small lcd screen for pc case free sample

I saw a really cool video of a PC case called "Snowblind", that had a transparent LCD Screen as a side panel. I was amazed over how cool it was. The only problem was that it was really expensive. Therefore, I tried making my own! In this instructables I will go through how I made it, and how you could make your own. The best of all, since it was made from an old monitor that was thrown away, it was basically free! I just added some LED strips on the inside of the case to get better contrast on the screen. You could probably re-use the monitors backlight, but it"s safer and easier to just get some cheap LED strips.

The first step is to disassemble the monitor. The disassembly is pretty well documented in the video I made. I have also added some pictures so you can see the steps. The steps of disassembling the monitor will not be the same for every monitor, therefore I will not go into detail of every step.

You will have to reverse engineer the controller to find the power connections, and solder a new power connector on. This way, you can use the ATX power supply that powers your computer. I used a multimeter, where I had one probe to the ground plane (For example around the mounting screws), and used the other probe to search for 5V or 12V power on the pins coming from the power supply.

First, remove the frame of the panel. It is fixed with clips, so just bend the frame a little and lift the frame up. Next, separate the front LCD from the backlight. For the next step, you will have to be careful. This step involves removing the anti glare film. It is glued to the panel, and therefore it"s easy to break the LCD when trying to remove it.

To remove it place some paper towels on top, and then carefully pour water on it until the towels are soaked. Let it sit for around 24 hours. After 24 hours, try to start pealing the layer from the corner. If it sticks in some places, place a wet paper towel on that space and wait some more.

Then you are done modding the LCD! Now, you can hook it up to the panel and test it. Just be careful with the ribbon cables going from the LCD PCB to the panel.

The side panel of this case fits the LCD perfectly. Just line it up to the side facing the back, and to the top, and use some tape to tape it to the glass. Then, use some vinyl on the outside where the LCD is not covering the glass.

It"s really important to have lots of lights inside the case, to make it easier to see the LCD. Therefore, try to fill the case with even more LED strips.

You are now ready to assemble everything. In this case, the controller fit nicely in the hard drive compartment, so I glued it there and fed the ribbon cable through the hole in the inside of the case. That way it was pretty much hidden inside the case.

Now you can carefully mount the side panel back on the computer. You might have to drill a new hole for the thumb screw in the back to make it fit properly.

You can now power up the computer, open the screen settings and set it up for dual screens. You might have to flip the display 180 degrees too. When you have done that, open Wallpaper Engine and set a wallpaper of choice!

Hey I have a little question, I also have a Dell 1905FP, but I think it"s an older model because I don"t have a ribbon cable but a normal cable with a plug. My problem is that I have peeled off one film but it still looks like there is a second film on the back because it is still a little blurry. But I"m afraid that if I try to pull them off, my LCD display will break. Maybe you have an idea. Thanks in advance

Stunning result ! Bought for 10€ a Dell 1907FPc which is fairly similar to yours. I have trouble identifying the pin layout to find the 5V pin. Did you plug in the power supply to your AC while checking with your multimetter ?0

Really neat. I saw the same snowblind case and wanted it but too expensive. I also saw someone who made their own using a USB monitor. But I like your setup better.2

Terrific job! May I ask why you would need to remove the front polarizer? If my understanding is correct, both the front and back polarizers are needed in order for the LCD to work properly (i.e., the light gets polarized by the back polarizer first, and then passes through the front polarizer)? You comments will be appreciated!

Hey, great work on this project. I wanted to buy the snowbind case but couldn"t justify the cost. I have the same case and I ended up picking up the same monitor that you used in your project.

Is it possible that you post or send me photos of the inside of the case when you have this installed? I"m just a bit confused on how you wired up everything?

I tried taking some photos, but I have covered the screen PCB with a cover, so it was hard to see in the photos. I basically just laid it inside the case with a 90-degree angle. I tried drawing it here: (view from the front)0

I used "wallpaper engine" to just set the animations as wallpaper on that screen. I mentioned it in the last step, but I could probably make a own step about that, if you are interested in more details.2

I think you should have more pics and info about the re- mounting the LCD. After all if you don"t do it right all that work is for nothing. While I understand your wiring diagram, I think that it should be explained and a larger part of this Instructible...for example to get white lite your are powering all 3 lanes (red,green,blue) on the RGB tape.

