Color CRT Monitors:

The CRT Monitor display by using a combination of phosphors. The phosphors are different
colors. There are two popular approaches for producing color displays with a CRT are:

1. Beam Penetration Method

2. Shadow-Mask Method

1. Beam Penetration Method:

The Beam-Penetration method has been used with random-scan monitors. In this method, the
CRT screen is coated with two layers of phosphor, red and green and the displayed color
depends on how far the electron beam penetrates the phosphor layers. This method produces four
colors only, red, green, orange and yellow. A beam of slow electrons excites the outer red layer
only; hence screen shows red color only. A beam of high-speed electrons excites the inner green
layer. Thus screen shows a green color.

If a low speed beam strikes the CRT, only the red colored phosphorus is activated, a slightly
accelerated beam would activate both red and green (because it can penetrate deeper) and a
much more activated one would add the blue component also.

Advantages:
1. Inexpensive

Disadvantages:
1. Only four colors are possible
2. Quality of pictures is not as good as with another method.

2. Shadow Mask
A shadow mask is a metal sheet with holes punctured in a regular pattern that is present inside a
color monitor. It is a part of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) setup where the electron beam, after
generation from an electron gun source, is directed toward the screen to create images. The beam
is focused by making it pass through the shadow mask.

The shadow mask CRT, instead of using one electron gun, uses 3 different guns placed one by
the side of the other .The holes are placed in a manner ensuring that electrons from each of the
tube’s three cathode guns reach only the appropriately-colored phosphors on the display.

When the three beams pass through a hole in the shadow mask, they activate a dotted triangle,
which occurs as a small color spot on the screen.

The phosphor dots in the triangles are organized so that each electron beam can activate only its
corresponding color dot when it passes through the shadow mask.

Ex-All early color televisions and the majority of computer monitors.

Advantage:
1. Realistic image
2. Million different colors to be generated
3. Shadow scenes are possible

Disadvantage:
1. Relatively expensive compared with the monochrome CRT.
2. Relatively poor resolution
3. Convergence Problem

Direct View Storage Tube

Direct View Storage Tube (DVST) resembles CRT as it uses electron gun to draw picture
and phosphor coated screen to display it. The phosphor used in this is of high persistence.
DVST does not use refresh buffer or frame buffer to store picture definition. Picture definition
is stored in inside CRT in form positive charged distribution. Because of this reason DVST is
knows as Storage Type CRT. It has two electron Guns-primary gun and flood gun.

Function of guns: Two guns are used in DVST

1. Primary guns: It is used to store the picture pattern.

2. Flood gun or Secondary gun: It is used to maintain picture display.

Advantage:
1. No refreshing is needed.
2. High Resolution
3. Cost is very less

Disadvantage:
1. It is not possible to erase the selected part of a picture.
2. It is not suitable for dynamic graphics applications.
3. If a part of picture is to modify, then time is consumed.

Additional Hardware to improve refresh rate-

 Display Processor-

Display Processor is the interpreter or a hardware that converts display processor code into
picture. The Display Processor converts the digital information from CPU to analog values.
The main purpose of the Digital Processor is to free the CPU from most of the graphic
chores. The Display Processor digitizes picture definitions given in an application program
into a set of pixel intensity values for storage in the frame buffer. This digitization process
is called Scan Conversion.

Video Controller-

A video controller, or video card and graphics card , is an expansion card whose function is to
generate and output images to a display. the card is sometimes referred to as a video controller or
graphics controller, the cards were typically integrated onto the display unit itself.

Can be described as-

 Two register are used to store the co-ordinates of the screen pixel. 
  Initially the X register is set 0 and Y register is set to ymax .
  The value stored in the frame buffer for this pixel position is then retrieved and then used to
set the intensity of CRT beam. 
  Then the x register is increased by one and process Repeated for the next pixel in the top scan
line. 
  This process is repeated for each pixel along line.

Frame Buffer-

An area of memory used to hold the frame of data that is continuously being sent to the screen.
The buffer is the size of the maximum image that can be displayed and may be a separate
memory bank on the graphics card (display adapter) or a reserved part of regular memory. The
primary roles of the frame buffer are the storage, conditioning, and output of the video signals
that drive the display device.

frame buffer stores picture definition. It holds intensity values for all screen points. Stored
intensity values are restored from frame buffer and painted on screen taking one row at a time.

Plasma Display

A plasma display is a computer video display in which each pixel on the screen is illuminated by
a tiny bit of plasma or charged gas, somewhat like a tiny neon light. Plasma displays are thinner
than cathode ray tube ( CRT ) displays and brighter than liquid crystal displays ( LCD ). Plasma
displays are sometimes marketed as "thin-panel" displays and can be used to display either
analog video signals or display modes digital computer input.

It consists of two parallel glass plates which are separated by a thin gap. The gap between
the glass plates is filled with gases which include neon. As the other name of the plasma
panel is gas discharge display, because of the gases which are filled in between the parallel
plates of the plasma panel. 
Advantage:
1. High Resolution
2. Large screen size is also possible.
3. Less Volume
4. Less weight
5. Flicker Free Display

Disadvantage:
1. Poor Resolution
2. Wiring requirement anode and the cathode is complex.
3. Its addressing is also complex.

LCD

LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. It is a display which is non-emissive device and it
uses light source for the display; the light source is blacklight and convert it to graphical
image. LCD for the display uses two major components which are as follows:
 Polarized light
 Liquid Crystal Material
LCD consists of two layers which are two polarized panels- filters and electrodes. LCD screen
works by blocking the light rather than emitting the light.
In LCD display, it consists of millions of pixels made of crystal and arranged in a rectangular
grid. In LCD it has backlights that provide light to each pixel. Each pixel has a red, green, and
blue (RGB) sub-pixel that can be turned on or off. When all of the sub-pixels are turned off,
then it’s black and when all the sub-pixels are turned on 100%, then it’s white.

Advantage:
1. Low power consumption.
2. Small Size
3. Low Cost

Disadvantage:
1. LCDs are temperature-dependent (0-70°C)
2. LCDs do not emit light; as a result, the image has very little contrast.
3. LCDs have no color capability.
4. The resolution is not as good as that of a CRT.

LIGHT EMITTING DIODES(LED)

In an LED, a matrix of diodes is organized to form the pixel positions in the display and picture
definition is stored in a refresh buffer. Data is read from the refresh buffer and converted to
voltage levels that are applied to the diodes to produce the light pattern in the display.

LED is a type of LCD that actually accompanies the advancement of technology. This replaces
the fluorescent tube with backlight technology, which produces a clearer picture than the LCD.
LED have wider viewing angle than the LCD. It have better black level and contrast in
comparison to LCD LCD display. LED delivers better color accuracy in comparison to the LCD.
Advantage:

 LED have very long life.

 It requires low maintenance.
 LED doesn’t produce heat.
 LED is highly efficient.

Disadvantage:
 It is more costly.
 It have restricted viewing angle.