Evolution of displays, From CRT to Quantum Dot
Display technology plays important role in everyday life. An average person stares at displays around 300–400min(TVs,mobile devices,PCs etc)and we spent around 5 to 6 hrs for sleeping. So half of our waking time we are glued to displays.
LCD, LED, OLED, Quantum Dot, HDR, TV trends are changing year by year. Looks like Display manufacturers are busy in changing technology every year to showcase new trends in Displays in every Consumer Electronic Shows(CES).
Lets have look at the evolution of displays.
First one is none other than CRT monitors.
CRT monitors comes under different classification such as Monochrome CRT, Color CRT, Raster scan and Random scan CRT etc.
The earliest version of the CRT was known as the “Braun tube”, invented by the German physicist Ferdinand Braun in 1897, But in 1907, Russian scientist Boris Rosing used a CRT in the receiving end of an experimental video signal to form a picture which marked the first time that CRT technology was used for what is now known as television.
Ever wondered about resolution of CRT monitors. Commonest CRT monitors had resolution of SVGA(800x600) and XGA(1024x768) pixels respectively. They are easy to control, low cost and highly reliable.
LED Display (Dont get confused with LED TV)
In 1961 Nick Holonyack invents the first light LED that’s visible to the human eye and becomes known as “the father of the LED.” An LED display is a flat panel display, which uses an array of light-emitting diodes as pixels for a video display. Think about making a 4K display using LEDs, Diameter of regular LED is 5mm. So for 3840x2160 resolution size will be around 19mX10m. Wow that’s a big display.
LCD and Plasma Displays
Invention of LCD and Plasma occurred in 1960s. LCD technology makes flat-screen television possible, and later LCD research by James Fergason, an American inventor, leads to the first modern LCD watch in 1972. Plasma TVs, however, don’t become widely successful (or possible) until the advent of digital technologies years later. In 1995 Full color Plasma Displays were introduced. Plasma display use small cells containing electrically charged ionized gases, which are plasmas. LCD uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly.
There exist a confusion between LCD and LED TVs. Both uses LCD panels, difference only is back-lighting. One with fluorescent lamp(CCFLs) and other with LEDs. Other technology involves IPS(In-plane-switching)and TFT(Thin film Transistors).
Plasma displays normally seen in bigger displays, richness in black, no motion blur, have lost nearly all market share, mostly due to competition from low-cost and Low power consumption of LCD and more expensive but high-contrast OLED flat-panel displays, manufacturing for the United States retail market ended in 2014, and manufacturing for the Chinese market is expected to end in 2016(wiki).
Retina Display
Apple begins to market its products for the first time in 2014 with “Retina Display” and later “Retina HD” Display. The term means, essentially, that the resolution of the screen is so great that the human eye is incapable of determining any pixelation at all. Retina Display is a term used exclusively with iPads, iPhones, iPods, Macs and MacBooks.
OLED Displays and AMOLED displays
OLEDs were invented back in 1980s, An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light in response to an electric current. OLED displays can use either passive-matrix (PMOLED) or active-matrix (AMOLED) addressing schemes. An OLED display works without a backlight, thus, it can display deep black levels and can be thinner and lighter than a liquid crystal display (LCD). In low ambient light conditions (such as a dark room), an OLED screen can achieve a higher contrast ratio than an LCD (wiki).
AMOLED introduced mainly in 2008,increases screen resolution and quality of OLED screens,thinner,flexible. Today, versions of AMOLED include Super AMOLED, HD Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED Advanced , Super AMOLED Plus, HD Super AMOLED,HD Super AMOLED Plus,Full HD Super AMOLED, Quad HD Super AMOLED — the labeling generally varies based on tech companies marketing terms. AMOLED displays may be difficult to view in direct sunlight compared with LCDs because of their reduced maximum brightness. Most of the patents for AMOLED is owned by Samsung. They supply screens to most of the cellphone manufacturers and reports says Apple going to drop Retina displays and estimates that Samsung Display will supply Apple with 40 million AMOLED panels in 2017, 80 million units in 2018, and 120 million units in 2019 for there next generation phones and laptops.
Quantum Dot Displays
Quantum-dot technology ( Quantum dots (QD) or semiconductor nanocrystals) arrived on the scene in 2013 with debuts by LG, but the display tech is quickly picking up speed. QD is essentially a fancy version of an LED-backlit LCD TV, boasting exceptional image quality and vivid hues. Quantum dots could support large, flexible displays and would not degrade as readily as OLEDs, theoretically making them good candidates for flat-panel TV screens, digital cameras, mobile phones and personal gaming equipment. At present, they are used only to filter light from LEDs to backlit LCDs, rather than as actual displays.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert in Display technology, I was interested in displays and I am making an article by collecting information from internet, which I think will be helpful for others in knowing more about them.
