S. Martin, J. Kanicki
Today, active-matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs) with high-resolution formats with up to nine mega-pixels are available. When the color filters required for full-color are removed, the maximum luminance of the monochrome unit is increased by a factor of at least 2, surpassing the maximum luminance of diagnostic cathode-ray tubes (CRTs). AMLCDs have recently become candidate displays for high quality diagnostic imaging workstations. However, the characterization of the image quality of AMLCDs challenges the methods used for evaluating CRT monitors. In this paper, we report on image quality metrics and measurements for high-resolution medical imaging monochrome AMLCDs using methods described in the VESA Flat Panel Display Measurement Standard, and methods and test patterns proposed by the AAPM Task Group 18. We characterize the performance of the AMLCDs in combination with a diagnostic workstation regarding differential luminance response, pixel luminance and aperture ratio, contrast ratio with varying target size, electronic cross-talk, veiling glare, reflection coefficients and angular dependency of the luminance and contrast.