"Normally white" and "normally black" LCD panels

[RedShark]

Hey everyone,

My Dad had an interesting question about modern LCDs: are the pixels black or white when voltage is applied? In a "normally white" LCD, the screen will be white if no voltage is applied to any of the pixels. In contrast, a "normally black" LCD will be black if no voltage is applied.

Does anyone know which mode of operation LCDs use? Is it a function of being TN+Film, P/MVA, or IPS? This question is mostly academic and probably doesn't impact anything--it would just be nice to know.

 

[Tamlin_WSGF]

TN panels have white as their natural state, while *VA's and *IPS have black. Thats why a dead pixel is white on TN's while black on the others.