Briefly talk about three LCD panel technologies

The debate about LCD panels began five years ago, but at that time manufacturers agreed that only one of the three mainstream panel technologies, IPS, VA and TN, would remain, and the other two technologies would be eliminated. However, five years later, we see that the three technologies still coexist, and many improvements have been made on them. LCD has developed, and the three technologies have fought each other. Each technology has faced the danger of being eliminated for a period of time due to response time issues, but each time they have turned the tide and found a new way to improve and return to the competition. The following article introduces a key review of the development of these technologies until the recent revival of IPS technology.

1. In 2001, VA was the leading technology

VA monitors are very expensive, but they have very wide viewing angles, 16.7M colors (some TN panels only have 262k colors), and they have the best response times - at least on the spec sheet. VA has a response time of 25ms, while TN panels are mostly between 30-50ms. VA also has a very good color quality.

Good reputation.

2. From the end of 2001 to 2005, TN was the choice of gamers

With the release of 30ms in 2001, 20ms in 2002, 16ms at the end of 2002, 12ms in 2004, and finally 8ms at the end of 2004, TN panels have greatly improved their response time, making them the most economical LCD choice and the first choice for gamers. IPS was even forgotten until it tried to revive in 2003, thanks to the technology that reduced the response time to 16ms, but it was not very attractive to gamers because of the strong afterglow effect. VA panels are in the worst situation, with response times stagnating at 25ms, lower than IPS, and the viewing angle advantage has disappeared since 2003.

3. In 2005, AUO saved VA technology

AUO mass-produced VA panels with an 8ms response time in April 2005. The response time is comparable to the best TN panels, the viewing angle is wide, and flickering effects in movies are rarely seen. The first monitor to use this panel was ViewSonic VP191b, which achieved great success in both launch and sales, and was the sales champion for several consecutive months. TN panels were threatened, and many gamers switched to VA panels, leaving IPS at the end.

4. In June 2005, the response time of TN panels broke through 4ms, 3ms and finally 2ms

AUO and Samsung have released a new generation of high-speed LCD panels, which have significantly improved the response time of gaming applications. Soon we will see BenQ and ViewSonic monitors with a response time of only 1ms on the market.

The new market structure is now like this: TN panels are designed for the gamer market, VA panels are targeted at the multi-price market, and IPS is in a more dangerous situation. Even the most loyal IPS panel supporters have begun to turn to other technologies. Perhaps only those graphic design users who don't like Eizo, LaCie, and NEC switching to VA panels will choose it.

5. In 2006, IPS dropped to 6ms response time for the game market

NEC released this month the first LCD monitor with a 6ms response time AS-IPS panel. At the same time, this product also breaks the grayscale response time limit of the IPS panel. Its grayscale response time is 6ms and its black and white response time is 12ms. The specifications of this monitor LCD20WGX² are very satisfactory: High response time, in fact, we can hardly see the difference with the TN 6/4/3/2ms response time products with the naked eye.

16.7M true color display, TN usually only has 16.2M colors.

700:1 contrast ratio, which can reach up to 1600:1 after adding advanced DVM technology, and there is also an automatic brightness adaptation function for practical display content.

High brightness of 470 cd/m2.

4 USB port hubs.

16/10 panel, resolution 1680 x 1050.

The viewing angle is much higher than that of VA and TN panels.

Nec said it will support the new international sRGB color standard in the future.

The high price of 670 euros including tax is much higher than that of 8ms VA monitors, but this is the first product and there is still room for price reduction in the future. It displays more and better colors, stable display quality and the highest viewing angle. Can it become a TN and VA killer?