Hello, Wonderfull project, I have the same case and I would love to do it (if I have time and the screen to the right size). Just a question, can you put a photo of the cable connection to see if it"s easy to open the case ? One little suggestion, instead of connecting the panel to the graphic card (which mean to run a cable outside, why don"t you use a USB to VGA or DVI converter (like this https://www.amazon.fr/Adaptateur-convertisseur-adaptateur-Affichage-multi-écrans/dp/B079L81FRD/ref=asc_df_B079L81FRD/?tag=googshopfr-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=227894524041&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17927658121409960098&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9055710&hvtargid=pla-442905712462&psc=1) ?

Thanks! So I actually bought one of those adapters, as well as an internal USB 3.0 to USB A port and tried it that way, but I couldn"t get it to work reliably. You might have better luck than I have, but I found it simpler to just run the cable through the case. I just removed one of the PCIE slot covers, and ran it out through there, so opening and closing the case is not a problem.More CommentsPost Comment

There are PC builders out there that can put a system together, check its function to make sure everything is running smoothly, and then use it without ever looking at its vital signs again.

If you’re a stat-checker like me, you’ve likely seen external system monitors in custom systems. If your available time for tinkering is like mine, you likely still look at those with envy, as getting them installed and set up all on your own takes time and a skillset that many don’t have.

Recently though, Lamptron has shifted their attention to PC monitoring hardware. They currently offer more than ten different hardware monitors in different sizes and styles, with more on the way!

First launched as ASMDEMO in 1995 and reintroduced as AIDA32 in 2001, AIDA64 is the culmination of decades of work and improvement and is among the best-known monitoring software packages on the market. The amount of information about your system that’s easily obtainable through AIDA64 is honestly incredible, and Lamptron’s system monitors make it easy to access.

First and foremost, Lamptron’s hardware monitors currently all offer the same user interface and functionality. Powered by a micro USB connection and interfacing with your PC by way of a full-sized HDMI connection, they’re universal and easy to use.

Since they connect through HDMI, Lamptron’s system monitors function as an additional display. While that means that your video source will have to be multi-monitor capable in order to use them, it also makes them simple and eliminates any need for additional drivers.

You will of course need a copy of the AIDA64 software. If you don’t have a copy don’t worry – the flash drive included with your Lamptron monitor includes a fully-licensed copy of the software. Licensing for AIDA64 (as of the date of this post) starts at $49.99US, so this is a nice inclusion.

AIDA64 is capable of monitoring nearly every piece of data about your PC and displaying it on the Lamptron System Monitors. Anything from memory utilization to disk activity to per-core CPU temperatures. Temps, voltages, clock speeds, power values, disk space – pretty much anything you might want to know about what your PC is doing can be monitored in real time and displayed.

What’s more, AIDA64 allows you to build a completely custom screen for your new monitor. You can decide not only which pieces of data are displayed, but customize the way they’re displayed. Bars, graphs, gauges, simple numbers – the choice is yours. You can customize nearly every aspect of your screen, right down to the color and font used in the different data displays and more. You can add your own images and even make your own custom gauges if you’re savvy with image editing software.

The HM022 is the smallest of the monitors that Lamptron offers, with a diminutive 2.2-inch LCD. Why would you want a monitor with a screen that small, you ask? Because this one is built into a graphics card support bracket.

The HC060 monitor offers a six-inch LCD screen and comes with mounts to install in any dual 5.25” position in a PC case. Fully enclosed and only 6mm thick, the HC060 can also be housed outside your PC case, though no mounts or stands are included for this purpose.

Moving up in screen size brings us to the HC070. Offering a 7-inch screen and matching the 6mm thickness of the HC060, the HC070 is designed to mount in a PCI slot inside your case.

The HM070 monitor is a modification of the HC070. While using the same 7-inch screen, it provides an enclosure 10mm thick that allows it to function freestanding outside of the PC case. It also includes the same mounting options as the HC070.

A further modification of the HC070, the HM070 LIFT places the 7-inch LCD screen in a larger housing that’s 30mm thick and includes an option for wall mounting.

Though the screen on the HM088 is an 8.8” LCD, its form factor is longer and narrower than the 070 series. Designed to be mounted inside your PC case in a PCI location, its length will cover a large portion of most side panel windows.

