Display standards comparison

The display resolution of a digital television or computer display typically refers to the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by different factors in cathode ray tube (CRT) and flat panel or projection displays using fixed picture-element (pixel) arrays. Image File history File links Video_Standards. ... Image File history File links Video_Standards. ... Digital television (DTV) is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound by means of digital signals, in contrast to analog signals used by analog (traditional) TV. DTV uses digital modulation data, which is digitally compressed and requires decoding by a specially designed television set, or a... A computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. ... Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT: 1. ... This example shows an image with a portion greatly enlarged, in which the individual pixels are rendered as little squares and can easily be seen. ...

One use of the term "display resolution" applies to fixed-pixel-array displays such as plasma display panels (PDPs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), digital light processing (DLP) projectors, or similar technologies, and is simply the physical number of columns and rows of pixels creating the display (e.g., 800×600 or 1024×768). A consequence of having a fixed grid display is that for multiformat video inputs all displays need a "scaling-engine" (a digital video processor that includes a memory array) to match the incoming picture format to the display. Planar Systems plasma display Composition of plasma display panel A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display now commonly used for large TV displays (typically above 37 or 940 mm). ... Reflective twisted nematic liquid crystal display. ... For political parties using this acronym, see Democratic Labour Party. ...

Some commentators also use this term to indicate a range of input formats that the display's input electronics will accept and often include formats greater than the screen's native grid size even though they have to be down-scaled to match the screen's parameters (e.g., accepting a 1920×1080 input on a display with a native 1366×768 pixel array). In the case of television inputs, many manufacturers will take the input and zoom it out to "overscan" the display by as much as 5% so input resolution is not necessarily display resolution.

The eye's perception of "display resolution" can be affected by a number of factors—see Image resolution and Optical resolution. One factor is the display screen's rectangular shape, which is expressed as the ratio of the physical picture width to the picture height. This is known as the aspect ratio. A screen's physical aspect ratio and the individual pixels' aspect ratio may not necessarily be the same. An array of 1280×720 on a 16:9 display has square pixels. An array of 1024×768 on a 16:9 display has rectangular pixels. Image resolution describes the detail an image holds. ... Resolving power is the ability of a microscope or telescope to measure the angular separation of images that are close together. ... The aspect ratio of an image is its displayed width divided by its height (usually expressed as x:y or x×y, with the joining colon or multiplication symbol articulated as the preposition by or sometimes to). Currently, the most popular standard ratios are the anamorphic (2. ...

An example of pixel shape affecting "resolution" or perceived sharpness: displaying more information in a smaller area using a higher resolution makes the image much clearer. However, newer LCD displays and such are fixed at a certain resolution; making the resolution lower on these kinds of screens will greatly decrease sharpness, as an interpolation process is used to "fix" the non-native resolution input into the displays native resolution output.

While some CRT-based displays may use digital video processing that involves image scaling using memory arrays, ultimately "display resolution" in CRT-type displays is affected by different parameters such as spot size and focus, astigmatic effects in the display corners, the color phosphor pitch shadow mask (such as Trinitron) in color displays, and the video bandwidth. Video processing techniques are used in video codecs, video players and other devices. ... In optics, astigmatism is when an optical system has different foci for rays that propagate in two perpendicular planes. ... The shadow mask is one of two major technologies used to manufacture cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions and computer displays that produce color images (the other is aperture grille). ... Picture of a Dell-branded Sony Trinitron, still bearing the Trinitron logo. ...

