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           2.Video display unit (VDU)

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A video display unit (VDU) consists of:

  • A computer output device that uses a cathode ray tube or other technology to present visual images

  • One or more input devices, such as a keyboard , a mouse , or both.

A synonym sometimes used in the United States is video display terminal ( VDT ). VDU seems to predominate elsewhere. The term is widely used in ergonomic discussions, guidelines, and standards related to worker safety and efficiency.

The "classic" VDU is the desktop display and keyboard. However, as personal computers and workstations become more portable and smaller in size, the safety and design guidelines for VDUs call for continuing reconsideration.Short for video display unit, VDU is a computing device that allows for input by a user and output to a display, like a computer monitor. A VDU consists of a display device and a keyboard, and could also include a mouse. In the United States, it is sometimes referred to as a video display terminal, or VDT.

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Example:a flat panel display and a projector are both examples of VDUs. However, VDU is most commonly used to describe the CRT monitor, a now archaic standard that has been replaced by flat panel displays.

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Development

Visual Display Unit

 (hardware)

(VDU, or "video terminal", "video display terminal", VDT, "display terminal") A device incorporating a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a keyboard and a serial port. A VDU usually also includes its own display electronics which store the received data and convert it into electrical waveforms to drive the CRT.

VDUs fall into two categories: dumb terminals and intelligent terminals (sometimes called "programmable terminals").

Early VDUs could only display characters in a single preset font, and these were confined to being layed out in a rectangular grid, reproducing the functionality of the paper-based teletypes they were designed to replace.

Later models added graphics facilities but were still driven via serial communications, typically with several VDUs attached to a single multi-user computer. This contrasts with the much faster single bitmap displays integrated into most modern single-user personal computers and workstations.

The term "Display Screen Equipment" (DSE) is used almost exclusively in connection with the health and safety issues concerning VDUs.

 

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