The HM101 moves away from the smaller screens used in previous models, offering a 10.1-inch LCD and includes a single-position stand for placing it on a desk.

An evolution of the HM101, the HM101 Touch has the same screen size, but the bezel is larger and notably thicker along one of the long edges. Touch-control enabled, the HM101 Touch has a virtual keyboard function that allows the user to interact with the monitor directly.

Similar to the HM088, the HM140 offers a long narrow form factor, but with a full 14-inch LCD screen. Mounting for inside the PC case is included. While it is 14mm thick, the shape of the HM140 will not allow freestanding use without a stand of some sort.

The HM140 Touch brings a screen identical in size to the HM140, but wrapped in a thicker bezel and including the same multi-position stand that comes with the HM101 Touch. Virtual keyboard support is also present.

The largest of Lamptron’s monitors, the HM173 is a gargantuan 17.3 inches of screen. Sharing the same uniform narrow bezel as the HM101, it also comes a non-adjustable single-position stand.

7 inch mini HDMI monitor with HD 1024x600 resolution. This small LCD screen upgrades to IPS screen with larger visible angle and better image quality.

Plug and play, as easy as plugging micro USB cable for touch and power supply, HDMI cable for displaying, both cables included in the package, no driver needed.

The USB capacitive touch control is for Windows and raspberry pi system, free-driver, just connect the 7” screen by the USB port of the computer/ Raspberry Pi.

Can be used as a general-purpose 7 inch HDMI screen connected to your TV box, game console, or mounted inside your PC case as temperature stat panel display, etc.

Supports PC with HDMI port:Used as a small second monitor for laptop which has Win7, Win8, Win10 system, 5 point touch (XP and older version system: single-point touch), free drive.

Supports PC with HDMI port:Used as a small second monitor for laptop which has Win7, Win8, Win10 system, 5 point touch (XP and older version system: single-point touch), free drive.

Connected to RPI 4: Connect to HDMI 0 port when working with Raspberry Pi 4.(Just power the screen by the USB port of the pi if you want to get the touch function available)

Connected to RPI 4:Connect to HDMI 0 port when working with Raspberry Pi 4.(Just power the screen by the USB port of the pi if you want to get the touch function available)

*When working with Raspberry Pi 4, for the system image of Raspberry Pi after 2021-10-30, for example onBullseye, please modify "dtoverlay = vc4-kms-v3d" to "dtoverlay = vc4-fkms-v3d" in the config file, otherwise it may fail to start. But onBuster, please comment out "dtoverlay = vc4-fkms-V3D" by adding #.

(Power Tools). Illuminates the technical & creative aspects of loops, allowing you to master this limitless form. Covers: digital recording & sampling, creating your own loops, signal processing & routing, mixing like the pros, legal aspects of sampling, shortcuts and more, exploring applications of the most popular software tools. As a bonus, the included CD-ROM contains demo and lite software of the tools discussed, in both Mac OS and Windows versions, plus 250+ megabytes of license-and royalty-free loops and samples in a variety of styles.

Taking good care of your computer is important. Cleaning your computer, components, and peripherals helps keep everything in good working condition, helps prevent germs from spreading, and helps allow proper air flow. The picture shows an example of how dirty the inside of your computer case can get. Looking at this picture, it"s immediately obvious that all the dust and dirt is going to prevent proper air flow and may even prevent the fan from working.

Be cautious when using any cleaning solvents; some people have allergic reactions to chemicals in cleaning solvents, and some solvents can even damage the case. Try always to use water or a highly diluted solvent.

When cleaning fans, especially smaller fans, hold the fan or place something in-between the fan blades to prevent it from spinning. Spraying compressed air into a fan or cleaning a fan with a vacuum may cause damage or generate a back voltage.

Cloth - A cotton cloth is the best tool used when rubbing down computer components. Paper towels can be used with most hardware, but we always recommend using a cloth whenever possible. However, only use a cloth when cleaning components such as the case, a drive, mouse, and keyboard. Don"t use a cloth to clean any circuitry such as the RAM or motherboard.

Water or rubbing alcohol - When moistening a cloth, it is best to use water or rubbing alcohol. Other solvents may be bad for the plastics used with your computer.

