VarTech Systems VT121 DiamondVue Series, User Manual

Page: 3 / 22

3
INTRODUCTION
SECTION 1
1.1
About LCD Monitors
A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a thin, flat panel used for electronically displaying information such
as text, images, and moving pictures. Among its major features are its lightweight construction, its
portability, and its ability to be produced in much larger screen sizes than are practical for the
construction of cathode ray tube (CRT) display technology. Its low electrical power consumption
enables it to be used in battery-powered electronic equipment. It is an electronically-modulated
optical device made up of any number of pixels filled with liquid crystals and arrayed in front of a light
source (backlight) or reflector to produce images in color or monochrome.
The LCD determines the function of the video board which converts the analog RGB (Red, Green,
Blue) signals from a standard video card to a high quality, digital RGB that the LCD can display.
The Video Card is the responsible
for allowing the device to “scale” a particular video resolution to
the “native” resolution of the LCD. Simply, consider that a computer is putting out a VGA [640x480]
resolution signal, yet the LCD that is connected is an XGA [1024x768] display. The displayed picture
would be in the center 1/3 of the LCD. With the introduction of the scaling engine the converter will
mathematically recalculate the 640x480 to 1024x768. This may sound simple but it is in fact a
complex algorithm that adjusts for different aspect ratios and pixel alignment, essentially smoothing
text and graphics to produce a picture that is pleasant to the eye. All Vartech displays from 12.1”
(800x600) to 23.1 (1600x1200) incorporate scaling engines in the converter card.