Changing monitor resolution

[jpennifold]

Until I started reading about monitors, I thought that they worked like B&W TVs i.e. the the electron beam just scans back & forth with varying intensity. Now I find that pixels are made of 3 colour dots, there are 3 electron guns and there is a shadow mask or aperture grill to sharpen the image. It seems to me then, that monitors (especially those with shadow masks) are almost like LCD screens, in that there are only discrete 'cells' that can display images.
What I don't understand is how the resolution of a monitor (or LCD for that matter) is changed? Is it done in hardware or software?

[Budfred]

Welcome to PCGuide!!

I am not a specialist in this area, so forgive me if I miss some details. The first thing is that a color monitor is basically the same as a color TV in terms of the 3 colors and aperture grill, etc...
The second thing, the resolution is changed with software based on hardware. In other words, you can only change the resolution within the bounds set by your hardware, but you use the software to do the setting with. If your software allows 2000 X 3000 resolution, but your hardware will only go to 800 X 600, then that is the best you will get. The hardware also determines the refresh rate, the size of the pixel and so on. The software knows what settings to use based on drivers written for that hardware. An LCD monitor would be essentially the same, but usually has options for good higher resolution while lower resolution doesn't work as well.

Budfred

[Fruss Tray Ted]

This thread (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6580&highlight=pixels) almost says it all.

But not to drag it open again, the electron gun/guns need not only to light just one phosphor but combinations (possibly within the dot pitch ?) for the many variants of colors achievable with the combinations applied... You'll see. :)