Cotton swabs - Cotton swaps moistened with rubbing alcohol or water are excellent tools for wiping hard to reach areas in your keyboard, mouse, and other locations.

Why? Cleaning your case keeps the appearance of the computer looking new. While cleaning, if you see ventilation slots, these can be cleaned or cleared to help keep a steady airflow into the computer and keep all components cool.

Procedure: The plastic case that houses the PC components can be cleaned with a slightly damp lint-free cloth. For stubborn stains, add a little household detergent to the cloth. Don"t use a solvent cleaner on plastics.

You can also use a cloth dampened with water to clean the tray that ejects from the drive. However, make sure that after the tray is cleaned that it completely dry before putting the tray back into the drive.

Procedure: Before cleaning the keyboard, first turn off the computer or if you are using a USB keyboard unplug it from the computer. Not unplugging the keyboard can cause other computer problems as you may press keys that cause the computer to perform a task you do not want it to perform.

If anything is spilled onto the keyboard, turn the computer off immediately or at the very least disconnect the keyboard from the computer. Once done flip the keyboard over to prevent the substance from penetrating circuits. While the keyboard is upside down, shake the keyboard over a surface that can be cleaned later. While still upside down, use a cloth to start cleaning the keys. After the keyboard is cleaned, leave the keyboard upside down for at least two days allowing it to dry. Once dry, continue cleaning the keyboard with any remaining substance.

Finally, if the keyboard still works but remains dirty or sticky before discarding the keyboard as a last resort try washing the keyboard in the dishwasher.

When cleaning the LCD or LED screen, it is important to remember to not spray any liquids onto the screen directly. Press gently while cleaning and do not use a paper towel since it can scratch the screen.

To clean the LCD or LED screen, use a non-rugged microfiber cloth, soft cotton cloth, or Swiffer duster. If a dry cloth does not completely clean the screen, you can apply rubbing alcohol to the cloth and wipe the screen with a damp cloth. Rubbing alcohol is used to clean LCD and LED monitors before it leaves the factory.

Procedure: A glass monitor screen can be cleaned with ordinary household glass cleaner. Unplug the monitor power cord and spray the cleaner onto a lint-free cloth to prevent fluid from leaking into any components inside the monitor. Vacuum off any dust that settled on top of the monitor and make sure no books or papers are covering the air vents. Obstructed monitor vents can cause the monitor to overheat or even catch on fire.

We suggest only using a cloth dampened with water when cleaning non-glass monitors or any anti-glare screens. Using ordinary household glass cleaner on special screens, especially cleaners with ammonia, can remove anti-glare protection or other special surfaces.

Procedure: Our recommendation when cleaning the motherboard from dust, dirt, or hair is to use compressed air. When using compressed air, hold it upright to prevent any of the chemicals from coming out of the container, which may damage the motherboard or other components. Also, ensure when using compressed air that you always blow the dust or dirt away from the motherboard or out of the case.

Another good alternative to compressed air is a portable battery powered vacuum. Portable vacuums can effectively remove the dust, dirt, and hair from the motherboard completely and prevent it from getting trapped in the case.

Procedure: Use a can of compressed air that is designed for use with electronic equipment, spraying around the optical sensor on the bottom of the mouse. Blowing air on the bottom of the mouse clears away any dirt, dust, hair, or other obstructions blocking the optical sensor.

Once the bottom cover and the ball is removed, three rollers should be visible inside the mouse. Use a cotton swab, finger, or fingernail to remove any substances on the rollers. Usually, there is a small line of hair and dirt in the middle of the roller. Remove as much of this substance as possible.

Procedure: First, make sure to turn off the printer before cleaning it. Dampen a cloth with water or rubbing alcohol and wipe the case and each of the buttons or knobs on the printer. As mentioned earlier, never spray any liquid directly onto the printer.

The second method of cleaning the floppy drive is only recommended for experienced computer users. Open the floppy drive casing and physically swab the read/write heads with a lint-free foam swab soaked in pure alcohol or trichloroethane. When performing these steps, be extremely careful when cleaning the heads to ensure that you do not lock them out of alignment causing the floppy drive not to work. To help prevent head alignment issues, use a dabbing motion lightly putting the swab on the head and removing it, don"t perform a side-to-side motion with the swab.

