In-plane Twitching
Until recently, anything capable of 1,000
to one or more for static contrast was very likely to be VA or IPS. More
recently, TN monitors capable of 1,000 to one static contrast have appeared. At
the same time, VA and IPS panels have upped their game. EN is So any quoted
figure above est. 1,000 to one(but below 5,000 to one)will indicate a panel
other than TN.
The final give away is price, but here
again, things have begun to change. Until recently, VA and IPS panels were
always much more expensive. The good news is that lower cost derivatives,
including e-IPS and MVA, are becoming ever more common. It’s now possible, for
instance, to buy a 24-inch MVA screen for under $288.
If that’s TN, what about the other two? Our
next candidate is ‘In-Plane Switching’ or IPS technology. It occupies
completely the opposite end of the scale from TN for everything from price to
colour accuracy. Critically, where other panel technologies include a single
controller transistor per subpixel, IPS packs a pair and offers superior
crystal control and, in turn, the best colour accuracy.
Of course, increase a product’s complexity
and you increase costs. But that’s not the only downside — the extra
transistors also block light. That makes IPS notably Less vibrant and saturated
than the best VA panels.
Another upside of IPS is extremely wide and
consistent viewing angles. Unlike TN crystals with their rooted ends, the
liquid crystals in an IPS panel rotate fully about their axis. That matters
because it allows them to present a more consistent face to the viewer at
varying angles and means a more constant quantity of light passes the red, green
and blue subpixels regardless of the viewing angle. In other words, you don’t
get wonky colours if you sit in an off-centre position at your desk.
There is, however, a snag. That greater
range of crystal articulation translates into longer response times when
transitioning between extreme colours. The longer that process takes, the
blurrier a panel looks when rendering moving images. That said, just as TN
technology is closing the gap for colours and contrast, IPS screens keep
getting faster. Factor in the static fidelity advantages and it’s easy to see
why IPS is the tech of choice for graphics professionals.
Top Tips
Gaming Panels
If alt-out gaming is your bag TN is a
great choice. It’s the quickest, most responsive technology. VA screens are a
good compromise if you want to throw movies into the mix.
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Jargon explained
FuII HD
Sounds great, doesn’t it, Full HD?
However, the problem is, although it always indicates the same 1,920 x 1080
pixel grid, it also means different things in the context of how different
screens are designed. Those pixels spread over a 27-inch panel look very
different on a 22-inch screen. This may all seem obvious, but the point is
that a large screen often doesn’t give you any additional visual data.
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Going nowhere fast
Is LCD technology getting any better?
CPU makers have been slapping in more
cores and features. Graphics chips are becoming ever more powerful and
programmable, and SSDs are taking over from silly spinning platters. But what
about LCD monitors? Where’s the progress?
These are certainly valid questions. TN,
IPS and VA technology have dominated for years, and progress has been
depressingly incremental. The only major shift in terms of underlying image
quality during the last few years has been the introduction of LED
backlights. They make a small but tangible difference to vibrancy and colour
purity. That’s especially helpful for TN screens.
Apart from that, it’s largely been a case
of bolting on gimmicks, such as dynamic contrast or digitally enhanced
colours. The panels themselves have only improved a little. But there is
hope. One shape it takes is called Super PLS. A technology cooked up by
Samsung, it’s a development of IPS and supposedly offers a 100 per cent
improvement in viewing angles, 10 per cent better brightness and lower
production costs. For now, the Sam sung 8 Series S27A8 SOD (which is reviewed
page 20) is the only screen we’re aware of in the UK that offers Super PLS.
For the record, Sam sung is also using Super PLS screens in some of its Galaxy
tablet devices.
Further out, the end game for PC monitors
must surely be some kind of organic LED or OLED technology. In theory, OLED
will offer numerous advantages including more or less infinite contrast,
perfect blacks and limitless viewing angles. While OLED-derived technology
has been popping up in several smartphones, it’s been slow to make the move
to larger screens.
However, Sony, Samsung and LG are all
seriously considering OLED for large displays. So we think it’s only a matter
of time. Don’t expect any affordable screens before at least 2015, however.
Not big ones anyway.
