On-screen display
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An on-screen display (OSD) is an image superimposed on a screen picture, commonly used by modern
History
In the past, most adjustments on TV sets were performed with analog controls such as
When electronics became more advanced, it became clear that adding some extra devices for an OSD was cheaper than adding a second display device. TV screens had become much bigger and could display much more information than a small second display. OSDs display graphical information superimposed over the picture, which is done by synchronizing the reading from OSD video memory with the TV signal.
Some of the first OSD-equipped televisions were introduced by
In the 1980s, OSD-capable TVs started to be more common, such as
More recently (as of about 2005), the decline in
First VCR with on-screen display
Computers
Some
The complexity of graphics offered by such displays has greatly increased over the years, from simple monochrome images to intricate graphical user interfaces.
Known problems
Several problems exist with regard to on-screen displays. One of them is diagnostics if a television's display system is damaged. Without any external screens, it is almost impossible (without opening the TV) to determine the source of the error. TV accessories that depend heavily on OSDs, such as VCRs or DVD players, are also difficult to configure without the use of a TV. On older VCRs, it was possible to program recording timers without turning on the TV; a modern VCR requires the user to turn on the TV to do so. Usability is generally also decreased with OSDs, as it is necessary to control a multitude of parameters with a few buttons, where earlier, real analog controls with mechanical feedback were available.
The drawbacks of using OSDs do not outweigh their main advantage of being more cost-efficient and allowing to design less separate physical tuning controls, which has led to their widespread use.
See also
- Digital on-screen graphic
- in video gaming
- Television news screen layout
- Character generator
- Chyron Corporation
- Pong
References
- ^ Control Engineering. Technical Publishing Company. 1981.
- ^ Electronics World Incorporating Wireless World. Reed Business Pub. 1996.
- ^ "Stylish Akai VS-2 appeal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Apr 24, 1983.
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