Display Technologies—CompTIA A+ (220-1001) A-PLUS Certification Prep Course Notes

Display Technologies

Monitor Technologies
- A monitor is composed of individual picture elements (pixels); the total pixels across and down is the resolution.
- Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors use liquid crystals to allow light to pass or not pass for each color in a pixel.
- LCD backlights are fluorescent or LED lights & shine through the liquid crystals.
  - Organic LED (OLED) doesn’t use a backlight, as the pixels make their own light.
- Digital Light Processing (DLP) uses a grid of tiny mirrors that shine through a color wheel to create an image.
  - -CCFL—Cold cathode fluorescent lamp—1st generation LCD’s
  - LED—Light-emitting diodes
- The imaging (front) is LCD and the backlighting can be CCFL or LED.

LCD Breakdown
- An LCD panel has a preset resolution
- The back panel (backlight unit) distributes the light emanating from the CCFL or LED backlights.
- Inverters convert DC power back into AC power for fluorescent lights; LEDs don’t need inverters.

Graphics Cards & Connections—Part 1
- Nvidia, AMD (ATI), and Intel make the majority of GPU’s
- All graphics cards have RAM to help resolve the screen
- Many CPUs come with built-in GPUs
- VGA uses an analog signal; DVI uses a digital signal
- GPU—Graphics processing unit aka Video Card
- VGA—Video Graphics Array
- DVI—Digital Visual Interface

Graphics Cards & Connections—Part 2
- High-Definition Multimedia Inerface (HDMI) provides automated configuration for both digital video & sound.
- HDMI connections come in both regular and mini sizes.
- Display Port is very high-speed video output
- Display Port connections also come in regular and mini sizes.

Resolutions and Aspect Ratios
- All monitors have a resolution and an aspect ratio
- Take time to memorize all the resolutions defined in this episode
- It helps to memorize the resolutions by organizing them by aspect ratios.

Installing a Graphics Card
- Almost all graphics cards use 16-lane PCIe slots and one or two PCIe power connectors
- With multiple graphics cards, define the primary card in system setup
- Some systems provide riser cards for extra graphics cards
- Always run the system at your monitor’s native resolution

Multiple Monitors
- Windows multi-monitor support is not dependent on a single graphics card or even the same resolution
- Make sure you recognize your primary (number 1) monitor, since it’s your main display by default
- Second monitors can duplicate or extend the desktop

Projectors
- Projectors have resolutions & aspect ratios just like monitors
- Projectors usually have either DLP or LCD techonology
- Lumens define the brightness of the projector
- Make sure your understand how throw, pincushion, keystone & skew work
- Lumens (brightness)

Troubleshooting Monitors
- The CompTIA exams cover many monitor troubleshooting situations
- This episode covers all the situations described on the exam
- Take time to memorize these situations & Mike’s diagnoses.