Comparison of CRT, LCD, plasma, and OLED displays

Last updated

Technology
Parameter
CRT LCD Plasma OLED
Static contrast ratioTypical 200–300:1 [1] [2] 150 to 8,100:1 [3] [4] Typically 1,000:1 - 3,000:1, Some models measured up to 20,333:1 [5] "Between 0.0001 and 0.00001 nits" "Sony claims an OLED contrast range of 1,000,000:1." [6]
Peak luminosity176  cd/m2 [1] 200–4,000 cd/m2 [7] [8] 50–200 cd/m2 [1] 100–1500 cd/m2 [9] often significantly varying based on average picture level [10]
Color depth 8-bit per subpixel resolution; offers better resolution for grayscale [ citation needed ]6- to 10-bit per subpixel panels; [11] smaller dot pitch, better detail [12] 6- to 8-bit per subpixel panels8- to 10-bit per subpixel, with some HDR models capable of 12-bit per subpixel. [13]
Response time0.01  ms [14] to less than 1  µs, [15] but limited by phosphor decay time (around 5 ms) [16] 1–8 ms typical (according to manufacturer data), older units could be as slow as 35 ms [17] Typically less than 0.01 ms, as low as 2 µs, [14] [18] but limited by phosphor decay time (around 5 ms)Estimates varying from under 0.01 ms to as low as 1 µs. [19] [20]
Frame rate (refresh rate)60–85 fps typically, some CRTs can go even higher (200 fps at reduced resolution [21] );
internally, display refreshed at input frame rate speed
60 fps typically, some gaming monitors can do up to 500 fps;
internally, display refreshed at up to 500 fps [22] [23]
60 fps typically, some can do 120 fps;
internally, display refreshed at e.g. 480 or 600 fps [24]
60 fps typically. Up to 240 fps. [25]
Flicker Perceptible on lower refresh rates (60 fps and below) [26] Depends; in 2013 most LCDs used PWM (strobing) to dim the backlight [27] However, since then many flicker free LCD computer monitors were introduced. [28] Does not normally occur due to a high refresh rate higher than FPS [29] Does not normally occur at 100% brightness level. At levels below 100% flicker often occurs with frequencies between 60 and 255 Hz, since often pulse-width modulation is used to dim OLED screens. [30] [31]
Risk of image persistence or burn-in High [32] Low [32] High [32] Medium [33]
Energy consumption and heat generationHigh [34] Low [34]
Varies with brightness but usually higher than LCD [35] [36] [37] [38] Varies based on image brightness and color. For the majority of images it will consume 60–80% of the power of an LCD.

OLED displays use 40% of the power of an LCD displaying an image that is primarily black as they lack the need for a backlight, [39] while OLED can use more than three times as much power to display a mostly white image compared to an LCD. [40]

Environmental influencesSensitive to ambient magnetic fields, which can adversely affect convergence and color purity.Prone to malfunctions on both low (below −20 °C, −4 °F) or high (above 45 °C, 113 °F) temperatures [41] High altitude pressure difference may cause poor function or buzzing noises [42] Can have poor brightness, especially when most of the picture is white [10]
Electro-magnetic radiation emissionCan emit a small amount of X-ray radiation.Only emits non-ionizing radiation. [43] Emits strong radio frequency electromagnetic radiation [44] No, control circuitry may emit radio interference
SizeUp to 43″ (1.09 m) [45] Up to 120″ (3.04 m) [46] Up to 150″ (3.8 m) [47] (152" experimental) [48] Up to 97″ (2.46 m) [49]
MaintenanceHazardous to repair or service due to high-voltage,
requires skilled convergence calibration and adjustments for geographic location changes. [50] Glass display tube is evacuated and carries risk of implosion if improperly handled.
May be risky and expensive to repair due to complexity of the display; [51] units with mercury CCFL backlight lamps are an environmental health hazard [52] Screen itself cannot be repaired if the gas used to generate images leaks [53] Display itself cannot be repaired if it cracks and oxygen enters it due to failure of OLED encapsulation, which results in display failure.
OtherNo native resolution. Currently, the only display technology capable of multi-syncing (displaying different resolutions and refresh rates without the need for scaling). [54] Display lag is extremely low due to its nature, which does not have the ability to store image data before output, unlike LCDs, plasma displays and OLED displays. [55] Extremely bulky and heavy construction in comparison to other display technologies. Large displays would be unsuitable for wall mounting. New models are no longer produced.The LCD grid can mask effects of spatial and grayscale quantization, creating the illusion of higher image quality. [56]
Is the cheapest display technology currently produced, with some entry-level models selling for less than $100.
Screen-door effects are more noticeable than LCD when up close, or on larger sizes. [57] New models are no longer produced.Colored sub-pixels may age at different rates, leading to a color shift, although some models will scan pixels to even out wear and prevent this shift. [58] Sensitive to UV light from direct sunlight. Is considered the highest quality but also the most expensive display technology currently produced, with TVs, laptops and monitors rarely being available for less than $1200.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer monitor</span> Computer output device

