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CRT

(1) (C RunTime) See runtime library. (2) (Cathode Ray Tube) A vacuum tube used as a display screen in a computer monitor or TV. The viewing end of the tube is coated with phosphors, which emit...

Dictionary

Definition: CRT

(1) (C RunTime) See runtime library.

(2) (Cathode Ray Tube) A vacuum tube used as a display screen in a computer monitor or TV. The viewing end of the tube is coated with phosphors, which emit light when struck by electrons.

In the past, CRT was a popular term for the entire computer display terminal. Today, "monitor" is the correct term as computer displays have migrated from CRTs to LCD panels (see flat panel display). Likewise, TV sets no longer use CRTs (see flat panel TV).

Electrons and Phosphors
The CRT works by heating a cathode which causes electrons to flow. Accelerating and focusing anodes turn the electrons into a fine beam that is directed to the phosphors by magnetic fields that are generated by steering coils. The viewing end of a color CRT tube is coated with red, green and blue phosphor dots, and separate "electron guns" bombard their respective colors a line at a time in a prescribed sequence (see raster scan).

The resulting color displayed on screen is derived by the intensity of the electron beams as they strike the red, green and blue phosphors and cause them to glow at each pixel location. See cathode and vacuum tube.

Back to the 1800s
The first oscilloscope tube was developed in 1897 by German scientist Ferdinand Braun. Using a fluorescent screen and still known as a "Braun tube" in Germany, his "cathode-ray oscilloscope" was used to display the patterns of electronic signals. Although better known for inventing the CRT, Braun shared the Nobel Prize in 1909 with Guglielmo Marconi for wireless telegraphy.


CRT

The Braun Tube
This is one of five CRT oscilloscopes developed by Ferdinand Braun in 1897. Using a bellows, it took a strong man to evacuate the air. The successor to Sir William Crookes' vacuum tubes some 20 years earlier, these tubes used \"cold\" cathodes, which means they were unheated, but required a huge voltage. (Image courtesy of O'Neill's Electronic Museum)



CRT

CRT Vs. Flat Panel
The CRT give way to flat panels in the late 1990s. Flat panels take up less space, use less energy, emit less radiation and may be resistant to glare. (Image courtesy of EIZO Nanao Technologies Inc.)



CRT

CRT Front Projection
The first data and TV projectors used CRTs, and although mostly abandoned, they continue to provide the highest quality. In 2000, this home theater was built by a serious video enthusiast. (Images courtesy of Kal of CurtPalm.com)



CRT

CRT Rear Projection
Although big and bulky, the Pioneer Elite Pro-107 was perhaps the best CRT-based rear-projection TV ever made. Still working fine after 17 years, this unit was sold for a pittance in 2010. See rear-projection TV.





Sponsored White Papers, Webcasts & Resources

  • CEA, EDF seeking CRT recycling ideas

    Because CRT glass contains lead, the glass recovered from old monitors can't be used in traditional glass-to-glass applications.

    Blog posts | November 14, 2011 8:17am PST

  • High-tech manufacturers rev up Oregon e-recycling program

    The Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company is flipping the switch on its state-wide electronics recycling program in Oregon. The next three months will represent a pilot phase,...

    Blog posts | October 15, 2008 4:41am PDT

  • E-waste regs are way too lax, GAO says

    Greenpeace A new Government Accountability Office report slams the EPA for its "low priority" on e-waste. EPA regs only cover old cathode-ray tube TVs and monitors, John Stephenson,...

    Blog posts | September 18, 2008 9:30am PDT

  • LCD TVs overtook CRT TVs in 2007

    DisplaySearch reported that global TV shipments grew 21% QTQ and 5% YTY to 60.8 mln units, which brought 2007 total shipments to almost 200 mln units worldwide. For the full year in 2007, TV...

    Blog posts | March 2, 2008 8:55pm PST

  • 24" LCD 1920x1200 displays now mainstream at below $300

    I can still remember 1991 when I bought my first computer display for my first computer.  It was $315 for a 14" CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) non-Interlaced monitor that had an actual viewing size of...

    Blog posts | November 9, 2007 5:27am PST

  • Can you save the planet by switching to a "black" Google?

    Over the past few weeks I've come across dozens of websites promoting the idea that switching over to using a version of Google that had a black background as opposed to a standard white one would...

    Blog posts | August 29, 2007 5:20am PDT

  • Photos: Defenders of the CRT

    Though the CEA predicts CRT TVs will no longer be sold in the United States past 2009, for now, tube TVs are still a significant portion of the television market.

  • LCD's cut energy costs

    LCDs (liquid crystal displays) are more cool-looking than traditional CRTs (cathode ray tubes), but they cost twice the price. However, when you add energy costs into your TCO calculation, the...

    Videos | September 15, 2005 12:52am PDT

  • LCDs will come tantalizingly close to mass adoption in 2001

    For the past 30 years, cathode-ray tube (CRT) technology has dominated the PC monitor market. With LCD prices falling and screen sizes growing, however, a major shift to LCD displays may be around...

    News items | August 23, 2001 12:00am PDT

Additional Results

  • CEA, EDF seeking CRT recycling ideas

    Because CRT glass contains lead, the glass recovered from old monitors can't be used in traditional glass-to-glass applications.

    Blog posts | November 14, 2011 8:17am PST

  • High-tech manufacturers rev up Oregon e-recycling program

    The Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company is flipping the switch on its state-wide electronics recycling program in Oregon. The next three months will represent a pilot phase,...

    Blog posts | October 15, 2008 4:41am PDT

  • E-waste regs are way too lax, GAO says

    Greenpeace A new Government Accountability Office report slams the EPA for its "low priority" on e-waste. EPA regs only cover old cathode-ray tube TVs and monitors, John Stephenson,...

    Blog posts | September 18, 2008 9:30am PDT

  • LCD TVs overtook CRT TVs in 2007

    DisplaySearch reported that global TV shipments grew 21% QTQ and 5% YTY to 60.8 mln units, which brought 2007 total shipments to almost 200 mln units worldwide. For the full year in 2007, TV...

    Blog posts | March 2, 2008 8:55pm PST

  • 24" LCD 1920x1200 displays now mainstream at below $300

    I can still remember 1991 when I bought my first computer display for my first computer.  It was $315 for a 14" CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) non-Interlaced monitor that had an actual viewing size of...

    Blog posts | November 9, 2007 5:27am PST

  • Can you save the planet by switching to a "black" Google?

    Over the past few weeks I've come across dozens of websites promoting the idea that switching over to using a version of Google that had a black background as opposed to a standard white one would...

    Blog posts | August 29, 2007 5:20am PDT

  • Photos: Defenders of the CRT

    Though the CEA predicts CRT TVs will no longer be sold in the United States past 2009, for now, tube TVs are still a significant portion of the television market.

  • LCD's cut energy costs

    LCDs (liquid crystal displays) are more cool-looking than traditional CRTs (cathode ray tubes), but they cost twice the price. However, when you add energy costs into your TCO calculation, the...

    Videos | September 15, 2005 12:52am PDT

  • Report: CRT revenue to plunge

    After decades of growth, revenue from cathode-ray tube monitors is expected to drop over the next several years, market researcher Stanford Resources says.

    News items | September 25, 2001 10:15pm PDT

  • LCDs will come tantalizingly close to mass adoption in 2001

    For the past 30 years, cathode-ray tube (CRT) technology has dominated the PC monitor market. With LCD prices falling and screen sizes growing, however, a major shift to LCD displays may be around...

    News items | August 23, 2001 12:00am PDT

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