A display device is an
output device for presentation of
information in
visual or
tactile 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 displays'' are
television sets or
computer monitor
A computer monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial or textual form. A discrete monitor comprises a visual display, support electronics, power supply, housing, electrical connectors, and external user controls.
The di ...
s.
Types of electronic displays
In use
These are the technologies used to create the various displays in use today.
*
Liquid crystal display
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat panel display, flat-panel display or other Electro-optic modulator, electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liqui ...
(LCD)
**
Light-emitting diode (LED) backlit LCD
**
Thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD
**
Quantum dot (QLED) display
*
Light-emitting diode (LED) 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 Retailing, store Signage, signs and billb ...
**
OLED display
**
AMOLED display
**
Super AMOLED display
Super may refer to:
Computing
* SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player
* Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages
* Super key (keyboard butto ...
Segment displays
Some displays can show only
digits or
alphanumeric characters. They are called segment displays, because they are composed of several segments that switch on and off to give appearance of desired
glyph
A glyph () is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A g ...
. The segments are usually single
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
s or
liquid crystals. They are mostly used in
digital watch
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
es and
pocket calculators. Common types are
seven-segment displays which are used for numerals only, and alphanumeric
fourteen-segment displays and
sixteen-segment displays which can display numerals and Roman alphabet letters.
Other types
*
Vacuum fluorescent display
*
Electroluminescent (ELD) display
*
Plasma (PDP) display
Cathode-ray tube
A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms (oscilloscope), pictur ...
s 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
In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90°); or a parallelogram containi ...
) are also called video displays, since it is the main modality of presenting
video.
= Applications of full-area 2-dimensional displays
=
Full-area 2-dimensional displays are used in, for example:
*
Television set
*
Computer monitor
A computer monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial or textual form. A discrete monitor comprises a visual display, support electronics, power supply, housing, electrical connectors, and external user controls.
The di ...
s
*
Head-mounted displays,
Heads-up displays and
Virtual reality headsets
*
Broadcast reference monitor
*
Medical monitors
*
Mobile displays (for
mobile devices)
*
Smartphone displays (for
smartphones
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...
)
*
Video walls
= Underlying technologies of full-area 2-dimensional displays
=
Underlying technologies for full-area 2-dimensional displays include:
*
Cathode ray tube
A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms ( oscilloscope), pictu ...
display (CRT)
*
Light-emitting diode display (LED)
*
Electroluminescent display
Electroluminescent Displays (ELDs) are a type of flat panel display created by sandwiching a layer of electroluminescent material such as GaAs between two layers of conductors. When current flows, the layer of material emits radiation in the form ...
(ELD)
*
Electronic paper,
E Ink
*
Plasma display panel (PDP)
*
Liquid crystal display
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat panel display, flat-panel display or other Electro-optic modulator, electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liqui ...
(LCD)
**
High-Performance Addressing display (HPA)
**
Thin-film transistor display (TFT)
*
Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED)
*
Digital Light Processing display (DLP)
*
Surface-conduction electron-emitter display
A surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) is a display technology for flat panel displays developed by a number of companies. SEDs use nanoscopic-scale electron emitters to energize colored phosphors and produce an image. In a general ...
(SED) (experimental)
*
Field emission display
A field-emission display (FED) is a flat panel display technology that uses large-area field electron emission sources to provide electrons that strike colored phosphor to produce a color image. In a general sense, an FED consists of a matrix of ...
(FED) (experimental)
*
Laser TV (forthcoming)
*
Carbon nanotube
A scanning tunneling microscopy image of a single-walled carbon nanotube
Rotating single-walled zigzag carbon nanotube
A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with diameters typically measured in nanometers.
''Single-wall carbon na ...
s (experimental)
*
Quantum dot display (QLED)
*
Interferometric modulator display (IMOD)
* Digital microshutter display (DMS)
*
microLED (in development)
The
multiplexed display technique is used to drive most display devices.
Three-dimensional displays
*
Swept-volume display
A volumetric display device is a display device that forms a visual representation of an object in three physical dimensions, as opposed to the planar image of traditional screens that simulate depth through a number of different visual effects. ...
*
Laser display
*
Holographic display
*
Light field displays
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 ter ...
Mechanical types
*
Ticker tape (historical)
*
Split-flap display (or simply
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 o ...
)
*
Flip-disc display (or flip-dot display)
*
Vane display
A vane display is a type of 7-segment display. Unlike LED and VFD segmented displays, vane displays are composed of seven physical surfaces (vanes), typically painted white, but occasionally other colors, such as yellow or fluorescent green. If ...
*
Rollsign
*
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 interfaces
*
History of display technology
*
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
*
Text display
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