Procedure: To clean the PalmPilot screen, use a soft cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol and rub the screen and the casing of the palm pilot. It is not recommended to use glass cleaner as it could damage plastics over time.

The basic parts of a desktop computer are the computer case, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power cord. Each part plays an important role whenever you use a computer.

The computer case is the metal and plastic box that contains the main components of the computer, including the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), and power supply. The front of the case usually has an On/Off button andone or more optical drives.

Computer cases come in different shapes and sizes. A desktop case lies flat on a desk, and the monitor usually sits on top of it. A tower case is tall and sits next to the monitor or on the floor. All-in-one computers come with the internal components built into the monitor, which eliminates the need for a separate case.

The monitor works with a video card, located inside the computer case, to display images and text on the screen. Most monitors have control buttons that allow you to change your monitor"s display settings, and some monitors also have built-in speakers.

Newer monitors usually have LCD (liquid crystal display) or LED (light-emitting diode) displays. These can be made very thin, and they are often called flat-panel displays. Older monitors use CRT (cathode ray tube) displays. CRT monitors are much larger and heavier, and they take up more desk space.

The Print Screen, Scroll Lock, and Pause/Break keys are at the top-right corner of the keyboard. The Print Screen key takes a picture of your screen (called a screenshot) that you can edit or save using a graphics program. Scroll Lock and Pause/Break are rarely used today, so some keyboards don"t have them.

The Escape (Esc) key allows you to stop a function or action. For example, if a webpage is taking a long time to load, you can press the Escape key to stop loading it.

The function keys are labeled F1 through F12. Some programs use these keys as shortcuts for common tasks. For example, in many programs, F1 opens the Help file.

The Tab key is used to create indents in word processing programs. Also, if you are filling out a form online, you can use the Tab key to switch to the next field.

The Control (Ctrl), Alternate (Alt), and Shift keys are designed to work in combination with other keys. Typically, you hold down Ctrl, Alt, or Shift and then type another key to perform a specific task. For example, in many programs, typing Ctrl+S will save a file.

The Enter key (also known as the return key) executes commands. For example, while on the Internet, you can type a website address and then press Enter to go to the site. It is also used to start a new line in word processing programs.

The mouse is another important tool for communicating with computers. Commonly known as a pointing device, it lets you point to objects on the screen, click on them, and move them.

Once you have found the correct part number, see HP Consumer Notebook PCs - Ordering HP certified replacement parts. Use the instructions in this document to order a replacement part.

HP recommends that you only order parts from an authorized HP repair parts dealer. Parts ordered from third-party companies might not perform as expected and might cause additional

Unused electronics are the bane of the modern life. Perfectly functional gadgets sit quietly in a corner of the store room, doing nothing. If you"re wondering what to do with old computer monitors, here are a few easy ideas to repurpose unused screens.

The Raspberry Pi 4 is an incredible device. While it has a wide range of uses, at its core, it is a tiny, low-cost, full-fledged computer. And that means your old monitor can be turned into a PC for less than $60.

Perhaps the best thing to do with an old flat-screen monitor is a DIY DAKboard. The DAKboard is a LCD wall display that shows the current time, weather forecast, calendar events, stock quotes, fitness data, and news headlines. It"s all displayed on a soothing photo. You could buy an official DAKboard, but the makers themselves have shown how to build your own wall display with a Raspberry Pi. when you can build one for far less money and a little geeky fun, the choice is obvious.

Attach your old monitor to a Pi and it can be put in your kitchen as a recipe and video source. Make a Pi-based retro video game console as a treat for your kid (or the kid in you).

Sometimes, you"re working on something private in an open office, or browsing certain *cough* sites *cough* at home. You can"t have your colleagues or kids see what"s on the screen. To keep snooping eyes at bay, make a "your-eyes-only" monitor from an old one.

Basically, you will be cutting out the polarizing film of the old LCD monitor. This film will then be put on a simple pair of glasses. Now your screen appears white, but the glasses can "see" the content. It"s one of the best ways to keep prying eyes out of your PC.

If you have a broken old LCD monitor, it can be re-purposed into a usable mirror; but if you have a working old LCD monitor, adding a Raspberry Pi can turn it into a smart magic mirror!

