A monitor is one of the most essential peripherals of a computer system, since we always need to receive output from a computer, and seeing visually what the results of any calculation or process are is the easiest. Some older computers used paper output only, with the results of calculations printed on paper or punched into cards. Today, these methods are simply not enough, and certainly computer games would never have survived without a visual medium.
In the early days of home computing the monitor was simply the television, and the standard way of working on a home computer was to plug it is to the main television screen, in a similar way to games consoles today.
However, since television screens had relatively low resolutions, and were often rather large and not terribly convenient, separate monitors were developed to cope with the difference in quality required. A television was fine for seeing pictures, but when you needed to read small, typed text clearly, and for long periods at a time, televisions were simply not appropriate any longer.
Early monitors were known as cathode ray tubes, or CRTs, and worked in exactly the same way as a television screen. A phosphor covered glass screen was fired upon by a series of three guns at the back which fired particles which caused the phosphor to glow. Whilst these monitors have been used for many years, and in some places are still being used, they have largely been superseded by more modern LCD or TFT screens instead.
CRT monitors were relatively cheap, and second hand monitors today can be picked up for just a few dollars, but they do have a few problems. The first is simply space. They are very large and extremely heavy, taking up valuable room on a desk. Their resolution s normally not as good as a TFT screen, and there are problems in terms of distortion. Because the CRT screen is the bottom of a glass bell, it is slightly curved. This curvature causes a little distortion which can be a problem for some people, particular those in graphics.
There is also the health issue to consider. CT monitors have an enormous electromagnet built in to them, which is how the guns at the back are moved about. Being too close to this powerful magnet for too long at a time can cause a number of health problems, and it has been advised that pregnant women, those with heart problems or blood pressure issues should not sit too close to a CRT for very long at a time.
Flat screen monitors, including LCD and TFT monitors have managed to solve all of these problems, and the price is now so affordable that most people are able to choose these monitors over the older format. Flat screen TFT monitors provide very fast and very accurate picture qualities, with no ghosting or image echoes likely to be found in CRT monitors.
TFT monitors have no magnets inside, and so are perfectly safe to use,. They tend not to reflect as much as CRT monitors, and so people report fewer headaches or eye strain problems when using these monitors for long periods.
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