Three monochrome displays from a single, true color video display controller

Some nuclear medicine computer displays, as well as many image processing workstations are "true color" machines characterized by independent memory and grey scale mapping for each of the red, green and blue color channels. Other color image display systems produce a color image from a single grey scale map composed of red, green, and blue intensity values ("pseudo color"). In the true color system the final image is obtained by overlays of three independent color images. In an effort to present complete nuclear medicine studies for diagnosis from cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) we have employed a true color display to present three times as much spatial information as the system was designed for by directing each color output from the display controller to a different monochrome black and white (b/w) monitor. Therefore our system displays a 512 x 512 x 24-bit true-color image, or three 512 x 512 x 8-bit monochrome images, or any combination of smaller size matrices. Monitor requirements, cabling, and general software considerations are detailed here. The ability to display complete nuclear medicine studies on CRTs (as currently presented on film) has been provided by adding monitors and software revisions to a commercially available nuclear medicine computer system.