You are looking for a new monitor/TV. You’ve seen the ads on TV and online that you need to upgrade your screen, so it is time to purchase one.
There are many types of monitors with different qualities depending on what you’re searching for in a display device
This article will go over all three major displays available today – IPS, VA, TN, and OLED screens – as well as their features and differences
IPS Technology
IPS is one of the technologies used in LCD displays. It was developed to change the physical behavior of liquid crystal molecules by moving them parallel to TFTs with respect to substrate planes, which results in excellent viewing angles and picture uniformity.
IPS displays were introduced in 2001. The IPS technology was developed to overcome the limitations of TN LCDs which dominated the screen market in the late 1980s.
IPS displays use a different crystal orientation than VA and TN LCDs because they are made on a thin film transistor structure instead of backlight-driven LCD panels (VA).
IPS panels are the most common on today’s monitors.
What is VA Panel?
Vertical Alignment panels, or VA for short, are a type of LCD technology. This type of LCD panel uses vertical crystals, as opposed to the horizontal crystals found in IPS panels.
VA panels were created as an attempt to improve the contrast ratios found in IPS LCD panels. In fact, VA is actually based on IPS technology. However, VA did not become popular until shortly after IPS displays hit the market.
One downside to using VA panels is that they can suffer from ghosting. This occurs when a static image is left on the screen for too long and causes a “burn-in” effect. The best way to prevent this is by turning off your TV when it’s not in use.
What are the differences between IPS and VA panels?
IPS panels offer better color reproduction and viewing angles than VA panels. VA panels offer better contrast ratios than IPS panels.
IPS and VA panels are two of the most common types of LCD panels. They use different technologies to create an image, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
IPS panels are better for contrast ratios and viewing angles, but VA is better for color accuracy. Other related panel types within each of the three types of LCD use the same basic idea with slight differences. For example, IPS-like panels have a different subpixel arrangement than IPS panels do.
VA panels have better viewing angles, contrast, and colors than IPS or IPS-like panels do. TN panels are the oldest type of LCD panel, followed by IPS and VA.
Choosing the right panel type for your monitor
Panel type is an important consideration when choosing a new monitor. There are three main types of panels: IPS, VA and TN. TN panels are faster and cheaper than IPS, but have worse viewing angles, while VA offers superior viewing angles but is slower and more expensive than TN.
So, how do you choose the right type of panel for your needs? If you prioritize visuals over performance, IPS is the go-to solution. If you need a fast monitor with good color reproduction, go for a TN panel. And if you want the best viewing experience possible, VA is the way to go.
TN panels are best for gaming but they have some disadvantages.
When it comes to monitors, TN panels are known for their speed and low input lag. This makes them ideal for gaming, where every millisecond counts. However, TN panels come at the cost of color accuracy and viewing angles.
TN panels offer a 1ms or faster pixel update response, which is great for gaming. They can also deliver refresh rates up to 240Hz, which is important for minimizing motion blur, smearing, and ghosting in games. In addition, TN panels have good black levels and dark area detail.
The downside of TN panels is that they only cover 100% of the standard RGB color gamut. This means that colors will not look as accurate on a TN panel as they would on an IPS panel with wider viewing angles. The biggest weakness of TN panels is their limited viewing angles, which go as low as 170/160 degrees (a wide-angle will show some color shift).
TN vs IPS vs VA: The Differences
Response Time
Response time is the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change from black to white or from one color to another. The lower the response time, the faster the image on the screen will change.
IPS panels are low response, while VA panels have slightly higher response times.
IPS panels usually have 4 milliseconds of ghosting, but some with one or two milliseconds can deliver good competitive gaming operations.
The production of some IPS panels working with 1-2 milliseconds speeds up the motion blur in competitive games.
IPS panels are generally considered faster than VA panels, but IPS panels have a 4 millisecond response time.
IPS panels are great for watching TV or playing most games, while the response time of 4 milliseconds would not be suitable for first-person shooting or racing games.
The fastest refresh rate of 1 to 2 milliseconds is offered by some IPS monitors with super-fast refresh rates of less than 2ms including Acer Predator Z35P and Asus ROG PG27UQ monitors.
TN screens experience motion blur, but IPS displays are faster.
TN panels provide a more affordable option with a lower response time, but IPS panels cost less and have faster response times.
Viewing Angles
TN panels have the weakest viewing angles, while VA and IPS panels are significantly better than TNs in terms of viewing angles. 178/178 viewing angle ratings are a realistic reflection of what you can expect with an IPS monitor – most other monitors have much narrower viewing angles.
TNs have color and contrast shifts, but they’re best suited for gaming as opposed to professional work. This is because they offer fast response times and are the cheapest panels on the market. VAs also show some color and contrast shifts, mostly due to a lack of 178/178 viewing angles. However, they offer much better image quality than TNs and are good for both professional work and gaming.
