LCD Tech - Pros & Cons

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GreatestOne

Limp Gawd
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May 15, 2005
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I'm no display expert so forgive me if I get the standard names wrong, but it seems people are saying there are 4 main LCD types, TN, VA, IPS, FFS. I am looking for an upgrade for my 22" KDS and I need the quality to be good for high end graphic design and gaming. So for these characteristics, what is the best monitor type in order, and in the end if I want to keep my cost below about $350, which will be the best?

- resolution/image quality/consistency
- color accuracy
- response time (5ms or less) or lack of ghosting

Things that dont really matter to me:

- viewing angles

There was a nice one on sale recently for $210,

Soyo 26" Widescreen Active Matrix TFT Display
1920x1200 Resolution
2ms Response Time
1200:1 Contrast Ratio
500 nits (cd/m2) Brightness
1-Year Limited Warranty
VGA & Digital DVI Inputs

Will something like this do or is the color quality really a concern?
 
If color is absolutely critical to your work, you'll be better off staying away from a TN panel.

You probably want to find a monitor with a S-IPS panel, which are generally $500+, unless I got my panels mixed up.
 
Yup, what the OP wants doesn't exist - unless you pick up a second hand ACD in fairly good nick.
 
Agreed.
S-IPS is great but blacks are grey and can suffer badly from uneven backlighting.
The best test is spending some time with a display with the option of swapping it out.
Some TNs have surprisingly good results, especially after calibration.
There are a LOT of not so good TNs though, it can be a real crapshoot.

Personally I would probably get another S-IPS or a good MVA but I now have a Plasma TV which gives the best all round performance as modern ones are very hardy so are fine for PC use if used for Video playback too.
 
What monitor do you use now?
I often hear "I need accurate colours" etc. But even TN can be calibrated to the usable level, especially if you don't use aRGB colour space (~wide gamut). And not all TN are the same. 24" BenQ are quite nice. But of course, if you have the money, go for NEC 2490 :)
 
Biges said:
What monitor do you use now?
I often hear "I need accurate colours" etc. But even TN can be calibrated to the usable level, especially if you don't use aRGB colour space (~wide gamut). And not all TN are the same. 24" BenQ are quite nice. But of course, if you have the money, go for NEC 2490 :)
Click to expand...

Right now I have the KDS 22MDWB.... not that ecstatic about the color but it serves my purpose and havent received many complaints from my clients on design work. Blacks are not bad, could be blacker of course, but not bad. During FPS there is some ghosting which is annoying at times, but hasnt really hurt my enjoyment of gaming overall. I guess basically if i want to get a 26" I want improvements in all the areas, even if a little, and not LOSE on any of the qualities. But if you say the TN can be calibrated fairly well, that'll be fine, I dont need ultra-accurate colors because I dont do print, I do web/digital only for now.
 
Yes, even for a TN monitor you can create a colour profile.
The best thinkg for you would be just to test a monitor or some monitors. Or buy it somewhere with a good return policy.
The best blacks are on PVA/MVA screens, but they are more expensive than TN and suffer from gamma shift (look at my sig), which may be annoying sometimes, especially when dealing with darker graphics.
 
philjohn said:
Rubbish, the latest crop of IPS panels (even without the A-TW polariser) have very respectable black levels (<= 0.19cm/m2).
Click to expand...

ok, thats good to know but its not rubbish as you can still easily buy one that isnt from the latest crop.
Can you give any evidence of the improvement?
 
Nenu said:
ok, thats good to know but its not rubbish as you can still easily buy one that isnt from the latest crop.
Can you give any evidence of the improvement?
Click to expand...

The HP LP2475W has a new H-IPS panel, and the black level is tested here:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/hp_lp2475w.htm

With calibration targeted to 120cd/m^2, 0.17cd/m^2 blacks were obtained, as good as that for S-PVA monitors like the 2408WFP.
 
Mithent said:
The HP LP2475W has a new H-IPS panel, and the black level is tested here:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/hp_lp2475w.htm

With calibration targeted to 120cd/m^2, 0.17cd/m^2 blacks were obtained, as good as that for S-PVA monitors like the 2408WFP.
Click to expand...

Arguably better, as it retains fine detail head-on whereas PVA's exhibit black crush (I've had the 2408 as well as 3 IPS screens so can speak from first-hand experience here). In a sense, PVA's black levels, whilst looking good on paper, aren't really in practice.
 
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