DisplayDevices: This section provides information on how to use various displays with PTB

Table of Contents


CRT Monitors
TFT Monitors
HP DreamColor 10-bit wide-gamut LCD
Samsung 2233RZ 120Hz Monitor
DLP Projectors
LCD Projectors
Analysis of display timing using a photo diode
Analysis of display timing using a high-speed video camera

If a display is to be used just for putting some information on a screen (e.g. for the presentation of slides), in general most devices can be handled interchangeably, as long as the interface is supported by the graphics hardware. If there is special concern to timing or other aspects like color etc., it is good to have a close look on the technical specifications of the display - and especially the general properties of the various classes of displays existing - to determine, whether the requirements for the intended application can be met. This section gives the opportunity to share experience with displays and display types with regard to application purposes, allowing others to build upon this expertise. Additionally it shall be used to illustrate problems and points of discussion from the PsychtoolboxForum along with working or at least suggested solutions.


Windows 7 85Hz limit

With Google one can find a lot of reports of Windows 7 users having problems with the OS restricting the refresh rate of their monitor to 85 Hz (although some users appear lucky). See here for instance. With vision researchers sticking to CRTs or DLP projectors capable of high refresh rates, instead of the common consumer who uses 60 Hz LCDs, you might run into this issue. Microsoft itself has posted a solution, though you'd probably be better off to have a look here (do read the posts below, and see this one and this one too). Basically, information about the video modes supported by a display device are stored in an EDID and transmitted to the computer at startup / plugging in. Microsoft describes a method to override this EDID by a handcrafted one, which might allow you to select the mode that you want, including modes higher than 85 Hz. From what I have gathered, some users don't run into this problem at all, but take this as a word of caution when thinking about upgrading to Windows 7 (and also see Mario's forum post evaluating Windows 7 timing performance!).

 

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