A monitor filter is an accessory to the

computer display A computer monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial or textual form. A discrete monitor comprises a visual display, support electronics, power supply, housing, electrical connectors, and external user controls. T ...

to filter out the light reflected from the smooth glass surface of a

CRT CRT or Crt most commonly refers to: * Cathode-ray tube, a display * Critical race theory, an academic framework of analysis CRT may also refer to: Law * Charitable remainder trust, United States * Civil Resolution Tribunal, Canada * Columbia ...

flat panel A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipment. Flat-panel displays are thin, lightweight, provide better ...

display. Many also include a ground to dissipate static buildup. A secondary use for monitor filters is privacy as they decrease the

viewing angle In display technology parlance, viewing angle is the angle at which a display can be viewed with an acceptable visual performance. In a technical context, the angular range is called viewing cone defined by a multitude of viewing directions. Th ...

of a monitor, preventing it from being viewed from the side; in this case, they are also called privacy screens. File:Limanerp.jpg , privacy screen (microscope photo) File:Blickschutzangitterp.gif , The operating principle of a slat protection film (drawing) The standard type of anti-glare filter consists of a coating that reduces the reflection from a glass or plastic surface. These are manufactured from

polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate ester, carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, toughness, tough materials, and some grades are optically transp ...

or acrylic plastic. An older variety of anti-glare filter used a mesh filter that had the appearance of a nylon screen. Although effective, a mesh filter also caused degradation of the image quality. Marketing names of privacy filters: * HP's "SureView" *

Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited, trading as Lenovo ( , zh, c=联想, p=Liánxiǎng), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, servers, conv ...

's "PrivacyGuard" *

Dell Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), Server (computing), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcam ...

's "SafeScreen" Support for privacy screen is available since

Linux kernel The Linux kernel is a Free and open-source software, free and open source Unix-like kernel (operating system), kernel that is used in many computer systems worldwide. The kernel was created by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and was soon adopted as the k ...

5.17 that expose it through

Direct Rendering Manager The Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) is a subsystem of the Linux kernel responsible for interfacing with Graphics processing unit, GPUs of modern video cards. DRM exposes an Application programming interface, API that user-space programs can use t ...

and is used by

GNOME A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

42.

References

Display technology Ergonomics {{compu-hardware-stub