Facts about CRT Monitors

1. 07

   IBM's 5153 color monitor, released in 1981, displayed only 16 colors simultaneously from a palette of 262,144 possible colors due to 6-bit-per-channel RGB limitations.

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2. 06

   Phosphor persistence, measured in milliseconds, determined how long CRT screen pixels glowed after the electron beam passed, with fast-decay phosphors around 1-2ms ideal for gaming and slow-decay phosphors 50-100ms better for CAD applications.

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3. 05

   Flat-screen CRT monitors introduced in the late 1990s used cylindrical instead of spherical faceplate designs to reduce geometric distortion and increase usable screen area by approximately 10 percent.

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4. 04

   Shadow masks in CRT monitors contained approximately 1 million precisely drilled holes per square inch to separate the three electron beams and produce accurate color output.

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5. 03

   Convergence drift in CRT monitors caused color fringing at screen edges because three electron beams for red, green, and blue had to align precisely across the entire display area.

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6. 02

   A 21-inch CRT monitor weighed approximately 80 to 100 pounds due to the thick lead glass required to shield users from X-ray radiation produced by the electron gun.

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7. 01

   The electron beam in CRT monitors refreshed the screen 50 to 120 times per second, with 60 Hz becoming the standard refresh rate in North America.

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