A monitor filter is an accessory to the

computer display 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 d ...

to filter out the light reflected from the smooth glass surface of a CRT or

flat panel A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipment. Flat-panel displays are thin, lightweight, provide better l ...

display. Many also include a ground to dissipate static buildup. A secondary use for monitor filters is privacy as they decrease the viewing angle of a monitor, preventing it from being viewed from the side; in this case, they are also called privacy screens. The standard type of anti-glare filter consists of a coating that reduces the reflection from a glass or plastic surface. These are manufactured from

polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...

or acrylic plastic. An older variety of anti-glare filter used a mesh filter that had the appearance of a nylon screen. Although effective, a mesh filter also caused degradation of the image quality. Marketing names of privacy filters: * HP's "SureView" *

Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, Personal computer, personal computers, ...

's "PrivacyGuard" *

Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...

's "SafeScreen" Support for privacy screen is available since

Linux kernel The Linux kernel is a free and open-source, monolithic, modular, multitasking, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was originally authored in 1991 by Linus Torvalds for his i386-based PC, and it was soon adopted as the kernel for the GNU ope ...

5.17 that expose it through

Direct Rendering Manager The Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) is a subsystem of the Linux kernel responsible for interfacing with GPUs of modern video cards. DRM exposes an API that user-space programs can use to send commands and data to the GPU and perform operations su ...

and is used by

GNOME A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

42.

References

Display technology Ergonomics {{compu-hardware-stub