|
||
 |
||
|
| This Isn’t Your Father’s CRT |
 Email This
 Print ThisView My Personal Library |
|
Hardware August 2001 • Vol.9 Issue 8 Page(s) 22-24 in print issue |
This Isn’t Your Father’s CRT The Future Of Viewing Technologies | ||
 The CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor you probably have on your computer desk is a great invention, but it has its drawbacks. Larger CRT monitors require an obscene amount of desk space, and they're expensive. And after about the fifth time you have to visit your chiropractor after lugging your 50-pound monitor across the room, you have to wonder why someone doesn't invent something better. Someone has . . . and will. The future of the CRT, the traditional computer monitor that has dominated the market since the first PCs appeared about 25 years ago, isn't as bright as the picture you're seeing on your 21-inch CRT monitor. Several new technologies are attempting to replace the CRT as the primary window into your computer. Terms such as plasma displays and organic LEDs (light-emitting diodes) may become commonplace in the next decade. Goggles offering personal displays will grow in popularity, too. (See The Eyes Have It.) These new viewing technologies, when combined with other technological advances, might change the way you think about computing, too. (It's not just for the home office anymore.)  CRTs. The CRT has been around since 1897, and it has undergone several changes to turn it into the technology used for computer monitors during the past 25 years. However, the basic idea of using electron guns to fire electrons at a phosphor-coated glass to create images hasn't changed too much. CRT monitors continue to expand in size, with 17-, 19-, and 21-inch monitors commonplace now. Seven to 10 years ago, typical monitors were in the 12- to 14-inch range. As CRT monitors grow in viewing size, they grow in physical size, too, which sometimes makes them too bulky to move easily. Free desk space can be at a premium when a hulking 21-inch monitor is present. Some manufacturers are making short-neck CRT monitors, in which a manufacturer rearranges the monitor's internal components to lessen the depth of the monitor. Some short-neck CRTs don't offer images as sharp as traditional CRT monitors, though, because the electron guns are too close to the phosphor-coated glass. Experts we spoke with say CRT monitors will eventually fade away, despite efforts at technological advances designed to improve them. The architecture inherent in a CRT monitor limits the types of technological changes that can occur. At some point, users won't be willing to pay a premium for a larger monitor because of its bulk or the prices of other technologies will be very close to comparable CRT prices, and that's when other display technologies will take control of the market. "As soon as we see price points of the new technologies get where CRTs are, CRTs will fade away, maybe in five to 10 years," says Gary Sextro, HDTV business manager for DLP and home entertainment products for Texas Instruments.
LCD. Many companies are relying on the success of LCD (liquid-crystal display) technologies. LCD technology has been around for dozens of years, too, but it became extremely popular in the world of computers with notebook computers in the 1990s. In an LCD, liquid crystals are sandwiched between two layers of glass. Voltage is applied to the crystals, which causes the images to form. LCD screens traditionally have a couple of drawbacks, though. They can be difficult to view at times, depending on the outside lighting in the room or the angle at which you're viewing the screen. In addition, LCD screens are susceptible to temperature extremes, causing display problems. Despite these drawbacks, which manufacturers are working to improve, display experts are excited about the future of LCD screens, and one reason is because manufacturers can create huge screens that weigh very little. Sharp, for instance, has developed a type of LCD technology called CG (continuous grain) Silicon that allows for extremely large images, such as on a 60-inch rear-projection display. The LCD screen is extremely thin with CG Silicon technology, allowing for brighter images. Many companies are using LCD screens in their HDYV (high-definition TV) offerings, and LCD is the technology of choice in the popular flat-panel displays used with some computers today as an alternative to CRT monitors. A flat-panel display can be about one-tenth as deep as a comparable CRT monitor, which makes it extremely attractive. You can hang a flat-panel display on the wall or use a stand, giving users plenty of flexibility. The thin screens are more expensive than their CRT counterparts are, though. "Flat-panel LCDs in particular have the ability to go beyond . . . what CRTs are able to do," says Erik Harris, director of subsystems technologies and applications at IBM's research laboratory. "Given equal performance and equal prices, most people would prefer to have a flat-panel display." Future Technologies. Experts we spoke with are certain the future of computer display technology will result in a merger with entertainment options. (See the "Bandwidth's Effect On Display Technologies" sidebar.) Technologies currently in development should allow for extremely large screens with nearly perfect image and graphics rendering, making them ideal for using as a TV, a computer monitor, or both. Continued evolution in broadband Internet capabilities will further blend the line between computers and entertainment. Here are some of the top technologies experts think could be commonplace in the market in the next three to 10 years. Plasma. PDPs (Plasma-display panels) show a lot of promise because of their ability to create extremely sharp, bright images with wide viewing angles. Using PDPs, manufacturers can create extremely large screens, 40 inches or more, that are perfect for watching streaming movies through a broadband Internet connection. Plasma screens offer some technological similarities to CRTs. Plasma technology uses phosphors to create its images, just as does CRT technology. Unfortunately, PDPs are extremely expensive now, usually running about $7,000 for a 40-inch display. In addition, they are susceptible to burn-in, just like the older CRT monitors. Current plasma displays are more suited to HDTV images than computer images because of their large screens. Samsung recently unveiled a 63-inch PDP screen, for example, which was the largest at the time. Making smaller PDP screens that would be similar in size to today's computer monitors currently isn't cost effective, but that may change in the next few years. The list of companies that offer plasma displays, including technology heavyweights such as Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and Pioneer, should convince you that plasma display technology has a bright future.
