Poll: Favorite Display Technology - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Infrared_Fred
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 06:55:53 pm
content: Tell us about your favorite display technology and why. (Computer Screens, TVs, etc. don't count for this, please)Edit:JSYK I foundthisMaxim Integrated application Note (#1193) comparing various display technologies.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 07:11:04 pm
content: I choose the best display for the project at hand. As they say, different horses for different courses.No favorite per se of the ones you mention, however, OLED's are nice.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 07:42:01 pm
content: My favorite is still CRT, OLED is next on the list though. High contrast ratio, wide viewing angle, no color distortion as viewing angle changes.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 08:02:08 pm
content: OLED is very dubious to use if you want long term reliability. Sure OLED TVs produced right now have decent lifetime. But good luck assessing how long some small display will last. They degrade even when not in operation.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 08:06:10 pm
content: Graphic LCD:- works in the dark with backlight- works in the light with sunlight- cheap- lasts long time- generally easy to source replacements.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 08:07:41 pm
content: Graphic VFD, or OLED for cost/power constrained applications.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 08:24:25 pm
content: The question doesn't specify exactly what information you are displaying, but if it is simple enough to use a 7-segment display, I routinely see equipment with 7-segment LEDs that work fine after 40+ years of hard use. Nothing comes close in durability. If you need a more complex display, LED-backlit LCD is probably the way to go.Quote from: wraper on February 18, 2021, 08:02:08 pmThey're beyond dubious. We'll see about the TVs, but for consumer electronics and test equipment alike, a dead unobtanium OLED is becoming a leading cause of some pretty nice stuff turning into e-waste. It's infuriating and entirely unnecessary.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 08:49:38 pm
content: Nixies rule the World!Now seriously, for ultra low power products, LCDs are the way to go.Backlighting allowed if it is only momentary.

author: penfold
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2021, 09:32:40 pm
content: (Since you didn't mention a purpose, my mind just assumed context of a bench top multimeter or psu as something one might pitch each of those technologies against one another... otherwise, its totally application specific)I would never question somebody's decision to design in a graphic LCD, they are just so configurable. But I do like the simplicity and old-school aesthetic of single row of segment LEDs or VFD. I've not found an instrument with a graphic LCD and menu interface I prefer over having a PC app for anything more advanced than visually reading a single value from the front panel.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 01:54:06 am
content: Nimo tubes...

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 02:03:00 am
content: VFD always fascinated me.

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 03:16:17 am
content: Quote from: wraper on February 18, 2021, 08:02:08 pm^^This. I have several boards and devices with small OLED displays and most of them have blocks of dead and/or dim pixels already, after only a few years. I also have several similar boards/devices with small LCD displays, and none of them have display degradation like the boards with OLED displays, despite some of them being much older than the ones with OLEDs.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 03:38:21 am
content: The Charactron or whatever generated those amazing screens of data in Mission Control back in the Apollo days.https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/234/view-of-activity-in-mission-control-center-during-apollo-15-eva/And, of course, the Eidophor.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidophor

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 05:40:19 am
content: The Eidophor is fascinating, it's one of those things that is more like the experiment of a mad scientist and hard to believe that it was viable as a commercial product but it sure was neat. It's too bad more of them haven't survived.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 06:38:40 am
content: I wonder if Shirley Bassey singing This is My Life has an Eidophor doing that rear projection thingIt's still impressive today.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 10:30:35 am
content: I'll have to vote for VFD, as they just look really nice. However, in practice, it will depend on the application.

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 10:42:30 am
content: Nothing beats 7-segment LEDs for numerical display, indicator LEDs for status, and so on, as long as the application is simple enough (and non-changing). I try to go that way whenever possible. Do use modern high-intensity LEDs though to make the display sunlight-readable. Automatic intensity adjustment with ambient light sensor recommended.

author: gnuarm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 10:49:38 am
content: I like ePaper. Most or at least *many* displays do not require frequent updating. My house thermostat updates maybe every five seconds. Easy peasy for ePaper. They are still a bit pricey if they aren't tiny though. So not for the low end. But their clarity and contrast simply can't be beat... in any lighting.