Overview

Analog television systems use interlace scanning with two sequential scans (50 or 60 fields per second), one with the odd numbered lines, the other with the even numbered lines to give a complete picture (25 or 30 frames per second). This is done to save transmission bandwidth but a consequence is that in picture tube (CRT) displays, the full vertical resolution cannot be realized. For example, the maximum detail in the vertical direction would be for adjacent lines to be alternately black then white. This is not a problem in a progressive display but an interlace display will have an unacceptable flicker or twitter at the slower frame rate. This is why interlace is unacceptable for fine detail such as computer word processing or spreadsheets. For television it means that if the picture is intended for interlace displays the picture must be vertically filtered to remove this objectionable flicker with a reduction of vertical resolution to about 70%. So a 576 line PAL interlace display only has about 400 lines vertical resolution and 350 in the case of a 486 line NTSC interlace display (486i visible out of 525 lines). Similarly, 1080i HD interlaced video would need to be filtered to about 700 lines for an interlaced display. Any interlaced broadcast television pictures and for that matter DVDs are filtered to that vertical resolution to reduce the interline twitter on fine detail. Analog television (or analogue television) encodes television and transports the picture and sound information as an analog signal, that is, by varying the amplitude and/or frequencies of the broadcast signal. ...

Fixed pixel array displays such as LCDs, plasmas, DLPs, LCoS, etc. need a "scaling" processor with frame memory, which, depending on the processing system, effectively converts an incoming interlaced picture into progressive. A similar process occurs in a PC and its display with interlaced video (e.g., from a TV tuner card). The downside is that interlace motion artifacts are almost impossible to remove resulting in horizontal "toothed" edges on moving objects.

Also in analog connected picture displays such as CRT TV sets, the horizontal scanlines are not divided into pixels, and therefore the horizontal resolution is related to the bandwidth of the luminance and chroma signals. For television, the analog bandwidth for luminance in standard definition should be flat to 5 MHz and in high definition, about 30/31 MHz. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... As applied to analog television signals, two different words are used, luminance and luma, meaning two different things. ...

Current standards in resolution

Currently 1024×768 (XGA eXtended Graphics Array) and 1280×1024 (SXGA Super eXtended Graphics Array) are the most common display resolutions.^[1] XGA, the eXtended Graphics Array, is an IBM display standard introduced in 1990. ... SXGA is an abbreviation for Super eXtended Graphics Array referring to a standard monitor resolution of 1280 × 1024 pixels. ...

Many computer users including CAD users, graphic artists and video game players run their computers at 1600×1200 resolution (UXGA, Ultra-eXtended) or higher if they have the necessary equipment—although 1280×1024 (SXGA Super eXtended Graphics Array) is more widespread as it is the optimum resolution of most 19" monitors. When a computer display resolution is set higher than the physical screen resolution, some video drivers make the virtual screen scrollable over the physical screen. Some CRT monitors will accept higher resolutions than their specified native resolution. The true maximum resolution is calculated from the dot pitch. Few CRT manufacturers will quote the true native resolution in their documentation, but most LCD manufacturers do. With digital television and HDTV, vertical resolutions of 720 or 1080 scan lines are typical. CAD is a TLA that may stand for: Cadiz Railroad (AAR reporting mark CAD) Canadian dollar – ISO 4217-code Capital Adequacy Directive Card Acceptance Device Children of the Anachronistic Dynasty Computer-aided design Computer-aided detection (medical) Computer-aided diagnosis (medical) Computer-assisted dispatch Computer-assisted drafting Coronary artery disease... UXGA is an abbreviation for Ultra eXtended Graphics Accelerator referring to a standard monitor resolution of 1600 × 1200 pixels, which is exactly quadruple the default resolution of SVGA (800 × 600). ... SXGA is an abbreviation for Super eXtended Graphics Array referring to a standard monitor resolution of 1280 × 1024 pixels. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Liquid crystal display. ... Projection screen in a home theater, displaying a high-definition television image. ... A scanline is a line on a CRT tube, made up of dots. ...

Overscan/underscan

Most television display manufacturers "overscan" the pictures on their displays (CRTs and PDPs, LCDs etc.), so that the effective on-screen picture may be reduced from 720×576(480) to 680×550(450), for example. The size of the invisible area somewhat depends on the display device. HD televisions do this as well to a similar extent.

