What are OUTPUT DEVICES?

DISPLAY DEVICES

• A display devices is an output device that visually conveys text, graphics, and video
  information.
• A monitor is a display devices that is packaged as a separate peripheral that is
  typically used by desktop computers.
  
• Monitor controls permit users to adjust the brightness, contrast, positioning, height, and
  width of the images.
• Most mobile computers integrate the display into the same physical case.

LCD MONITORS AND LCD SCREENS

• An LCD monitor is a desktop monitor that uses a liquid crystal display to
  produce images.
• They produce sharp, flicker-free images.
• They take up less space than older CRT monitors.
• Measuring a monitor is done the same way you would measure a television,
  diagonally from one corner to the other.

LCD TECHNOLOGY

• Liquid crystal display (LCD) uses a liquid compound to present information on a
  display device.
  
• Computer LCDs typically contain fluorescent tubes that emit light waves
  toward the liquid crystal cells, which are sandwiched between two sheets of
  material. 

LCD QUALITY

• Response time of an LCD monitor or screen is the time in milliseconds that it takes to turn a
  pixel on or off.
• They range from 3 to 16 ms. (The lower the faster).
• Brightness is measured in nits, a unit of visible light intensity equal to one candela per square
  meter.
• Dot pitch is the distance in millimeters between pixels on a display device.
  
• Contrast ratio describes the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and darkest
  black that can be displayed.

PLASMA MONITORS

• A plasma monitor is a display device that uses gas plasma technology, which
  sandwiches a layer of gas between two glass plates. When voltage is a pplied, the
  gas released ultraviolet light, which causes the pixels on the screen to glow and form
  an image.

TELEVISIONS

• HDTV (high-definition television) is the most advanced form of digital television,
  working with digital broadcast signals, transmitting digital sound, supporting
  wide screens, and providing resolutions up to 1920x1080.

CRT MONITORS

• A CRT monitor is a desktop monitor that contains a cathode-ray tube.
• A CRT is a large, sealed glass tube with tiny dots of phosphor material coating the
  screen.
  
• Inside the CRT, an electron beam moves back and forth across the back of the
  screen causing the dots on the front of the screen to glow, producing an image.

PRINTERS

• A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on a physical
  medium such as paper.
  
• A hard copy, or printout, is either in portrait or landscape orientation.
  ◦ Portrait: taller than wide
  ◦ Landscape: wider than tall

INK-JET PRINTERS

• An ink-jet printer is a type of nonimpact printer that forms characters and graphics
  by spraying tiny drops of liquid ink onto a piece of paper.
  
• Printer resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi). A dot is a drop of ink, so a higher
  dpi means smaller dots which leads to better quality.

PHOTO PRINTERS

• A photo printer is a color printer that produces photo-lab-quality pictures.

LASER PRINTERS

• A laser printer is a high-speed, high quality nonimpact printer.
  
• They are available in both black-and-white (~1200 dpi) and color (~2400 dpi).

MULTIFUNCTION PERIPHERALS

• A multifunction peripheral (MFP), also called an all-in-one device, is a single
  device that looks like a printer or copy machine but provides the functionality of
  a printer, scanner, copy machine, and sometimes a fax machine.

OTHER PRINTERS

• A thermal printer generates images by pushing electrically heated pins against heat sensitive
  paper.
• A mobile printer is a small, lightweight, battery powered printer that allows a mobile user to
  print from a notebook, or other mobile device.
• A label printer is a small printer that prints on an adhesive-type material.
• Plotters are sophisticated printers used to produce high-quality drawings such as blue prints,
  maps, and circuit diagrams.
• Large-format printers create photo-realisticquality color prints.

IMPACT PRINTERS

• An impact printer forms characters and graphics on a piece of paper by striking a
  mechanism against an inked ribbon that physically contacts the paper.
• A dot-matrix printer produces printed images when tiny wire pins on a print
  head mechanism strike an inked ribbon.
• A line printer is a high-speed impact printer that prints an entire line at a time.

SPEAKERS, HEADPHONES AND EARBUDS

• An audio output device is a component of a computer that produces music, speech
  or other sounds.
• Speakers and subwoofers are attached for surround sound systems.
• Headphones cover or are placed over the ear.
  
• Earbuds rest inside the ear canal.

OTHER OUTPUT DEVICES

• A data projector is a device that takes the text and images displaying on a computer screen and
  projects them on a larger screen so that an audience can see the image clearly.
• An interactive whiteboard is a touch-sensitive device, resembling a dry-erase board, that displays
  the image on a connected computer screen.
• Force-Feedback Game Controllers and Tactile Output both provide physical response from the
  device, such as a vibration.