You can choose from different Raspberry Pi smart magic mirror projects, but for our money, go with the MagicMirror². It"s the original, most popular, and perhaps now the easiest way to build a smart mirror. It comes with a clock, calendar, weather forecast, and news feed.

If you"re on a tight budget for a first-time DIY project, consider the $100 smart mirror. It"s not the best version of turning an LCD monitor into a smart mirror, but you"ll get the basic features and not spend a bomb.

If you have the space available, the best thing you can do with an extra monitor is to boost your productivity with a dual-monitor setup. A second monitor has many potential purposes, such as extended screen space, a dashboard for your social media or news updates, or a dedicated video conferencing screen.

Make it a dedicated screen for Nintendo Wii:The Nintendo Wii can connect to a VGA monitor, so if you don"t have a Wii, buy one. In fact, buy a used one, they"re pretty cheap on Craigslist.

Like any gadget, monitors have a limited shelf life. If you"re looking to upgrade, you now have a few ideas of what to do with your old monitor. And that age should influence which project you chose. For example, given the effort involved in building a smart mirror, don"t go with a screen that"s already shown signs of trouble. The Raspberry Pi-based projects are usually the easiest to keep changing.

In fact, if you have an old monitor and old PC parts, you can repurpose the whole PC. You can turn it into a home security system, a home server or media center, or try other unique creative projects.

For screen sizes (typically in inches, measured on the diagonal), see Display size. For a list of particular display resolutions, see Graphics display resolution.

It is usually quoted as width × height, with the units in pixels: for example, 1024 × 768 means the width is 1024 pixels and the height is 768 pixels. This example would normally be spoken as "ten twenty-four by seven sixty-eight" or "ten twenty-four by seven six eight".

One use of the term display resolution applies to fixed-pixel-array displays such as plasma display panels (PDP), liquid-crystal displays (LCD), Digital Light Processing (DLP) projectors, OLED displays, and similar technologies, and is simply the physical number of columns and rows of pixels creating the display (e.g. 1920 × 1080). A consequence of having a fixed-grid display is that, for multi-format video inputs, all displays need a "scaling engine" (a digital video processor that includes a memory array) to match the incoming picture format to the display.

For device displays such as phones, tablets, monitors and televisions, the use of the term display resolution as defined above is a misnomer, though common. The term display resolution is usually used to mean pixel dimensions, the maximum number of pixels in each dimension (e.g. 1920 × 1080), which does not tell anything about the pixel density of the display on which the image is actually formed: resolution properly refers to the pixel density, the number of pixels per unit distance or area, not the total number of pixels. In digital measurement, the display resolution would be given in pixels per inch (PPI). In analog measurement, if the screen is 10 inches high, then the horizontal resolution is measured across a square 10 inches wide.NTSC TVs can typically display about 340 lines of "per picture height" horizontal resolution from over-the-air sources, which is equivalent to about 440 total lines of actual picture information from left edge to right edge.

Some commentators also use display resolution to indicate a range of input formats that the display"s input electronics will accept and often include formats greater than the screen"s native grid size even though they have to be down-scaled to match the screen"s parameters (e.g. accepting a 1920 × 1080 input on a display with a native 1366 × 768 pixel array). In the case of television inputs, many manufacturers will take the input and zoom it out to "overscan" the display by as much as 5% so input resolution is not necessarily display resolution.

The eye"s perception of display resolution can be affected by a number of factors – see image resolution and optical resolution. One factor is the display screen"s rectangular shape, which is expressed as the ratio of the physical picture width to the physical picture height. This is known as the aspect ratio. A screen"s physical aspect ratio and the individual pixels" aspect ratio may not necessarily be the same. An array of 1280 × 720 on a 16:9 display has square pixels, but an array of 1024 × 768 on a 16:9 display has oblong pixels.

An example of pixel shape affecting "resolution" or perceived sharpness: displaying more information in a smaller area using a higher resolution makes the image much clearer or "sharper". However, most recent screen technologies are fixed at a certain resolution; making the resolution lower on these kinds of screens will greatly decrease sharpness, as an interpolation process is used to "fix" the non-native resolution input into the display"s native resolution output.

Most television display manufacturers "overscan" the pictures on their displays (CRTs and PDPs, LCDs etc.), so that the effective on-screen picture may be reduced from 720 × 576 (480) to 680 × 550 (450), for example. The size of the invisible area somewhat depends on the display device. Some HD televisions do this as well, to a similar extent.

