Video Display & Camera Imaging

Video Displays

There are a number of choices available for viewing your microscope image in a large format size on a video screen. Here are a few:

When using a lower cost standard definition camera, any standard TV/VCR combination unit will work such as the one shown above on the left. These units have direct video inputs so you can plug the composite video output of the camera directly to the TV. These are a simple option if you have it available but with the advent of HD into the marketplace these units are no longer sold in stores.

With our standard definition cameras that have high resolution s-video output capability, matching this output with a professional level monitor with s-video input is a nice choice and looks the best, but these monitor options are expensive and getting harder to find and when you do find them they are in the pro market and a bit pricey.

What you will find in all electronic stores today are HD flat panel TVs from 14" to 65" in size. If you are using a standard definition camera, choosing a TV that has s-video input capability is needed. Since the signal feeding the TV is standard definition, up to a 19" screen size would be preferred. Though we have plugged our standard definition cameras into our 47" screen in class and it looks good from a distance, it is pushes the limits of resolution for closer viewing and we think keeping a display under 32" for a standard definition camera is warranted. If using a high definition camcorder than the larger screen sizes are okay. 


Here's one of our classroom scopes hooked up to a 47" LCD/LED display.

Video Cameras

Standard video cameras have CCD (charged coupled device) chips where images get focused from a lens and are then translated electronically to a TV picture. Analog CCD chip cameras have been the video standard in use for a long time for live biological imaging. These can be either one chip camera or 3 chip cameras. Where a single chip camera can generate up to 500 lines of vertical resolution, a 3 chip camera can generate up to 850 lines. Internally, the best cameras will use digital signal processing. You should note that not all cameras offer the same image quality, even if they have the same specifications. You have to look at the image quality with the intended application to discern what works well and what does not.

CMOS chips are a more recent technology which is coming along with increasing image quality. You will find these chips in many digital cameras that go direct to a computer and in HD camcorders. At this stage of development digital cameras primarily work best for still imaging. The frame rate (how many picture frames the camera takes each second to make a smooth moving live picture) is in the range of 15 frames per second with a decent image screen size, though 30 frames per second is more preferable. We can get this with consumer and prosumer HD camcorders and plug them directly into TV screens in high-def mode. With 4 megapixel chips and higher, the imaging for live biological viewing is very nice.

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