Tags: aspect ratio, Character, contrast, display, pixels, resolution
A common problem with LCD displays is that the character contrast might suffer form scaling problems or bad cables. When buying a new display for your home or office it is therefore very important to analyze the need of aspect ratios before choosing a display.
Some software are designed for a certain aspect ratio and as soon as they are started they force the display into this resolution. If this resolution is not supported by the display vertical or horizontal bands of bad character contrast can occur.
How to avoid this:
- Check the supported resolutions in the specifications of the display.
- Chose a resolution that is evenly scalable to the native resolution if the display.
- Use digital interface between computer and display.
- If using analogue interface use short cable < 3m with good shielding.
- Check the connector of the graphic card to see that it’s not damaged
The native resolution is the one that corresponds to the amount of fixed pixels in the display. Every other resolution forces the display to scale the picture by merging pixels. Displays manage this with different success. The native resolution is the maximum resolution accepted by LCD displays. It is therefore recommended to use as high resolution as possible on LCD displays. If the text becomes too small to read this can be solved by adjusting the DPI settings in Windows.
Tags: display, gaming, gamma curve, greyscale, performance, response time, viritual
Display for computer gaming
So, what are the most important aspects of a display used for computer gaming? Well, it comes down to the question on which games you are going to play. The performance of the display can make a huge difference on your computer gaming experience as it seriously affects your awareness in the virtual world.
Did you spot that guy?
First person shooters, simulators, racing, action
- Fast response time (low motion blur)
- Correct gamma curve (otherwise your opponent melt in with the background)
- Neutral grayscales (This also makes it difficult to spot things in dark settings)
Real time strategy, RPG, Massively Multiplayer, strategy
- High resolution (more detailed view of small characters and items)
- Large screen size (See a greater part of the battlefield)
- Correct colors (Is that magic potion read or purple?)
For an action game the gamma curve and greyscale performance of your display greatly affects how easy you could spot other players in the virtual world. When it comes strategy games screen size and resolution makes you see a greater portion of the game area and in this way you can see more of the things happening around you before other players.
The impact of the display on your performance at the computer is well known by the military, the medical area and several other professions where misinterpretations of the information on the display can be fatal. This is why some displays are tested and verified to have high performance. Take advantage of this!
TCO Certified displays have passed impartial testing on all these aspects and shown great performance. Look for the “TCO Certified” label on the back of the display to get a validated tool and win the game!
Tags:
The screen communicates with flashing backlight
It’s Friday and time for part 2 of our report on exciting new displays on show at the Society for Information Displays expo.
Transmissive/reflective panels readable in sunlight to the left in comparison with normal panels without reflective layer to the right.
Reflective displays
Some panels are designed with a reflective layer behind the liquid crystal. This increase readability in strong ambient light as the ambient light enters the display and bounces back out in the same direction as the backlight towards the user. The stronger ambient light the stronger the extra light that bounces back is which make the display readable in almost any ambient light condition. A normal panel only has the light from the lamps to create the picture and when the ambient light is stronger it is not possible to read the display.
Smart displays
Samsung also presented a new display technology which can communicate with for example a mobile phone by flashing backlight. The backlight flashes with such a high frequency that it is not visible but it can carry information. This may be used for digital signage to send information about the advertised product directly to the observer’s phone.
