2

Reading about how grid distribution when performing supersampling is suboptimal got me wondering: are there any displays that arrange their pixels in pattern other than regular grid? Wikipedia mentions that

The use of non-uniform grids is an active research area, attempting to bypass the traditional Nyquist limit.

...which is pretty much what using non-grid sampling in supersampling does. But this only links to a paper back from 2000, which isn't exactly new when it comes to quickly developing things like displays.

Another interesting point I've found is this picture:

Photo of various monitors with individual light-emitting elements visible Pengo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Apparently, TV CRT pixel grid seems to have its columns offset considerably, but is this a result of how beam is controlled (so fluorescent lines are actually uninterrupted)? Would it have a regular pixel grid if hooked to computer's video output?

Another related question I came across while researching this is Why are pixels square? - but it talks just about shape of pixels, not their arrangement.

2
  • 1
    Unsure about the overall question, but the TV CRT pixel grid is laid out like that to compensate for relative low resolution so pixels actually blur a bit to improve video quality. For PC use? It will blur a bit so things like small fonts would be difficult to read at best. This is why back in the day when CRT TVs were still common, many people who did digital editing would have a CRT of some kind hooked up to their setup so they could immediately see how what they set on their PC looks on an actual TV CRT tube… Or at least the lowest common denominator TV CRT tube. Jul 21, 2021 at 23:13
  • CRT: these are not pixels. Jul 21, 2021 at 23:16

1 Answer 1

1

Though AFAIK, displays have regular patterns, there are some less common patterns, such as PenTile RGBG.

By Matthew Rollings at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14914205

You might also find the pattern of pixel colors in sensors of interest, but again, they are not irregular, just in a different pattern.

To avoid color moiré effects, it would be interesting to see if a screen or sensor could be made with non-repeating Penrose tiling. The pixel ratio could be kept constant, yet there would be no large-scale straight-line patterns.

BTW, the Autochrome Lumière color photography process relied on truly random color pixels, with no pattern to the display.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .