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Monitor technology
Panel Technology
CRTs have effectively been replaced by its thinner and brighter sister, the LCD. Under the umbrella of LCD technology, there are a few choices to consider before buying a monitor. First, you'll have to decide which panel technology is right for you.
The three main panel technologies currently used in LCDs are: Twisted Nematic (TN), Vertical Alignment (VA), and In-Plane Switching (IPS). Manufactures make the vast majority of consumer monitors using TN panels.
Not surprising, TN panels are the cheapest of the three technologies to make. With a few exceptions, monitors that cost $300 or less will likely have TN panels. The main advantages of TN panels are their fast--usually 2ms--response time and, of course, low price. Their major disadvantages are narrow viewing angles, relatively low brightness, and inaccurate color reproduction.
Next up are VA (mostly seen as S-PVA) panels. VAs have improved viewing angles compared with TNs, better color reproduction, and they typically have a much higher maximum brightness. Also, they tend to have the lowest black levels of all three panel technologies. Unfortunately, a VA panel's response time and input lag are not quite as fast as a TN panel and they can cost anywhere from $400 to $800, and sometimes more depending on the panel's size. Also, you can expect a VA-based monitor's profile to be wider than a TN's.
Lastly, we have IPS. IPS-based monitors are usually the most expensive; however, the new e-IPS panels cost as little as $300 for a 22-inch model. They also have the best viewing angles of all three technologies and produce the most accurate colors; however, their blacks are not as deep VA panels. IPS monitors are the slowest of the bunch in both response time and input lag.
Backlight
Beyond panel tech falls backlight technology. Most monitors use cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL)-based backlights--several fluorescent tubes stretched horizontally across the screen. Monitors that use Light Emitting Diode (LED)-backlights, however, rely on individual LEDs all over the back of the screen that turn off or on independently, giving the displays more precise control over the amount of light that comes through. The purported advantages of an LED backlight are better energy efficiency, more accurate color reproduction, a conceivably thinner panel design, and a higher potential brightness level.
However, so far only a few monitors have truly taken advantage of this technology. Also, so far, we've only seen LED-backlit monitors using TN panels, so don't expect great viewing angles or perfect color reproduction just yet on LED backlit monitors. Once we see some VA and IPS LED-based panels hit the market, we'll begin to see the true potential of the technology realized.
CRTs have effectively been replaced by its thinner and brighter sister, the LCD. Under the umbrella of LCD technology, there are a few choices to consider before buying a monitor. First, you'll have to decide which panel technology is right for you.
The three main panel technologies currently used in LCDs are: Twisted Nematic (TN), Vertical Alignment (VA), and In-Plane Switching (IPS). Manufactures make the vast majority of consumer monitors using TN panels.
Not surprising, TN panels are the cheapest of the three technologies to make. With a few exceptions, monitors that cost $300 or less will likely have TN panels. The main advantages of TN panels are their fast--usually 2ms--response time and, of course, low price. Their major disadvantages are narrow viewing angles, relatively low brightness, and inaccurate color reproduction.
Next up are VA (mostly seen as S-PVA) panels. VAs have improved viewing angles compared with TNs, better color reproduction, and they typically have a much higher maximum brightness. Also, they tend to have the lowest black levels of all three panel technologies. Unfortunately, a VA panel's response time and input lag are not quite as fast as a TN panel and they can cost anywhere from $400 to $800, and sometimes more depending on the panel's size. Also, you can expect a VA-based monitor's profile to be wider than a TN's.
Lastly, we have IPS. IPS-based monitors are usually the most expensive; however, the new e-IPS panels cost as little as $300 for a 22-inch model. They also have the best viewing angles of all three technologies and produce the most accurate colors; however, their blacks are not as deep VA panels. IPS monitors are the slowest of the bunch in both response time and input lag.
Backlight
Beyond panel tech falls backlight technology. Most monitors use cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL)-based backlights--several fluorescent tubes stretched horizontally across the screen. Monitors that use Light Emitting Diode (LED)-backlights, however, rely on individual LEDs all over the back of the screen that turn off or on independently, giving the displays more precise control over the amount of light that comes through. The purported advantages of an LED backlight are better energy efficiency, more accurate color reproduction, a conceivably thinner panel design, and a higher potential brightness level.
However, so far only a few monitors have truly taken advantage of this technology. Also, so far, we've only seen LED-backlit monitors using TN panels, so don't expect great viewing angles or perfect color reproduction just yet on LED backlit monitors. Once we see some VA and IPS LED-based panels hit the market, we'll begin to see the true potential of the technology realized.