Color Production
Color production is one of the most important aspects of monitors. Different monitor types have different color production abilities. TN monitors are good for general use and inexpensive, but they don’t have great color reproduction. IPS panels allow for more accurate color reproduction than TN panels because they offer a finer level of control and precision. This makes them good for graphics work and other tasks that require accurate colors. VA displays are good for gaming because they have fast refresh rates, solid lag reduction, and great color reproduction. They also have a wider color gamut than TNs.
Contrast
Contrast is measured in units of a difference between white and black. The higher the contrast ratio, the better the picture quality of the monitor.
VA panels have the highest contrast ratios, while TN has the lowest. IPS monitors are slightly better than VA panels but not as good as VA monitors with local dimming features that achieve high levels of contrast ratio. Contrast ratios can also be calculated to show how much light passes through a monitor’s screen at each point on the screen when it’s set to full brightness level.
IPS monitors aren’t able to produce as many blacks as VA panels. The best contrast ratio is achieved by the Samsung monitor, with a value of 3000:1. IPS and VA monitors have anti-glare coatings which can reduce the effective contrast ratio of the display, but it’s not noticeable when not in a dark room because they are usually calibrated for different environments.
The Samsung has the darkest blacks of the three displays. The ASUS is at the upper end of its range for TN monitors. Most TN monitors that we’ve tested in our office are much worse than this one! The winning monitor is VA.
Price
TN monitors are the most popular for their affordable price tag.
IPS and VA monitors offer similar viewing angles, color reproduction, and performance specs with a high price tag.
The ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q has a refresh rate of 144Hz, which is faster than the LG 24MP59G.
The Acer Predator XB321HK is 4K UHD and has a 60Hz refresh rate, while the ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q has a 240Hz refresh rate.
The AOC G2460PF monitors have 1ms response time, while the other three monitors do not.
The ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q monitor comes with longer warranties than any of the others but costs more than all of them combined.
Gaming
There are many choices to make when it comes to gaming. One of the most important decisions is what type of monitor to buy. TN monitors are best for competitive FPS games that require quick response times. They have a fast pixel response time, which means less blur and ghosting in fast-paced action scenes. IPS monitors offer better performance and contrast ratios but lack the drawbacks of TN monitors. They also have improved response time and reduced input lag, making them ideal for gaming and other multimedia applications. TN monitors cost less than IPS models and offer a lower starting price point to consumers who enjoy gaming on a budget.
144Hz gaming monitors are better than 60Hz screens. They need to be as close to 1ms response time as possible – no question. This is the gold standard for 144Hz gaming monitors. 144Hz monitors have to be as close to 1ms in order to be effective, and anything above that is just icing on the cake. TN-type monitors are excellent for use in graphics, gaming, and other high-definition work. IPS-type monitors are best used for photo editing or design work where colors need to be accurate and vibrant. VA monitor is an assortment of technologies that can offer clear, crisp images in a wide variety of lighting conditions but do not have the technical ability to display deep blacks like IPS monitors can. This makes them a poor choice for gaming.
What is an OLED TV?
An OLED TV is a television that uses organic light-emitting diodes to emit its own light. This means that the TV does not require a backlight as an LCD TV does.
OLED TVs have a near-instantaneous response time, excellent gray uniformity, and deep blacks without blooming around bright objects. They’re also thinner and lighter than LCD TVs.
Unlike LCDs which require a backlight, OLEDs do not need this feature because they can turn off individual pixels. This makes for better contrast ratios and black levels, as well as less power consumption.
OLED panels aren’t perfect, but they’re the future of television technology. They offer many advantages over LCD TVs, such as superior picture quality and energy efficiency. However, they are also more expensive and harder to find than LCD TVs. There is also a risk of permanent burn-in with static elements on-screen (like UI elements).
Comparison of the 4 Panels
There are four types of panels that are most commonly used in monitors: TN, IPS, VA, and OLED. Each panel has its own unique set of strengths and weaknesses.
TN panels are the cheapest and most common type of panel. They have very fast response times and are ideal for gaming. However, their viewing angles are poor and they have a low contrast ratio.
IPS panels offer good color accuracy and viewing angles, but they have a slow response time. VA panels have the best contrast ratios but the worst viewing angles. OLED panels have excellent viewing angles and deep blacks, but they are expensive and their response times are slow.
While TN panels were once the most popular type of panel, IPS and VA have become more widespread in recent years due to their advantages over TN panels. OLED is still a relatively new technology so it is not as common as the other three types of panels.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to understand the different types of monitor panels before making a purchase. The best panel type depends on the user’s specific usage, with the two exceptions of viewing angles and contrast. IPS and TN are the most common types of monitor screens, with IPS being preferred over TN for office use and content creation. VA and IPS monitors have very similar differences, so a user should only buy a monitor based on personal preferences.
