Y2M: Screens

• How to adjust your screen.
• Cleaning the screen.
• Fixing the screen.
• Improving the screen and the sounds.
• Screen savers.
• Watching TV on your screen.

Problems with screens.

The Screen

The screen is the TV thingie that you look at. Screens are called cathode ray tubes (CRTs), video display terminal (VDTs), monitors, displays, or just plain screens.

There's not much to say about a screen. Once you adjust the color, contrast, and brightness, you probably won't touch it again.

Screens, Graphics Cards, and Video Adapters

The screen is only half of a TV in that it doesn't have the electronics to interpret the signals from the computer or the TV's receiver. Those electronics are on a circuit card called a graphics card (or video card or video adapter) which is inside your computer cabinet. In the same way, the electronics of a TV signal tuner can also be added on a circuit card, which then turns your screen into a TV as well.

The computer's CPU processes a program's change, such as deleting a word in your document. It sends an output of that change to the graphics card, which converts it into a signal for the screen. The new signal is sent to the screen and you see the word disappear.

Different graphic cards make different signals for different screens. Some are for monochrome, some are for color, some are for large screens, and some are for more colors, faster screens, or sharper screens.

A screen is only as good as the graphics card. This means that if you buy a better screen, you also have to buy a better graphics card.

If you buy a larger screen, ask a consultant to select and insert a graphics card and set up the software driver as well.

Many people ask if they can use their screen to watch TV. After all, the screen is only lacking the tuner for the TV frequencies. By adding the tuner, you can put the TV image inside a window, along with your other Windows programs. Tell your boss it's a graphics productivity enhancement. You can watch the ball game or the soaps while you work.

Adjusting Your Screen for a Better Image

There are knobs or buttons somewhere on your screen that will let you adjust the picture. You can adjust the brightness, contrast, size, and sometimes even the position of the image.

Start your word processor or whatever you'll use most often. Turn the contrast to minimum contrast and the brightness to maximum brightness. Now lower the brightness until words are clearer. Next, increase the contrast slightly. You'll find that slightly dark is sharper.

You can also expand or shrink your screen's image. You can expand it so that it fills the screen. You can shrink it for a sharper image.

You can also fiddle around and make a square into a real square. Use a drawing program to make a square by drawing a line and then copying it for the other sides. If your screen is slightly off, the square will usually be a rectangle. Cut a sticky note into a square and paste it to the screen. Adjust the screen's horizontal and vertical controls until the screen square is the same as the paper square. You can do the same with a circle; it's actually an oval until you adjust it. This is important if you're doing a lot of DTP or graphics; you design something and it's nice and balanced, but when you print it, it'll be slightly off.

How Long Will the Screen Last?

The screen has a life of about five years. Actually, it'll last about 18,000 to 22,000 hours. You can guess at your average daily use and then calculate how long it'll last.

If you turn off the screen when you're not using it, it'll last longer.

If you turn the size of the screen down, the screen will last longer as well.

After several years, the screen may blink out. You'll see a thin vertical line or just a dot. One of the parts has died. This is a cheap repair.

Burning Screens

If you use the size controls to adjust your screen image to the maximum image size, you're overdriving the screen. The screen uses more energy to create a larger screen image. This not only will wear out the screen sooner, it may also cause the screen to overheat and possibly to catch on fire. Since I'm the kind of guy who does nothing by half, I used to overdrive my screens. Until my screen caught on fire.

To put out a burning screen (hey, I'm talking from experience here…), rip the cords from the wall. Don't throw water on the screen; you'll electrocute yourself. Regrettably, it's not very dramatic. There's not much in there that is flammable anyhow. Mostly it just fizzles.

Don't be afraid of your screen catching on fire. It's extremely rare for a screen to burn. In many years of computing, I've only heard of two incidences (and one was mine...)

Always turn off the screen when the computer is left unattended. It'll save your electric bill and prevent the remote chance of a fire. You don't need to turn off the computer itself. I've run my computers for five years at a time.

How Do I Get a Bigger Screen without Buying One?

This is easy to do in Windows. Things will be smaller, but you'll have a larger desktop and thus more is displayed on your screen. With a word processor, you'll have up to 30% more text on your screen.

Select the Windows Setup icon. Select Options | Change Systems Settings. The first line reads Display. Write down the full name of the screen driver which appears here so that you'll be able to return to this if you don't like the change.

There are usually several possible settings, such as 640 x 480 (smallest), 800 x 600, or 1024 x 768 (largest). If your screen driver was set to 640 x 480, try 800 x 600. Save everything and let Windows restart itself. You'll notice that things have become smaller. You'll also have more desk surface. Try your word processor. If you don't like the change, you can always just reselect the original driver.