A computer monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial or textual form. A discrete monitor comprises a visual display, support electronics, power supply, housing, electrical connectors, and external user controls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquid-crystal display</span> Display that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals

A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but instead use a backlight or reflector to produce images in color or monochrome. LCDs are available to display arbitrary images or fixed images with low information content, which can be displayed or hidden: preset words, digits, and seven-segment displays are all examples of devices with these displays. They use the same basic technology, except that arbitrary images are made from a matrix of small pixels, while other displays have larger elements. LCDs can either be normally on (positive) or off (negative), depending on the polarizer arrangement. For example, a character positive LCD with a backlight will have black lettering on a background that is the color of the backlight, and a character negative LCD will have a black background with the letters being of the same color as the backlight. Optical filters are added to white on blue LCDs to give them their characteristic appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plasma display</span> Type of flat panel display

A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display that uses small cells containing plasma: ionized gas that responds to electric fields. Plasma televisions were the first large flat panel displays to be released to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OLED</span> Diode that emits light from an organic compound

The organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescentdiode, 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. This organic layer is situated between two electrodes; typically, at least one of these electrodes is transparent. OLEDs are used to create digital displays in devices such as television screens, computer monitors, and portable systems such as smartphones and handheld game consoles. A major area of research is the development of white OLED devices for use in solid-state lighting applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat-panel display</span> Electronic display technology

A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipment.

A television set or television receiver is an electronic device for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or as a computer monitor. It combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers. Introduced in the late 1920s in mechanical form, television sets became a popular consumer product after World War II in electronic form, using cathode ray tube (CRT) technology. The addition of color to broadcast television after 1953 further increased the popularity of television sets in the 1960s, and an outdoor antenna became a common feature of suburban homes. The ubiquitous television set became the display device for the first recorded media for consumer use in the 1970s, such as Betamax, VHS; these were later succeeded by DVD. It has been used as a display device since the first generation of home computers and dedicated video game consoles in the 1980s. By the early 2010s, flat-panel television incorporating liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology, especially LED-backlit LCD technology, largely replaced CRT and other display technologies. Modern flat panel TVs are typically capable of high-definition display and can also play content from a USB device. Starting in the late 2010s, most flat panel TVs began to offer 4K and 8K resolutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LCD television</span> Television set with liquid-crystal display

Liquid-crystal-display televisions are television sets that use liquid-crystal displays to produce images. They are by far the most widely produced and sold television display type. LCD TVs are thin and light, but have some disadvantages compared to other display types such as high power consumption, poorer contrast ratio, and inferior color gamut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backlight</span> Form of illumination used in liquid crystal displays

A backlight is a form of illumination used in liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). As LCDs do not produce light by themselves—unlike, for example, cathode ray tube (CRT), plasma (PDP) or OLED displays—they need illumination to produce a visible image. Backlights illuminate the LCD from the side or back of the display panel, unlike frontlights, which are placed in front of the LCD. Backlights are used in small displays to increase readability in low light conditions such as in wristwatches, and are used in smart phones, computer displays and LCD televisions to produce light in a manner similar to a CRT display. A review of some early backlighting schemes for LCDs is given in a report Engineering and Technology History by Peter J. Wild.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screen burn-in</span> Disfigurement of an electronic display

Screen burn-in, image burn-in, ghost image, or shadow image, is a permanent discoloration of areas on an electronic display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) in an old computer monitor or television set. It is caused by cumulative non-uniform use of the screen.

