CD 326: Computer Graphics

Lecture – 2 CRT DISPLAY DEVICES

SALIM DIWANI
CRT DISPLAY DEVICES
Examples of Computer Graphics Devices:
CRT, EGA/CGA/VGA/SVGA monitors, plotters, data
matrix, laser printers, Films, flat panel devices, Video
digitizers, scanners, LCD panels, keyboard, joystick,
mouse, touch screen, track ball, etc.

The most commonly used display device is the

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Types of CRT display devices
 DVST (Direct View Storage Tube)
 Calligraphic or Random Scan display system
 Refresh and raster scan display system

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DVST – Direct View Storage
Tube
 Storage Tube – it is a CRT with a long persistence
phosphor
 Provides flicker free display
 No refreshing necessary
 A slow moving electron beam draws a line on the screen
 Screen has a storage mesh in which the phosphor is
embedded
 Image is stored as a distribution of charges on the inside
surface of the screen.
 Limited interactive support

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Operation of an electron gun
with an accelerating anode

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Basic design of a Magnetic
deflection CRT

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Electron deflection of the
electron beam in a CRT

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Electron deflection of the
electron beam in a CRT

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Electron deflection of the
electron beam in a CRT

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Electron deflection of the
electron beam in a CRT

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 Drawbacks
 Modifying any part of the image requires redrawing
the entire modified image
 Change in the image requires to generate a new
charge distribution in the DVST
 Slow process of drawing typically a few seconds are
necessary for a complex picture.
 Erased takes about 0.5 seconds. All lines and
characters must be erased.
 No animation possible with DVST.

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Calligraphic or Random Scan
display system (contd.)
 In random scan display the electron beam is directed
to the area on screen only where the picture is to be
drawn.
 Random scan display are also known as vector
display or stroke-writing or calligraphic display.
 The reason its also called vector display is because
random scan display draws the picture one line at a
time.

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Calligraphic or Random Scan
display system (contd.)

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Calligraphic or Random Scan
display system (contd.)
 Frame buffer is a temporary storage which stores
what to display at time on monitor
 Video controller access frame buffer to refresh
screen

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calligraphic refresh display -
I

Host Picture Display

Vector/ Display
CRT Character Controller
Generator
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calligraphic refresh display -
II

Host Display Display

Vector/ Picture
CRT Character Processor
Generator
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 Refresh Buffer
 Refresh buffer on a random scan display depends on
the number of lines to be displayed.
 The picture definition is stored as a set of line
drawing commands in an area of memory called
refresh display file.
 The refresh display file is also called the display list
or simply the refresh buffer.

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 Refresh Buffer
 To display a specified picture, the system sycles
through the set of commands in the display file,
drawing each component line in turn.
 After all line-drawing commands have been
processed, the system cycles back to the first line
command in the list.
 The refresh rate of random scan display 30 to 60
frames per second (fps).

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 Example
 For example if we want to display and maintain a
picture of a triangle ABC on the screen then the
display list will have commands like this:
 Draw a line from A to B
 Draw a line from B to C
 Draw a line from C to A.

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 Example
 For example if we want to display and maintain a
picture of a triangle ABC on the screen then the
display list will have commands like this:
 Draw a line from A to B
 Draw a line from B to C
 Draw a line from C to A.

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draws a set of lines in any
order

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draws a set of lines in any
order

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draws a set of lines in any
order

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draws a set of lines in any
order

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Ideal line drawing

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Vector Scan

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Advantages of Random Scan
Display
 Random scan display have higher resolution compared
to raster scan display as the picture is stored as line
drawing instructions rather than intensity values.
 It produces smooth line drawing.
 It also requires less memory as we are storing
information about only the picture to be drawnrather
than information about full screen.

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Disadvantages of Random Scan
Display
 We can not draw realistic images like with different
shades
 There is limitation to the colors that can be drawn for
example when we draw images with beam penetration
display its actually random scan display and we can draw
only maximum 4 colors which are based on how deep
the beam penetrates the phosphor layer.

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 Calligraphic or Random Scan
Display System (contd.)
 Phosphor’s Fluorescence is the light emitted as electrons
(unstable) lose their excess energy while the phosphor is being
struck by electrons
 Phosphorescence is the light given off by the return of the
relatively more stable excited electrons to their unexcited state
once the electron beam excitation is removed
 Phosphor’s persistence is defined as the time from the removal of
excitation to the moment when phosphorescence has decayed to
10% of the initial light output (decay is exponential).
 Long persistence : several seconds
 Short persistence : 10-60 milliseconds (Common in modern
displays)

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 Raster scan display system
 Raster scan display is the most common type of
display used in CRT television and monitors
 In a raster scan system, the electron beam is swept
across the screen, one row at a time from top to
bottom.
 As the beam is swept across the row, the beam
intensity is turned on and off to create a pattern of
illuminated spots.

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Raster scan display system

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 Refresh Buffer
 Graphics commands from application program
translate into display file by graphic package
 Display file is stored in system memory
 Display processor refreshes screen using display file

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 Refresh Buffer
 The picture definition that is to be drawn is stored in
a memory area called the refresh buffer.
 The refresh buffer holds the set of intensity values
for all the screen points.
 Stored intensity values are then retrieved from the
refresh buffer and “painted” on the screen one row
at a time.

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 Intensity Range
 In a simple black and white raster scan display, the
intensity value is either is only 1 bit per pixel as it’s
either on or off.
 But in color raster scan display up to 24 bits per pixel
are included in high quality systems.
 In a black and white raster scan display system with
1 bit per pixel the frame buffer is called “BITMAP”.
 Whereas in color system/multiple bit per pixel
system the frame buffer is called “PIXMAP”.

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 Refresh Rate
 Refresh rate of raster scan display can be from 60 to
80 frame per second.
 At the end of each scan line, the electron beam
returns to the left side of the screen to begin
displaying the next scan line which is known as
horizontal retrace.
 At the end of each frame the electron beam returns
to the top left corner of the screen to display new
frame.
 This process is called “vertical retrace”.
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 Refresh Rate
Example:

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Refresh Rate

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Refresh Rate

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Refresh Rate

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Refresh Rate

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Refresh Rate

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 Advantages
 We can display real life images which have different
shades
 The color range available is way bigger than random
scan display.

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 Disadvantages
 The resolution is comparatively lower than random
scan display.
 High memory is required
 Data about intensities of all pixel over the screen has
to be stored rather than only the area where picture
is displayed.

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