For anyone over the age of thirty, it is well known that electronics  displays have changed drastically over the decades. The new display  screens of today, that new generations enjoy, were not in existence even  just ten years ago. It's fun to see where the industry all got started  by learning of past display technologies.
When you use a simple  calculator, you might notice that the display you are using is very  basic. This display is a liquid crystal display, or LCD display. It  comes in many forms, as you will see the same technologies present in  current computer monitors. LCD technology has been around for many years  and continues to evolve itself as a technology product.
The  expensive high definition televisions that can be bought today are often  using plasma as the display technology. Plasma is nothing new, believe  it or not! Plasma was employed in older computer displays, but could  only use one color due to limitations in technology back then. Plasma  screens are much more advanced today, and are able to display millions  of different hues and colors down to a single pixel.
Light  emitting diode displays, known better as the LED, have also had their  own separate evolution process. The LED display bloomed late in  popularity, however. While the LED doesn't have the color options and  affordability of other technologies, it is extremely efficient when used  in proper applications. An LED light, for instance, is much more energy  efficient than your average light bulb currently in use by the average  United States family.
The cathode ray tube, or CRT, is what  fueled much of the evolution of computer displays and television  displays. The CRT allowed for great resolution, it was affordable, and  it could support a very wide range of colors seemingly in an instant.  Even today, the CRT monitor is still in use since they are so  inexpensive and can often be found second-hand at garage sales. They may  be more bulky than newer technologies, but they work just the same for  the average user.
At this point, the industry is looking more at  innovation than a way to make current technologies smaller and more  efficient. Focus has been put on technologies such as touch capability-  which has exploded into the retail market. It has also been used  dominantly in the mobile phone market, that has been able to create many  innovative mobile phone designs as a result of trends in touch screen  displays.
Closing Comments
The displays of the past are  important to learn, so that we know where the electronics industry  originated from. New technologies are often based or compared to these  technologies, so they are also used as a meter stick in order to gauge  the worth of new innovations in electronics displays.