Experts often link OLED technology most closely with LCD, and it may eventually replace LCD, especially in portable devices. OLED doesn't require as much electric power as does an LCD screen, making it beneficial to portable devices running on battery power. OLEDs can display changing images very rapidly, making them a nice option for streaming video. Manufacturers eventually could build OLED displays on plastic screens, rather than the glass used for most LCD screens. The plastic screen could make OLED screens cheaper than comparable LCD screens, not to mention lighter and more flexible. (In fact, some manufacturers say users potentially could roll up OLED screens like a newspaper, and they would still work perfectly.) The first OLED screens are appearing in small devices, such as mobile phones and digital cameras. These initial appearances for OLEDs use glass screens, rather than plastic; some problems currently exist with using the flexible plastic for OLEDs, for example. Harris says manufacturers hope to work out those problems in the next few years, though. "It's an emerging technology," Harris says. "We're still very early in the learning curve. Long-life materials are being developed. Over time, that technology will become an interesting challenger to LCD." "It will initially be most prevalent in small displays," he says. "Over time, as one learns more about the materials, it will become more prevalent in larger displays." DLP. Digital Light Processing technology, developed by Texas Instruments, offers some amazing digital image resolutions through a projection device. The DLP processor can accept analog or digital signals, and it translates the signals into usable data streams. DLP technology uses a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) to create its high-quality images. The DLP processor sends the data streams to the DMD, which contains more than 750,000 microscopic mirrors. Each micromirror can switch on or off 1,000 times per second, projecting pixels of light. A single mirror controls each pixel of light. The light travels through a projector lens onto the final display screen. DLP, which currently appears most often in projectors for business presentations and movie theaters, could become a major component of displays created for entertainment.See the "How DLPTechnology Works"sidebar for more information. EL. EL (Electroluminescent) technology offers several improvements over LCD screens, thanks to improved viewing angles, better performance in harsh temperatures, and longer lifespan. EL manufacturers can place the technology in flat-panel displays, making them light and convenient, too. When electricity is applied to phosphors sandwiched between thin glass panels, the phosphors glow and emit light. EL displays require less power to operate than do LCD screens, making them useful in portable, battery-powered applications. DVI. One of the more recent display technologies is DVI, short for Deep Video Imaging Ltd., which is also the company behind the technology. DVI attempts to create 3-D images on an LCD screen without the need for special goggles or other headsets. DVI technology uses multiple layers of LCD screens to give the illusion of 3-D images on the monitor, called an Actualdepth monitor. While such displays will be extremely expensive initially and will be limited to specialized applications, such as military applications, it's possible such a display could be available to consumers in several years. The Future Is Big & Bright. When it comes to home entertainment systems, bigger is better, especially with the display unit. As computer displays and televisions begin to merge in the next several years, some of the display technologies we've discussed here will be ready to provide the largest displays possible. Whether price points for large displays will be affordable for a large segment of the population remains unknown, but Texas Instruments' Sextro says he expects many consumers will be willing to pay a little more for high-quality displays. "You can see that today; just take HDTV, for example," he says. "We see the responses of people when they see it. It's a stunning response, and it sells the product. . . . It's kind of like going from VGA (Visual Graphics Array) screens to today's monitors; you just don't want to go back." Whether you're looking for a PDA (personal digital assistant) screen that you can roll up and put in a jacket pocket or a 70-inch TV with lifelike image-rendering capabilities, the future can probably accommodate you. Exactly when such ideas will become reality depends on several outside factors and is anyone's guess, but one thing is for sure: With new display technologies on the horizon, eyestrain will never feel so good.  by Kyle Schurman View the infographic that accompanies this article. (NOTE: These pages are PDF (Portable Document Format) files. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these pages. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader)
|
|
Home Copyright & Legal Information Privacy Policy Site Map Contact Us