author: Syntax Error
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 12:15:17 pm
content: Best, IPS monitors.Quote from: wraper on February 18, 2021, 08:02:08 pmI was going to add exactly the same point. My original Oled display is somewhat dimmer than when new. I understand being 'organic' means the molecules fall apart in UV daylight.I would rate e-ink/paper if it didn't do that annoying inverse-blink thing on rewrite.@cyberdragon Yes, Nimo Tubes! Saw them first on Fran  Lab. @eevblog Dave, you have to get one of these, they are so 1964.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 05:23:34 pm
content: OLED seems to be highly variable. I have had some small (cheap) displays deteriorate very quickly while others have lasted a long time and still look nice. My friend got an OLED TV about 3 years ago and it's still going strong but that's only one data point. My brother bought one more recently so that will eventually be another. They look amazing, and I suppose a TV is a bit different than something like a piece of test gear. The display in a TV is for all practical purposes the entire TV, it's not like an expensive piece of test gear where the display is only a small component of the overall unit.

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 05:30:30 pm
content: Mechanical. Like airport display boards used to be decades ago.Nixie. Actually not quite dead, but expensive compared to alternatives.Neon. Think Famous Vegas animated signs from the past, a few of which survive.Skywriting. No refresh, slow erase, very expensive.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 10:07:45 pm
content: I like the funky easy and cheap "annunciators" on the Tektronix 1S2 plugin.https://w140.com/tekwiki/images/thumb/f/f1/Tek_1s2_e_2.jpg/800px-Tek_1s2_e_2.jpg

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2021, 10:15:07 pm
content: Definitely the Eidophor:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidophor

author: IDEngineer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 05:20:34 pm
content: My analysis is based on the primary role of a "display": To convey information. All other considerations are secondary, though they might matter based on environment.Overall winner: LCD. Can be made visible in any amount of light from absolute darkness to intense sunlight. Ultra-low power and "normal" voltages. Reasonably rugged. Near-infinite design options from seven-segment to dot matrix to full-on custom graphics. Monochrome or color. Reasonably fast refresh rates (but can suffer in cold temps). Straightforward control algorithms (can be real-time from MCU/CPU in many cases).LED's win for longevity and ruggedness but suffer in bright ambient light.I have an emotional fondness for a traditional CRT but let's be honest, it's inferior to at least one other modern display technology in every parameter. Hard to manufacture, fragile, require (usually) otherwise unnecessary high voltages, awkward form factor, bulky, burn-in, requires post-manufacture alignment, sensitive to external fields, the list is endless. They're basically a crutch until technology made better options possible. In some ways it's amazing that they could be manufactured in any volume for the prices that were ultimately achieved; those electron gun assemblies were simultaneously the most precision and the least appreciated devices most people would encounter in their lives.By extension, any display technology relying on a vacuum is near the bottom of the list for many of the same reasons: Fragility, usually voltage, volume consumed, usually susceptible to some form of aging, etc.ePaper is very clever for the niches it can serve. So too are the various other mechanical indicators like those used in very large outdoor signs, but again limited to specific applications.Overally it's hard to beat LCD's for the wide range of use cases they satisfy while consuming almost no power doing it. You might need a backlight in near darkness, but otherwise they actually get more visible with increasing illumination... and after all, the job of a display is to be visible.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 05:25:31 pm
content: Quote from: IDEngineer on February 20, 2021, 05:20:34 pmI'd go for VCR head drum for that title, with hard disk and floppy disk heads as runners up, and honorable mentions to reel to reel heads.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 07:12:46 pm
content: Quote from: IDEngineer on February 20, 2021, 05:20:34 pmThere is one parameter that no other display technology has matched, at least to my knowledge - dynamic range. The best example I can think of is the vector arcade game Asteroids, blinding white missiles flying across an inky black background, it's impossible to emulate properly on any modern display technology. The only possible exception I can think of would be laser projection but a laser projector relies on mechanical galvos to scan the beam and even the best hardware can't match the write speed possible with even a magnetic deflection CRT.Technically perhaps OLED could be made to allow very high dynamic range like this but I don't think anything currently on the market can do it.There is another advantage that CRTs have that is unique to them, they are inherently analog without fixed pixels so they can natively display a wide range of resolutions without scaling. This is especially true of monochrome CRTs which lack a shadow mask or aperture grill, they are just painting a picture in real time on a phosphor screen. The resolution is limited only by spot size, maximum beam current and the speed of the deflection.

author: IDEngineer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 08:16:32 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on February 20, 2021, 07:12:46 pmGood point and I agree. On both counts. To your second point, I've worked on and off with galvo-scanned lasers since the 70's and it's not even a fair comparison, if only due to the masses involved! Electrons vs. shaft + mirror mass, hmm.QuoteAgreed again. Particularly monochrome screens. It's going to be hard to match the theoretical minimum spot size, though phosphor blooming will get in the way at any useful brightness level.

