Datasheet

AN1368
DS01368A-page 4  2011 Microchip Technology Inc.
GRAPHICS SUBSYSTEM HARDWARE
The hardware components required for a graphic appli-
cation, with their interconnection and design decisions,
are described in the following subsections.
COMPONENTS OF A GRAPHICS
SYSTEM
There are four basic components for any embedded
graphics system, as illustrated in Figure 6. They
consist of the display glass, display controller, frame
buffer and the microcontroller.
FIGURE 6: THE FOUR BASIC COMPONENTS OF A GRAPHICS SYSTEM
Display Glass
Display glass is the device which displays a sequence of
colors on the pixels and also converts the digital
representation of colors to actual colors. The term, color,
includes grayscale. Generally, the types of displays used
are TFT LCDs, CSTN/MSTN LCDs or OLED/AMOLEDs.
All the LCD modules include gate and source drivers to
drive the voltage and current for displaying all the
pixels. Tabl e 1 gives a brief comparison of different
display technologies.
Display Glass
Frame
Buffer
Display
Controller
Microcontroller
TABLE 1: COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES
(1)
Property TFT LCD STN (CSTN/MSTN) AMOLED
Frame Rate High Low High
Ghosting No Yes No
HBLANK and VBLANK Yes No Yes
Backlight Required Required Not Required
Cost Medium Low High
Typical Size for QVGA
(320x240) Resolution
1.5" to 5.7" 1.5" to 5.7" Up to 2.8"
Contrast Medium Low High
Power Consumption High Medium Low
Viewing Angle Medium Medium High
Note 1: Data mentioned in this table may change due to constant changes or advancements in the display
technology.