CSC 101

Introduction to Computing

Lecture 6

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Last Lecture Summary I
 Ergonomics and input devices
 Repetitive Stress Injuries
 Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
 Avoiding Keyboard related injuries
 How to sit at a computer
 Techniques to avoid RSI

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Last Lecture Summary II
 Alternate Input devices
 Devices for the hand
 Pen, Touch Screens
 Game controllers
 Joystick Game pad
 Optical Input Devices
 Bar Code Reader, Image Scanners, OCR
 Audio Input devices
 Microphone, Sound Card, MIDI
 Video input devices
 Video Camera, Web Cam, Digital Camera
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Output Devices
 Display screens were uncommon till
1960’s
 Now, computers can communicate
information to you in several ways
 Reading, Seeing, watching and listening
 Modern display and sound systems
 computers are easier to use
 data is easier to manage, and
 information is easier to access
 Monitors and Sound Systems
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Outline
 Two most commonly used types of
computer monitors.
 How a CRT monitor displays images?
 Two types of flat-panel monitors and
explain their differences.
 Various characteristics for comparing
monitors.
 How data projectors are used?
 How a computer outputs sound?

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Monitors
 Most common output device
 Connects to the video card or controller
 Two types
 Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
 Flat-panel
 Categorized by color output
 Monochrome
 One color with black background
 Grayscale
 Varying degrees of gray
 Color
 Display 4 to 16 million colors
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Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
 Most common type of monitor

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How CRT creates an image
 Electron gun shoots
streams of electrons
towards the screen.
 Magnetic yoke
guides the streams of
electrons across and
down the screen.
 Phosphor dots on the
back of the screen
glow when the
electron beams hit
them.
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Parts of CRT Monitor

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How CRT monitor works

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 CRT Color
 Phosphor dots arranged in triads
 Red, green, and blue dots
 Three colors blend to make colors
 Varying the intensity creates new colors
 Exercise
 Custom color with MS Paint

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CRT Disadvantages
 Very large

 Very heavy

 Use a lot of electricity

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Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
 Commonly found on laptops
 Desktop versions exist
 Solve the problems of CRT
 Fluorescent lights provide illumination

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Types of LCD
 Passive Matrix LCD

 Active Matrix LCD

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Passive Matrix LCD
 Pixels arranged in a grid
 Pixels are activated indirectly
 Row and column are activated
 Disadvantages
 Narrow viewing angle
 Don’t refresh pixels quickly
 Submarining
 Animation can be blurry
 Now uses dual scan LCD technology

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Active Matrix LCD
 Each pixel is activated directly by a
transistor
 use Thin-Film Transistor (“TFT”)
technology,
o Pixels have 4 transistors

 One each for red, green, blue and

opaqueness
 Transistors arranged in a thin film
 Animation is crisp and clean

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Drawbacks of LCD
 Image can be difficult to see in bright light
 Smaller viewing angle
 Must sit directly in front of screen
 More expensive than CRT
 Can be more fragile than CRT

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Various Flat Panel Displays

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Plasma Display Panel (PDP)
 Utilizes small cells containing
electrically charged ionized gases
called fluorescent lamps
 Advantages
 Better picture quality
 Wider viewing angles
 Less visible motion blur
 Disadvantages
 Screen burn-in
 Uses more electricity than LCDs

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Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
 uses light-emitting diodes as a video
display
 produce images with greater dynamic
contrast;
 can be extremely slim, some screens less
than half an inch (0.92 cm) thick;[6]
 produce less environmental pollution on
disposal;
 are more expensive;
 have typically 20 to 30% lower power
consumption
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Other Types of Monitors
 Paper-white displays
 High contrast between fore and background
 Electro-luminescent displays (ELD)
 Similar to LCD
 phosphorescent film held between two sheets of
glass.
 A grid of wires sends current through the film to
create an image

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Comparing Monitors
 Monitors impacts user effectiveness
 Monitors should have
 Crisp text
 Clear graphics
 Adjustable controls
 Clear edges
 Comparison specifications
 Size
 Resolution
 Refresh rate
 Dot Pitch
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Size of Monitor
 Measured in inches
 Measured diagonally
 Actual size
 Distance from corner to corner
 Viewable size 17 Inch Monitor
 Useable portion of the screen
 As a rule of thumb, buy the largest
monitor you can afford.

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 Resolution
 Refers to sharpness of image
 Number of pixels on the screen
 Higher number creates sharper images
 Higher number creates smaller images

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 Various Screen Resolution
 Color Graphics Adapter (CGA)
 300 X 200
 Enhanced Graphic Adapter (EGA)
 640 X 350
 Video Graphic Array (VGA)
 640 x 480

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 Refresh Rate
 Number of time the screen is redrawn
 Measured in Hertz (Hz)
 Modern equipment sets this automatically
 Improper settings can cause eyestrain
 Whenever a TV camera films a computer
monitor, the monitor seems to have a line
moving up the screen.
 This is the monitor refreshing the pixels.
 The camera films faster than the eye can
see, which is why the refresh is noticeable.

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Dot Pitch
 Distance between the same color dots
 Ranges between .15 mm (fine)
and .40 mm (coarse)
 Smaller creates a finer picture
 Should be less than .22

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Video Cards
 Device between the CPU and monitor
 Better cards result in better output
 Removes burden of drawing from CPU
 Have their own processor and RAM
 Modern cards have up to 8GB VRAM
 Capable of rendering 3D images
 ATI’s Radeon and NVIDIA’s GeForce

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 Ergonomics and Monitors
 Eyestrain
 Fatigue of the eyes
 Steps to avoid
 Choose a good monitor
 Place the monitor 2 – 3
feet away
 Center of screen below
eye level
 Avoid reflected light

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Ergonomics and Monitors

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 Electronic Magnetic field
(EMF)
 Generated by all electronic devices

 EMF may be detrimental to health

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Data Projectors
 Replaced overhead and slide projectors
 Project image onto wall or screen
 LCD projectors
 Most common type of projector
 Small LCD screen
 Very bright light
 Require a darkened room

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LCD Projectors
 A series of mirrors control the display
 May be used in a lighted room

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Sound Systems
 Integral part of the computer experience
 Capable of recording and playback

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Sound Cards
 Device between the CPU and speakers
 Converts digital sounds to analog
 Can be connected to several devices
 Modern cards support Dolby Surround
Sound

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Headphones and Headsets
 Replacement for speakers and microphones
 Offer privacy
 Does not annoy other people
 Outside noise is not a factor
 Headsets have speakers and a microphone

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Summary
 Output Devices
 Monitors
 CRT, LCD, PDP

 Comparing Monitors
 Size

 Resolution

 Refresh rate

 Dot pitch

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Summary
 Video Cards
 Ergonomics and Monitors
 Electronic Magnetic Field (EMF)
 Data Projectors
 LCD Projector
 Speakers and Sound Systems
 Sound Cards
 Headphone and Headsets

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Recommended Websites
 http://www.lynda.com/resources/hexpal
ette/hue.html
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_dis
play
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_displa
y
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_card
 http://www.tech-faq.com/how-lcd-projec
tors-work.html

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