that cover a full area (usually a
rectangle) are also called video displays, since it is the main modality of presenting
video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...
.
= Applications of full-area 2-dimensional displays
=
Full-area 2-dimensional displays are used in, for example:
*
Television set
A television set or television receiver, more commonly called the television, TV, TV set, telly, tele, or tube, is a device that combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers, for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or using ...
*
Computer monitors
*
Head-mounted display
A head-mounted display (HMD) is a display device, worn on the head or as part of a helmet (see Helmet-mounted display for aviation applications), that has a small display optic in front of one ( monocular HMD) or each eye ( binocular HMD). An ...
s,
Heads-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
s and
Virtual reality headset
A virtual reality headset (or VR headset) is a head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR ...
s
*
Broadcast reference monitor
A video reference monitor also called a broadcast reference monitor or just reference monitor, is a specialized display device similar to a television set, used to monitor the output of a video-generating device, such as playout from a video s ...
*
Medical monitor
In medicine, monitoring is the observation of a disease, condition or one or several medical parameters over time.
It can be performed by continuously measuring certain parameters by using a medical monitor (for example, by continuously measuri ...
s
*
Mobile displays (for
mobile devices
A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...
)
*
Smartphone displays (for
smartphones)
*
Video wall
A video wall is a special multi-monitor setup that consists of multiple computer monitors, video projectors, or television sets tiled together contiguously or overlapped in order to form one large screen. Typical display technologies include L ...
s
= Underlying technologies of full-area 2-dimensional displays
=
Underlying technologies for full-area 2-dimensional displays include:
*
Cathode ray tube display (CRT)
*
Light-emitting diode display
A LED display is a flat panel display that uses an array of light-emitting diodes as pixels for a video display. Their brightness allows them to be used outdoors where they are visible in the sun for store signs and billboards. In recent ...
(LED)
*
Electroluminescent display (ELD)
*
Electronic paper
Electronic paper, also sometimes electronic ink, e-ink or electrophoretic display, are display devices that mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike conventional flat panel displays that emit light, an electronic paper display ...
,
E Ink
E Ink (electronic ink) is a brand of electronic paper (e-paper) display technology commercialized by the E Ink Corporation, which was co-founded in 1997 by MIT undergraduates JD Albert and Barrett Comiskey, MIT Media Lab professor Joseph Jacobson ...
*
Plasma display
A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display that uses small cells containing plasma: ionized gas that responds to electric fields. Plasma televisions were the first large (over 32 inches diagonal) flat panel displays to be releas ...
panel (PDP)
*
Liquid crystal display (LCD)
**
High-Performance Addressing High-performance addressing (HPA) is an LCD passive-matrix display technology commonly found on low-end portable computers; versions of HPA have been developed by Hitachi and by Sharp. HPA enables higher response rates and contrast, displaying up t ...
display (HPA)
**
Thin-film transistor
A thin-film transistor (TFT) is a special type of field-effect transistor (FET) where the transistor is thin relative to the plane of the device. TFTs are grown on a supporting (but non-conducting) substrate. A common substrate is glass, becaus ...
display (TFT)
*
Organic light-emitting diode
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED or organic LED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light i ...
display (OLED)
*
Digital Light Processing
Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a set of chipsets based on optical micro-electro-mechanical technology that uses a digital micromirror device. It was originally developed in 1987 by Larry Hornbeck of Texas Instruments. While the DLP imagin ...
display (DLP)
*
Surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) (experimental)
*
Field emission display (FED) (experimental)
*
Laser TV
Laser color television (laser TV), or laser color video display, is a type of television that utilizes two or more individually modulated optical (laser) rays of different colors to produce a combined spot that is scanned and projected across the ...
(forthcoming)
*
Carbon nanotubes (experimental)
*
Quantum dot display
A quantum dot display is a display device that uses quantum dots (QD), semiconductor nanocrystals which can produce pure monochromatic red, green, and blue light.
''Photo-emissive'' quantum dot particles are used in LCD backlights and/or disp ...
(QLED)
*
Interferometric modulator display Interferometric modulator display (IMOD, trademarked mirasol) is a technology used in electronic visual displays that can create various colors via interference of reflected light. The color is selected with an electrically switched light modulato ...
(IMOD)
* Digital microshutter display (DMS)
*
microLED
microLED, also known as micro-LED, mLED or µLED, first invented in 2000 by the research group of Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin of Texas Tech University while they were at Kansas State University, is an emerging flat-panel display technology. ...
(in development)
The
multiplexed display technique is used to drive most display devices.
Three-dimensional displays
*
Swept-volume display
*
Laser display
A laser lighting display or laser light show involves the use of laser light to entertain an audience. A laser light show may consist only of projected laser beams set to music, or may accompany another form of entertainment, typically mus ...
*
Holographic display A holographic display is a type of 3D display that utilizes light diffraction to display a three-dimensional image to the viewer. Holographic displays are distinguished from other forms of 3D displays in that they do not require the viewer to wear a ...
*
Light field displays
Mechanical types
*
Ticker tape
Ticker tape was the earliest electrical dedicated financial communications medium, transmitting stock price information over telegraph lines, in use from around 1870 through 1970. It consisted of a paper strip that ran through a machine called ...
(historical)
*
Split-flap display
A split-flap display, or sometimes simply a flap display, is a digital electromechanical display device that presents changeable alphanumeric text, and occasionally fixed graphics.
Often used as a public transport timetable in airports or r ...
(or simply
flap display)
*
Flip-disc display
The flip-disc display (or flip-dot display) is an electromechanical dot matrix display technology used for large outdoor signs, normally those that will be exposed to direct sunlight. Flip-disc technology has been used for destination signs in ...
(or flip-dot display)
*
Vane display
*
Rollsign
A destination sign (North American English) or destination indicator/destination blind (British English) is a sign mounted on the front, side or rear of a public transport vehicle, such as a bus, tram/streetcar or light rail vehicle, that di ...
*
Tactile electronic displays are usually intended for the blind. They use electro-mechanical parts to dynamically update a tactile image (usually of text) so that the image may be felt by the fingers.
**
Optacon, using metal rods instead of light in order to convey images to blind people by tactile sensation.
See also
*
Comparison CRT, LCD, Plasma
References
{{Display technology
Television technology
Display technology
CRT, LCD, Plasma, and OLED displays ...
*
Graphical user interface
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inst ...
s
*
History of display technology
Electrically operated display devices have developed from electromechanical systems for display of text, up to all-electronic devices capable of full-motion 3D color graphic displays. Electromagnetic devices, using a solenoid coil to control a ...
*
Human machine interface
In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fr ...
*
Input device
In computing, an input device is a piece of equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system, such as a computer or information appliance. Examples of input devices include keyboards, mouse, scanners, cameras ...
*
Text display
A text display is an electronic alphanumeric display device that is mainly or only capable of showing text, or extremely limited graphic characters. This includes electromechanical split-flap displays, vane displays, and flip-disc displays; all ...
References
External links
Society for Information Display- An international professional organization dedicated to the study of display technology
University of Waterloo Stratford Campus- A university that offers students the opportunity to display their work on the school's 3-storey Christie MicroTile wall.
{{Authority control
Video hardware
User interfaces