Comparison of display technology

Further information: Comparison of CRT, LCD, Plasma, and OLED and History of display technology

This is a comparison of various properties of different display technologies.

General characteristics

Display technology	Screen shape	Largest known diagonal		Typical use	Usable in bright room
		(in)	(cm)
Eidophor front projection	Flat	(limited only by brightness)		TV	No
Shadow mask CRT	Spherical curve or Flat	42	107	Computer monitor, TV	Yes
Aperture grille CRT	Cylindrical curve or Flat	42	107	Computer monitor, TV	Yes
Monochrome CRT	Spherical curve or Flat	30	76	Computer monitor, TV, Radar display, Oscilloscope	Yes
Direct view Charactron CRT	Spherical curve	24	61	Computer monitor, Radar display	No
CRT self-contained rear-projection	Flat lenticular	80	203	TV	Yes
CRT front projection	Flat	(limited only by brightness)		TV or presentation	No
Plasma display panel (PDP)	Flat	152	386	TV	Partial
Direct view LCD	Flat	110	274	Computer monitor, TV	Yes
LCD self-contained rear-projection	Flat lenticular	70	178	TV	Yes
LCD front-projection	Flat	(limited only by brightness)		TV or presentation	Yes
DLP self-contained rear-projection	Flat lenticular	120	305	TV	Yes
DLP front-projection	Flat	(limited only by brightness)		TV or presentation	Yes
LCoS self-contained rear-projection	Flat	110	279	TV	Yes
LCoS front-projection	Flat	(limited only by brightness)		TV or presentation	Yes
Laser self-contained rear projection	Flat lenticular	75	191	TV	Yes
LED	Flat	23 ft 3.92 in	711	Billboards, TV	Yes
SED	Flat	55	140	Computer monitor, TV	Yes
FED	Flat	?	?	Computer monitor, TV	Yes
EPD (e-paper)	Flat (flexible)	?	?	Electronic paper	Yes
OLED	Curved or Flat (flexible)	77	195.58	Computer monitor, TV, Mobile phone	Yes
QDLED	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
IMOD	Flat	1.2	3	Mobile phone	Yes
Laser Phosphor Display (LPD)	Flat / Box	?	?	Projection	Yes
Virtual retinal display	Any shape	N/A	N/A	Experimental, possibly virtual reality	Depends on system

Temporal characteristics

Different display technologies have vastly different temporal characteristics, leading to perceptual differences for motion, flicker, etc.

The figure shows a sketch of how different technologies present a single white/grey frame. Time and intensity is not to scale. Notice that some have a fixed intensity, while the illuminated period is variable. This is a kind of pulse-width modulation. Others can vary the actual intensity in response to the input signal.

• Single-chip DLPs use a kind of "chromatic multiplexing" in which each color is presented serially. The intensity is varied by modulating the "on" time of each pixel within the time-span of one color. Multi-chip DLPs are not represented in this sketch, but would have a curve identical to the plasma display.
• LCDs have a constant (backlit) image, where the intensity is varied by blocking the light shining through the panel.
• CRTs use an electron beam, scanning the display, flashing a lit image. If interlacing is used, a single full-resolution image results in two "flashes". The physical properties of the phosphor are responsible for the rise and decay curves.
• Plasma displays modulate the "on" time of each sub-pixel, similar to DLP.
• Movie theaters use a mechanical shutter to illuminate the same frame 2 or 3 times, increasing the flicker frequency to make it less perceptible to the human eye.

See also

• Computer monitor
• Large-screen television technology