Speed Up Your Screen

A simple way to speed up the screen is to use the 16-color or monochrome display instead of the 256-color display. If you're just word processing or using spreadsheets, then you don't need more colors. You'll use those extra colors if you're using multimedia, graphics, or games.

This is easy to do. Just follow the instructions from the last section on increasing the screen image. Your current driver is probably a 256-color version. There are usually 16-color versions of the same driver. Remember to write down what you had so that you can return to it.

Color vs. Monochrome Screens

Nearly all screens are in color because people want to buy color. The red, blue, and green pixels of color screens are set in small triangles. This means that no color screen will ever be as clear as a monochrome screen, where the pixels are next to each other. Any monochrome screen pixel can be either a black or a white pixel. You can often find a used monochrome SVGA screen for less than $50.

Cleaning Your Screen

Your screen is an excellent dust magnet. The static electricity attracts pixel dust.

You can clean the screen with either eyeglass cleaning fluid or any glass cleaner. It'll take the dust and greasy fingerprints right off. Don't ever spray onto the screen. If moisture drips down into the cabinet, you may get electrocuted. Spray onto the tissue and then wipe the screen.

The screen's cabinet can be cleaned with a moist (but not dripping) cloth. You can use Formula 409 Cleaner, for example. Don't use an abrasive cleaner, such as Ajax, which will scratch the cabinet. Don't use an alcohol-based cleaner. It may streak the plastic cabinet.

May I Touch the LCD Screen?

Some people ask if it's okay to touch the surface of their LCD screen. It won't hurt the screen.

Burn In and Screen Savers

If you look at screens on older ATM money machines, you'll be able to see a weak image. This is called screen burn-in. Years of the same image has reduced the screen coating's ability to become dark.

If a weak image has already burnt itself onto the screen, there's nothing to do about it.

Burn-in will not happen on modern VGA and SVGA screens (that is, you bought it after 1990). This hasn't stopped people from selling screen saver programs to protect against deadly burn-in. If you like flying toasters or whatever, go for it. Yes, but why toasters? Because there's a graphics chip called the toaster.

Radiation Hazards?

We are surrounded by electronic appliances, such as clock radios, electric blankets, TVs, computers and even the electric wiring in the walls. All of these give off an extremely low frequency (ELF ) electromagnetic field.

Some studies suggest that there is a connection between ELF and health problems; other studies show no connection. As with RSI, the government and business are afraid of liability and therefore are hesitant to discuss the problem.

The ELF field around a screen is strongest at the sides and back. It's relatively weak in front of the screen. Don't sit next to or behind a screen. The ELF falls off quickly with distance. At a normal viewing distance, there is very little ELF.

Notebook computers use LCD screens which have no ELF at all. Monochrome screens also have very low ELF.

If you buy a color screen, see if it has a MPR-2 seal, which means that it meets the Swedish standards for acceptable ELF.

If you want to test your screen, call your local electric company or telephone company. Many of them will loan you a detector to measure the ELF. You can also find testers in any hardware or electronics store. RAD Devices, Inc. makes a Rad Alert tester which you can wave around in front of your screen.

Never Open Your Screen

Don't open the screen. There's nothing in there which you can fix or change. It's also dangerous. A screen can hold over 25,000 kilovolts of static electricity for up to thirty minutes after you have turned it off.

Screen Grabs in Windows

If you want to use parts of the screen image as illustrations in letters or articles, press the PrtScrn key to copy the screen to the Windows clipboard. You can paste the picture into your favorite paint program by pressing Ctrl + v, and then edit the picture. When it's ready, copy it again with Ctrl + C and switch to your word processor, place the cursor where the picture should appear, and press Ctrl + v to insert it.

Fun With Your Screen

Stand back about 20 feet, watch your screen, and munch on potato chips.

Add-ons for Your Screen

• A monitor arm is very useful; it puts the screen at the proper height and it frees desk space underneath.
• It's useful to paste a small digital clock at the corner of the screen. Don't fool around with the clock display programs. They take up space and memory.
• Glare filters are nylon stockings which are stretched over a frame. They eliminate glare and reflection. It may be useful if you have bright windows and too much reflection.

Sound, Beeps, and Tarzan

The PC speaker, which is usually in the screen, is a speaker which is controlled by a small sound chip. It's enough for the occasional beep when you make a mistake. Some Japanese versions of American software don't beep. Japanese find it embarrassing for the whole office to know that one has made a mistake.

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