Eventually, consumer display technology became an alphabet soup full of terms that used the letters “LED”.
In this quick guide, we’ll provide a brief overview of common initialisms found in the world of TVs, PC monitors, and laptop displays. For simplicity, we’ll focus on how each technology affects expected image quality. Whether you’re looking for a handy refreshment for your next shopping trip or a quick, easy-to-digest guide for curious friends and family, we’ve got you covered.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
LCD
You are probably reading this article on a liquid crystal display (LCD). “LCD” refers to all types of displays that use liquid crystals, including TN, IPS, and VA (which we’ll get to in a moment). Even a calculator or old-school digital watch can use an LCD. But a simple “LCD” designation doesn’t tell you how a screen will work. You need more information, e.g. B. The type of backlight used by the panel – usually LED, followed by the more expensive mini-LED.
LCDs long ago supplanted cathode ray tubes (CRT) and plasma displays as the dominant consumer display technology. In the past, it was common to find LCDs with CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) backlights, but most LCD displays today use LED backlights (more on this below).
All LCDs, as the name suggests, use liquid crystals sandwiched between polarized glass.
When power is applied, the crystals morph to allow or block light through color filters, depending on the image, to shape what you see on screen.
TN vs IPS vs VA
TN, IPS, and VA are the three main types of LCD displays that you can find in TVs, monitors, and laptops. They all differ in how they use their liquid crystals. Each could justify their own article, but we’ll keep it simple here by focusing on the differences you can expect to see in real life.
TN
Twisted nematic displays are known for their high refresh rates and low prices. Their liquid crystals rotate 90 degrees to let light through.
advantages
- TN displays are usually cheaper than IPS and VA displays.
- It’s easier to achieve high refresh rates and low response times with TN displays, although more expensive IPS and VA are catching up. It’s worth noting that the upcoming Asus ROG Swift 500Hz gaming monitor, which should be the fastest monitor out there, will reportedly achieve its refresh rate via an “E-TN” panel, which claims 60 percent better response times than regular TN. So while you can buy an extremely fast IPS (up to 360Hz) or VA monitor, TN is still the technology that pushes the limits of refresh rates.
Disadvantages
- TN has worse color rendering than IPS and VA.
- TN also has poorer viewing angles than IPS and VA, meaning it’s harder to see the image when looking at the screen from an angle or from above.
IP
Known for their wide viewing angles and vivid colors, in-plane switching displays use liquid crystals that are parallel to the layers of glass. The crystals rotate in parallel to let light through.
advantages
- IPS panels have wider viewing angles than VA and TN screens.
- IPS delivers richer, wider color spaces than rivals, especially TN.
- IPS displays, especially monitors, have become increasingly popular in recent years.
Disadvantages
- A fast IPS panel is significantly more expensive than a TN panel with similar refresh rates.
- IPS monitors are often more expensive than VA screens.
v.a
Vertically aligned displays are known for their high contrast. Their liquid crystals are perpendicular to the glass substrates, allowing light to pass through when the crystals tilt.
advantages
- VA panels excel in contrast, which is often considered the most important factor in image quality. VA monitors typically have contrast ratios of 3,000:1, while a typical IPS is 1,000:1. IPS Black displays launched this year claim to double the contrast of typical IPS monitors up to 2,000:1. We tested the IPS Black equipped Dell UltraSharp U2723QE and the difference was noticeable.
- VA monitors are often (but not always) cheaper than similar IPS options.
Disadvantages
- VA monitors are generally more expensive than TN monitors.
- While there are many VA monitors on the market, IPS has become a bit more common.
This article was previously published on Source link