XBR is a line of LCD, OLED, and formerly Plasma, Rear Projection, and CRT televisions produced by Sony. According to Sony, XBR is an acronym for eXtended Bit Rate, although there is evidence that it originally stood for "Project X, Black Remote" which was supposed to set it apart from the then-standard line of Sony televisions. The XBR range is typically derived from equipment that has been released in Japan and Europe as mid and high-end models, usually with some small upgrades. For example, in Europe and Japan, the Sony X-Series 1080p TVs had two HDMI inputs, whereas on the American XBR version, there were three. An XBR may cost up to US$25,000.

LG Display is one of the world's largest manufacturers and supplier of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels, OLEDs and flexible displays. LG Display is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and currently operates nine fabrication facilities and seven back-end assembly facilities in Korea, China, Poland and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LED-backlit LCD</span> Display technology implementation

An LED-backlit LCD is a liquid-crystal display that uses LEDs for backlighting instead of traditional cold cathode fluorescent (CCFL) backlighting. LED-backlit displays use the same TFT LCD technologies as CCFL-backlit LCDs, but offer a variety of advantages over them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quantum dot display</span> Type of display device

A quantum dot display is a display device that uses quantum dots (QD), semiconductor nanocrystals which can produce pure monochromatic red, green, and blue light. Photo-emissive quantum dot particles are used in LCD backlights or display color filters. Quantum dots are excited by the blue light from the display panel to emit pure basic colors, which reduces light losses and color crosstalk in color filters, improving display brightness and color gamut. Light travels through QD layer film and traditional RGB filters made from color pigments, or through QD filters with red/green QD color converters and blue passthrough. Although the QD color filter technology is primarily used in LED-backlit LCDs, it is applicable to other display technologies which use color filters, such as blue/UV active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) or QNED/MicroLED display panels. LED-backlit LCDs are the main application of photo-emissive quantum dots, though blue OLED panels with QD color filters are being researched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphics display resolution</span> Width and height of an electronic visual display device, such as a computer monitor, in pixels

The graphics display resolution is the width and height dimension of an electronic visual display device, measured in pixels. This information is used for electronic devices such as a computer monitor. Certain combinations of width and height are standardized and typically given a name and an initialism which is descriptive of its dimensions. A graphics display resolution can be used in tandem with the size of the graphics display to calculate pixel density. An increase in the pixel density often correlates with a decrease in the size of individual pixels on a display.

Universal Display Corporation is a developer and manufacturer of organic light emitting diodes (OLED) technologies and materials as well as provider of services to the display and lighting industries. It is also an OLED research company. Founded in 1994, the company currently owns or has exclusive, co-exclusive or sole license rights with respect to more than 3,000 issued and pending patents worldwide for the commercialization of phosphorescent based OLEDs and also flexible, transparent and stacked OLEDs - for both display and lighting applications. Its phosphorescent OLED technologies and materials are licensed and supplied to companies such as Samsung, LG, AU Optronics CMEL, Pioneer, Panasonic Idemitsu OLED lighting and Konica Minolta.

A see-through display or transparent display is an electronic display that allows the user to see what is shown on the screen while still being able to see through it. The main applications of this type of display are in head-up displays, augmented reality systems, digital signage, and general large-scale spatial light modulation. They should be distinguished from image-combination systems which achieve visually similar effects by optically combining multiple images in the field of view. Transparent displays embed the active matrix of the display in the field of view, which generally allows them to be more compact than combination-based systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid log–gamma</span> High dynamic range standard that was jointly developed by the BBC and NHK

The hybrid log–gamma (HLG) transfer function is a transfer function jointly developed by the BBC and NHK for high dynamic range (HDR) display. It's backward compatible with the transfer function of SDR. It was approved as ARIB STD-B67 by the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB). It is also defined in ATSC 3.0, Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) UHD-1 Phase 2, and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Rec. 2100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BOE Technology</span> Chinese electronics company

BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., or Jingdongfang, is a Chinese electronic components producer founded in April 1993. Its core businesses are interface devices, smart IoT systems and smart medicine and engineering integration. BOE is one of the world's largest manufacturers of LCD, OLEDs and flexible displays.

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