Computer displays including projectors generally do not overscan although many models (particularly CRT displays) allow it. CRT displays tend to be underscanned in stock configurations, to compensate for the increasing distortions at the corners.

Interlaced video (also known as interlaced scan) is a technique for doubling the perceived frame rate of a video display without consuming extra bandwidth. The interlaced signal contains two fields of a video frame captured consecutively. This enhances motion perception to the viewer, and reduces flicker by taking advantage of the phi phenomenon.

The European Broadcasting Union has argued against interlaced video in production and broadcasting. The main argument is that no matter how complex the deinterlacing algorithm may be, the artifacts in the interlaced signal cannot be completely eliminated because some information is lost between frames. Despite arguments against it, television standards organizations continue to support interlacing. It is still included in digital video transmission formats such as DV, DVB, and ATSC. New video compression standards like High Efficiency Video Coding are optimized for progressive scan video, but sometimes do support interlaced video.

Progressive scanning (alternatively referred to as noninterlaced scanning) is a format of displaying, storing, or transmitting moving images in which all the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence. This is in contrast to interlaced video used in traditional analog television systems where only the odd lines, then the even lines of each frame (each image called a video field) are drawn alternately, so that only half the number of actual image frames are used to produce video.

Many personal computers introduced in the late 1970s and the 1980s were designed to use television receivers as their display devices, making the resolutions dependent on the television standards in use, including PAL and NTSC. Picture sizes were usually limited to ensure the visibility of all the pixels in the major television standards and the broad range of television sets with varying amounts of over scan. The actual drawable picture area was, therefore, somewhat smaller than the whole screen, and was usually surrounded by a static-colored border (see image to right). Also, the interlace scanning was usually omitted in order to provide more stability to the picture, effectively halving the vertical resolution in progress. 160 × 200, 320 × 200 and 640 × 200 on NTSC were relatively common resolutions in the era (224, 240 or 256 scanlines were also common). In the IBM PC world, these resolutions came to be used by 16-color EGA video cards.

One of the drawbacks of using a classic television is that the computer display resolution is higher than the television could decode. Chroma resolution for NTSC/PAL televisions are bandwidth-limited to a maximum 1.5MHz, or approximately 160 pixels wide, which led to blurring of the color for 320- or 640-wide signals, and made text difficult to read (see example image below). Many users upgraded to higher-quality televisions with S-Video or RGBI inputs that helped eliminate chroma blur and produce more legible displays. The earliest, lowest cost solution to the chroma problem was offered in the Atari 2600 Video Computer System and the Apple II+, both of which offered the option to disable the color and view a legacy black-and-white signal. On the Commodore 64, the GEOS mirrored the Mac OS method of using black-and-white to improve readability.

The 640 × 400i resolution (720 × 480i with borders disabled) was first introduced by home computers such as the Commodore Amiga and, later, Atari Falcon. These computers used interlace to boost the maximum vertical resolution. These modes were only suited to graphics or gaming, as the flickering interlace made reading text in word processor, database, or spreadsheet software difficult. (Modern game consoles solve this problem by pre-filtering the 480i video to a lower resolution. For example, Final Fantasy XII suffers from flicker when the filter is turned off, but stabilizes once filtering is restored. The computers of the 1980s lacked sufficient power to run similar filtering software.)

The advantage of a 720 × 480i overscanned computer was an easy interface with interlaced TV production, leading to the development of Newtek"s Video Toaster. This device allowed Amigas to be used for CGI creation in various news departments (example: weather overlays), drama programs such as NBC"s

In the PC world, the IBM PS/2 VGA (multi-color) on-board graphics chips used a non-interlaced (progressive) 640 × 480 × 16 color resolution that was easier to read and thus more useful for office work. It was the standard resolution from 1990 to around 1996.800 × 600 until around 2000. Microsoft Windows XP, released in 2001, was designed to run at 800 × 600 minimum, although it is possible to select the original 640 × 480 in the Advanced Settings window.