Computer displays including projectors generally do not overscan although many models (particularly CRT displays) allow it. In computer displays, overscan and underscan can be altered by adjusting vertical blanking interval. CRT displays tend to be underscanned in stock configurations, to compensate the increasing distortions at the corners. On LCD and other flat panel displays, VBI can be lowered to support higher resolutions and refresh rate for the same bandwidth. The vertical blanking interval (VBI) is an interval in a television or VDU signal that temporarily suspends transmission of the signal for the electron gun to move back up to the first line of the television screen to trace the next screen field. ...

Evolution of resolution standards

Many personal computers introduced in the late 1970s and the 1980s were designed to use television sets as their display devices, making the resolutions dependent on the television standards in use, including PAL and NTSC. Picture sizes were usually limited in order to ensure the visibility of all the pixels in the major television standards and the broad range of television sets with varying amounts of overscan. The actual drawable picture area was therefore somewhat smaller than the whole screen, and was usually surrounded by a static-colored border. Also, the interlace scanning was usually omitted in order to provide more stability to the picture, effectively halving the vertical resolution in progress. 320×200 and 640×200 on NTSC and 320×256 and 640×256 on PAL were relatively common resolutions in the era. In the PC world, these resolutions came to be used by the Color Graphics Adapter. Television encoding systems by nation. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... The Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), introduced in 1981, was IBMs first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC. The standard IBM CGA graphics card was equipped with 16 kilobytes of video memory. ...

The 640×480 resolution, introduced with the IBM PS/2 VGA and MCGA (multi-color) on-board graphics chips, was the standard resolution in the IBM PC compatibles from 1990 to around 1996, partly due to its 4:3 ratio. 800×600 was the standard resolution until around 2000. Since then, 1024×768 and above has become popular in new systems, while many users still display a resolution of 800x600 . Now, web sites and multimedia products are being designed for this higher 1024x768 resolution. Most of today's computer games do not support 640×480 at all. Microsoft Windows XP is designed to run at 800×600 minimum although it is possible to select 640×480 in the Advanced Settings Window, and an application is also able to switch to any desired mode. GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, and most Unix variants use the X Window System and can run at any desired resolution as long as the display and video card support it. Apple's Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems are able to run with most available display resolutions; although it is possible to select 640×480 resolution, 800×600 is Apple's recommended minimum. This article is about the Personal System/2 computer line made by IBM. There is another article on the PlayStation 2 made by Sony. ... Multicolor Graphics Adapter (MCGA) was the IBM name for what would later become part of the generic Video Graphics Array (VGA) standard. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 4:3 is a ratio. ... Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... Unix systems filiation. ... FreeBSD is a Unix-like free operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) branch through the 386BSD and 4. ... Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ... GNOME 2. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into output device. ... A video card, (also referred to as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, graphics card, and numerous other terms), is an item of personal computer hardware whose function is to generate and output images to a display. ... Apple Inc. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ...

Common display resolutions

Main article: List of common resolutions

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Display resolution. ...

See also

• Computer display standards
• Resolution independence
• Pixels per inch

Various computer display standards or display modes have been used in the history of the personal computer. ... Resolution independence in Mac OS X Tiger in iWeb. ... The square shown above is 200 pixels by 200 pixels. ...

External links

• Online tool to check screen resolution
• Free online tools for calibrating monitor brightness, contrast, color depth and resolution.
• Screen size measures
• Online screen size calculator
• Display the resolution and color bit depth of your current monitor.
• How Many Dots Has It Got?
• Video Format Resolutions (Computer Display Formats, Cell Phone and PDA, Mini LCD Displays, Digital Cimema Formats, Video Conferencing Formats 4:3, Digital Television formats 4:3, Digital Television formats 16:9, Digital Television formats 8:3)

References

• Sony SXRD 4K Projector (SRXR110) resolution retrieved from [1]