author: IDEngineer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 08:20:29 pm
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on February 20, 2021, 05:25:31 pmI'll admit those are good runners-up, but while they're very finely machined (smooth) and have incredible tolerances (photolithography?), the electron gun is an assortment of gossamer components held in purely mechanical alignment. They couldn't be photolithographically replicated in mass volume, each one was almost hand assembled and tweaked. No matter which one is the "winner" the electron gun, in mass production, was an amazing accomplishment.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 08:56:29 pm
content: QuoteExcept prolonged exposer to heat and sun destroys monochrome LCDs. My dad had a '89 truck often used in the hot desert sun while prospecting and the radio LCD got absolutely cooked black.

author: gnuarm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2021, 09:37:32 pm
content: Quote from: Cyberdragon on February 20, 2021, 08:56:29 pmThe claim of viewability in sunlight is a bit overstated. While there are displays that work outdoors, they are not the same displays that are used indoors. It requires MASSIVE backlighting to view an LCD outdoors making them rather expensive and power hungry. So while the technology allows for outdoor viewing, LCDs can not be considered to be suitable for *all* environments.Most LCDs are marginally viewable even in manyindoorenvironments. To view passive LCDs under a wide range of indoor lighting a compromise is used where there is a slightly reflective backing that reflects some light but also allows for a backlight. The key word there is "compromise". The result does not work well under any lighting condition and is particularly bad in the mid range where neither the backlight on or off helps. A stronger backlight helps, but then uses more power, which may or may not matter.The point is LCD is not a universal solution to all display problems.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 12:14:00 am
content: Quote from: gnuarm on February 20, 2021, 09:37:32 pmDo you realize there are reflective LCD such as in most of multimeters?

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 12:15:41 am
content: The question was "favorite" display technology. If you're looking for "winners", that's an entirely different question.Dried blood on cave walls was a winner at one time. Some of those displays have lasted for thousands of years!

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 12:19:29 am
content: Quote from: gnuarm on February 20, 2021, 09:37:32 pmThat's a pretty high standard!The displays in a car would seem to be one of the most difficult, except of course power doesn't matter much. I can see the LCD displays in my car right up to the point that I can't see anything at all due to sun glare or whatever. I don't think any technology could be any better.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 03:52:09 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on February 21, 2021, 12:19:29 amHave you parked in in the blazing desert sun for hours on end repeatedly? Granted, that was old tech LCD, but I doubt modern ones would survive harsh environments much better unless they are ruggedized (aka mil/space spec).

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 03:56:52 am
content: Quote from: Cyberdragon on February 21, 2021, 03:52:09 amWell, actually, yes I have. The car has been parked mostly outside in SoCal for going on 7 years now. It's not a Tesla, so the screen is 'automotive grade'. I don't know how that compares to mil-spec.

author: gnuarm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 10:12:31 am
content: Quote from: wraper on February 21, 2021, 12:14:00 amThat's my point. To say LCDs work in all conditions you have to pick a different type of LCD for each lighting condition. It's a bit like saying autos work well in all conditions because you can get autos to work in highways, autos to work in desserts, autos to work in rocky terrain, autos to work in mud... there's even an auto in outer space! Well, another one. We already had some on the Moon and a few on Mars.

author: gnuarm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 12:27:00 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on February 21, 2021, 11:02:51 amExactly, they suck!

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 12:46:06 pm
content: I liketurtlesIPS TFT displays for general use; e-paper for low-energy persistent stuff; and OLEDs for small displays.Yeah, each one of them has their downsides, but I'm old enough to remember the alternatives. These rule.If I ever get a large manual mill, I'll still want a DRO with seven-segment LED display, though. Best tool for the task.

author: andy2000
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 21, 2021, 04:35:23 pm
content: It's hard to have one favorite when there are so many different situations. For small battery operated devices like DMMs and calculators, it's hard to beat a reflective LCD.For line powered devices that are on all the time like clocks, LEDs are good because they a last a long time. For more complicated displays that aren't on all the time I prefer VFDs. They're more vivid, and can display more complicated information. Good quality VFDs can last for decades, even when they are always on, but they do dim with age.For TVs, I have never seen an LCD I like. I was always a fan of plasma, and now OLED. You can't beat an emissive display for video. I just wish they'd make smaller OLEDs (in the 15"-32" range).