Programs designed to mimic older hardware such as Atari, Sega, or Nintendo game consoles (emulators) when attached to multiscan CRTs, routinely use much lower resolutions, such as 160 × 200 or 320 × 400 for greater authenticity, though other emulators have taken advantage of pixelation recognition on circle, square, triangle and other geometric features on a lesser resolution for a more scaled vector rendering. Some emulators, at higher resolutions, can even mimic the aperture grille and shadow masks of CRT monitors.

In 2002, 1024 × 768 eXtended Graphics Array was the most common display resolution. Many web sites and multimedia products were re-designed from the previous 800 × 600 format to the layouts optimized for 1024 × 768.

The availability of inexpensive LCD monitors made the 5∶4 aspect ratio resolution of 1280 × 1024 more popular for desktop usage during the first decade of the 21st century. Many computer users including CAD users, graphic artists and video game players ran their computers at 1600 × 1200 resolution (UXGA) or higher such as 2048 × 1536 QXGA if they had the necessary equipment. Other available resolutions included oversize aspects like 1400 × 1050 SXGA+ and wide aspects like 1280 × 800 WXGA, 1440 × 900 WXGA+, 1680 × 1050 WSXGA+, and 1920 × 1200 WUXGA; monitors built to the 720p and 1080p standard were also not unusual among home media and video game players, due to the perfect screen compatibility with movie and video game releases. A new more-than-HD resolution of 2560 × 1600 WQXGA was released in 30-inch LCD monitors in 2007.

In 2010, 27-inch LCD monitors with the 2560 × 1440 resolution were released by multiple manufacturers, and in 2012, Apple introduced a 2880 × 1800 display on the MacBook Pro. Panels for professional environments, such as medical use and air traffic control, support resolutions up to 4096 × 21602048 × 2048 pixels).

In this image of a Commodore 64 startup screen, the overscan region (the lighter-coloured border) would have been barely visible when shown on a normal television.

In recent years the 16:9 aspect ratio has become more common in notebook displays. 1366 × 768 (HD) has become popular for most low-cost notebooks, while 1920 × 1080 (FHD) and higher resolutions are available for more premium notebooks.

When a computer display resolution is set higher than the physical screen resolution (native resolution), some video drivers make the virtual screen scrollable over the physical screen thus realizing a two dimensional virtual desktop with its viewport. Most LCD manufacturers do make note of the panel"s native resolution as working in a non-native resolution on LCDs will result in a poorer image, due to dropping of pixels to make the image fit (when using DVI) or insufficient sampling of the analog signal (when using VGA connector). Few CRT manufacturers will quote the true native resolution, because CRTs are analog in nature and can vary their display from as low as 320 × 200 (emulation of older computers or game consoles) to as high as the internal board will allow, or the image becomes too detailed for the vacuum tube to recreate (i.e., analog blur). Thus, CRTs provide a variability in resolution that fixed resolution LCDs cannot provide.

As far as digital cinematography is concerned, video resolution standards depend first on the frames" aspect ratio in the film stock (which is usually scanned for digital intermediate post-production) and then on the actual points" count. Although there is not a unique set of standardized sizes, it is commonplace within the motion picture industry to refer to "nK" image "quality", where n is a (small, usually even) integer number which translates into a set of actual resolutions, depending on the film format. As a reference consider that, for a 4:3 (around 1.33:1) aspect ratio which a film frame (no matter what is its format) is expected to horizontally fit in, n is the multiplier of 1024 such that the horizontal resolution is exactly 1024•n points.2048 × 1536 pixels, whereas 4K reference resolution is 4096 × 3072 pixels. Nevertheless, 2K may also refer to resolutions like 2048 × 1556 (full-aperture), 2048 × 1152 (HDTV, 16:9 aspect ratio) or 2048 × 872 pixels (Cinemascope, 2.35:1 aspect ratio). It is also worth noting that while a frame resolution may be, for example, 3:2 (720 × 480 NTSC), that is not what you will see on-screen (i.e. 4:3 or 16:9 depending on the intended aspect ratio of the original material).

Regularly cleaning your LCD monitor keeps it free of dust, smudges, and germs. Wiping with a dry microfiber cloth is the safest cleaning option and is surprisingly effective at removing germs. You may need to use a dampened microfiber cloth to get rid of stubborn smudges and stuck-on debris, though. If you"re worried about germs, consider using a vinegar and water solution or a Lysol wipe on the screen. Be sure to check the device’s user manual first to make sure it’s okay to use liquids!

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