For over 20 years the mainstay of the visual science laboratory has been the Cathode Ray Tube display. This ubiquitous device offers a simple solution to the need to create spatially variant images for use as visual stimuli. The characteristics of the display are well understood and, for some of them, are well matched to the primate visual system. However low cost flat panel displays have gradual displaced CRTs in every day applications to the extent that manufacture of low cost CRTs has ceased. There are a vast number of flat panel alternatives which have been designed to replace CRTs in many different applications. Although designed to replace CRTs these displays have different temporal, spatial, and spectral characteristics to CRTs which are not well characterised for applications in the Vision Science laboratory.

The aim of this project is to identify the characteristics that are important for generating different types of visual stimuli, place acceptable limits upon them and to actually measure these characteristics in a range of different flat panel displays. We will consider typical applications for displays as visual stimulators and consider what would make a display suitable for displaying those stimuli. Such characteristics might include, brightness, temporal response, luminance transfer function, the means of creating the display, spatial resolution and construction of the display. Once we have identified these characteristics we will define a series of measurements to be done on real displays and go about measuring them. It may be necessary to create electronic devices and write special software in Matlab to make these measurements. We will also consider software techniques that might improve the display performance and investigate their implementation.

The project should result in a final report that will be published on our web site.

I like working with Cambridge Research Systems because

1. The workplace is friendly and supportive. Professional engineers are around when I need help.
2. Working hours are very flexible so I can come in early and finish early or come in late and finish late. This way I can manage my own working time.
3. I am treated equally as a student engineer; I have my own desk and a computer and I can access company facilities.
4. The company sent me a computer program (Matlab) before I actually started work so I could get myself used to it.This is really good.
5. The location is good as it is quite in the town so I can cycle here easily.
6. The project I am carrying out at the moment (Charateristics of computer displays)
is very challanging as it requires learning a lot of new things I have not done in university but will be very rewarding.

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