What is a Cathode-ray Tube?

Overview of CRT Display Technology

The electron beam repetitively scans the entire front of the tube to “paint” and refresh the image nearly 100 times every second. CRT monitors and televisions have large, heavy physical casings due to the long length between the front screen and the back of the case, necessary to accommodate the length of the vacuum tube.

Although fears of sitting too close to the TV damaging eyesight were common, they are largely unsubstantiated. While CRT monitors do emit X-ray radiation, it’s a small amount regulated by the FDA. In comparison to LCD screens, CRT monitors can display/refresh an image faster, respond faster to input, and avoid motion-blur issues common in LCD screens. CRTs often have better color range, contrast, and support deeper black tones, making them preferred by some computer gamers.

CRT stands for Cathode-Ray Tube, an antiquated display technology once common in televisions and computer monitors. Despite no longer being manufactured, CRT displays maintain advantages over modern displays, such as faster refresh rates and higher contrast ratios.

Understanding CRT Monitors and Their Advantages

CRT displays became less popular with the advent of LCD screens in the early 2000s, due to LCDs being more compact, energy-efficient, and cost-effective. However, CRTs still excel in certain aspects like refresh rates and contrast ratios, making them desirable for some gamers.

CRTs do not support modern display interfaces like HDMI or DisplayPort; instead, they typically use VGA. Adapters can be used to connect modern graphics cards and motherboards to CRT monitors.

The sharpness of a CRT monitor is determined by dot pitch, which measures the size of the gaps in the shadow mask or aperture grill. A smaller dot pitch results in a sharper image. Shadow masks and aperture grills filter electrons differently to create the final image on the screen, with aperture grills generally producing brighter and more colorful images.