In order to work, a display controller needs an input slot, which connects it with the computer, and a video output, which connects it with the medical display. In between, the translation from file to visual takes place. That is where the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) comes in. Each display controller contains a GPU that makes the visualization possible.

A display controller can do more than just show images from your computer on your display. Thanks to the GPU, it is also possible to add extra functionalities to your medical display. Zooming in, for instance, or highlighting a specific part of an image. Or it can also make it easy to move fluently from one display to another, when two or more are attached to each other.

As they are used in various environments, display controllers exist in many shapes and sizes. Useful features of a display controller for medical use are durability, reliability and swiftness: they can handle intensive, long-term use, and process large images correctly and with minimal delay. In these ways, they can support the medical professional’s workflow.

Furthermore, advanced display controllers can be of great value in medical environments, as they can support technologies to better detect small details and work faster. For example, Barco’s SpotView tool has been proven to help increasing reading accuracy while decreasing reading time, and in some mammography cases the tool even allows a lower radiation dose.

Some vendors of medical displays design and validate their own medical display controllers. This ensures that if you buy a medical display system from them, the graphics card is compatible with and optimizes the performance of the display itself. On top of that, the same warranty conditions often apply for the graphics card as for the medical display.