Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!udel!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!gandalf.cs.cmu.edu!lindsay
From: lindsay@gandalf.cs.cmu.edu (Donald Lindsay)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Costs of High-resolution graphical displays
Summary: the technology will advance
Message-ID: <11137@pt.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: 17 Nov 90 04:02:06 GMT
References: <6726@uceng.UC.EDU>
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 37


In article <6726@uceng.UC.EDU> dmocsny@minerva.che.uc.edu 
	(Daniel Mocsny) writes:
>I am aware that graphics display technology has not enjoyed the
>same performance/price gains that computer technology in general
>has.

It has improved a lot. I remember a high-end graphics system of the
early 70's: controlling the CRT beam strokes took about a cubic meter
of analog circuits. (Gad, the number of screwdriver adjusts.) When
RAM got cheap, everyone switched to raster graphics, a much more
manufacturable technology. At first, hi-res raster systems put most
of the $ into RAM: now that RAM is cheap, the $ are in things that
aren't improving as fast.

That doesn't mean that we're stuck, that means that it's time for
another change. One possibility is liquid crystal. Some researchers
are doing color via LC shutters over grayscale CRTs; this eliminates
the fabrication/resolution issues of a color CRT's color mask. Some
researchers use a small LC image, and use optics to make a large
projection of it.  There are fun projects writing luminous dots with
lasers; the plasma panel people haven't given up; and in general
there are a zoo of experiments and hopes that could still make it. In
summary, I'm optimistic. All the labs know how valuable the right
patent could be: they are spending the money to search for it.

>Can "eyephones"
>such as the Virtual-Reality people are working on improve display
>hardware performance/price similarly?

Yes. The 2.5-ounce product that's available now from Reflection
Technology is of course PC-compatible: CGA monochrome. The designer
claims that the resolution will improve, and he has hopes for color.
From the technology he's using, that sounds like a fair assessment.
The price-performance is also boosted by the fact that it's cheap.
-- 
Don		D.C.Lindsay