Widescreen Gaming Forum

I know in the plethora of information here there will be a thread.
Could someone point me to what the difference is between an IPS and a TN screen pls-Pro's V Con's etc. I see it being mentioned here and wish to understand more before making my next screen choise, also how do you identify the difference between the two ?

Thanks
Mike

It's all in here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFT_LCD

In short:

TN: Cheap, better response times.
IPS: Better colours, better viewing angle.

You can pretty much disregard the bit about "better response times." While it's true, response times are much less valuable than manufacturers would like you to think. You should be fine with anything 16ms or less. No matter how fast the response times are, each frame is going to last slightly longer than 16ms, so there's no point in sacrificing image quality for the sake of better response time.

You can pretty much disregard the bit about "better response times." While it's true, response times are much less valuable than manufacturers would like you to think. You should be fine with anything 16ms or less. No matter how fast the response times are, each frame is going to last slightly longer than 16ms, so there's no point in sacrificing image quality for the sake of better response time.

That's debatable. I simply cannot use my 2007WFP when gaming. I just get a headache after 10 minutes of blur. Though I agree the whole response time measurement stuff is bullshit. And yes most people wouldn't notice especially if they are coming from an older 16-24ms LCD.

Thanks guys, good info to learn. From what I can glean, TN panels have a narrow viewing angle to be able to gain maximum viewable colour saturation offered by the screen, where as an IPS or S-IPS screen allows for a wider angle of view to gain maximum viewable colour saturation, and have a better colour saturation, overall, compared to a TN screen, due to its type of construction.
MS responce time is less important from the point of view that the human eye is not going to see the difference between a 2ms and 5 ms responce time anyway.

I guess that manufacturers that use Tn panels in thier monitors arn't going to say they do from a marketing perspective.

Is it true to assume that when reading a monitors spec sheet that unless otherwise stated, it wil be using a TN panel ? (as using an IPS panel or better is a saleable feature.)

This now makes my choise of monitor, more refined in regards to what quality screen I would prefer, as opposed to just size Vs price and bezel width for my multi monitor set up overhaul.

It is safe to say to assume, at first, the panel being used on the monitor is TN. But another way to differentiate is to view the spec's viewing angles. IPS will have something of a 170 degree viewing angle for both horizontal and vertical angles. TN will have one of these value turned down by 10 degrees (I forget which).

Then there's the price. TN is obviously cheaper but trying to find those rare breed of IPS monitors is going to cost you. It's also safe to say that if a monitor looks quite affordable for its size, it's not bad to assume that it's probably because it's using a TN panel.

I personally do not know how long I can last for avoiding TN panels. I'm growing tired of seeing so many TN monitors and not enough of the better panels. Also wish more monitors come with DisplayPort now that ATI is bringing it into the masses... Somethin's gotta crack here!!! :o

I found monitors with DisplayPort actually not all that hard to find. Among the IPS panels anyway. Newer models often have it. Also, the reported viewing angle is usually 178º.
When in doubt, Google the thing. Sometimes you can find the details somewhere else. Then again, some brands are really secretive about the panel type (yes I'm looking at you Philips).

Good brands will want to sell their screens, and having IPS is a selling point. You can often find it in the specification sheets, and sometimes even in the overview.

Another point is that, on larger screens (23"+), the limited viewing angles of TN panels become VERY apparent. I briefly had a Samsung 24" before I bought my Dell and I couldn't look at it. It was brutal. Unless you stared at the dead centre all the time, the color shifts and contrast were horrible. My peripheral vision would easy spot it and it drove me nuts. Hence the IPS.

I do still have a PVA Viewsonic that I really like. It's a great compromise of both technologies, IMO. Be nice to see some more of these as well.

I agree with the response times issue being massively blown out of proportion. It's getting ridiculous on many forums. I have NEVER noticed a lag issue with any of my recent monitors. Ten years ago, maybe. Now...no.

The new HP ZR24w looks quite promising and it's cheap for a 24" IPS.

All IMHO. :D

The new HP ZR24w looks quite promising and it's cheap for a 24" IPS.

Indeed it's a good display. If you can live with less than perfect backlight (if you can't, get ready to dish out €1000 or more) and no HDMI, it's quite ideal :)

I had the U2410 (IPS) and loved them, though they were expensive. ATI set me up with the P2210H (TN) for the Eyefinity6 review. They were great in landscape, but I do got some color saturation issues when they are in portrait. I found that if I rotated them the opposite direction that than what Dell has set up on the stand, the color issues are much better. I was able to accomplish this by using my Ergotech multi-monitor stand.

Also, the color issues really begin to diminish once I get 24" away from them, and are completely gone between 32" and 36". Problem is that I'm sitting 18" from them right now. I'm working with Ergotech to improve the stand footprint so I can push it back further.

I'm also working with ATI to see if I can swap the P2210H for the HP ZR22w to get IPS panels. HDMI isn't an issue for me as I'm working in portrait, and I got an HDTV in my office for the Xbox360/PS3/etc. I haven't seen any reviews of the ZR22w. What issues have you seen with the backlight on the ZR24w?

Eh, I don't like just how much more IPS panels are, I got my 5 S2309w for about $150 each. I mean that's about the cost of 2 IPS panels. Having crappy color is okay when compared to the screen real estate I get.

What issues have you seen with the backlight on the ZR24w?

For my specific copy, there is an overabundance of light to the left, especially the lower left corner, and it's a bit too dark at the right. It's visible up to about 5cm into the screen, and pretty much only noticable on even coloured screens or backgrounds, like forums. That's basically it: corner lights aren't equal.


Edit: a picture says more than a thousand words...
Here's a shot in the dark, screen filled with a black image.



Do keep in mind that this is the most extreme you'll ever see, as normally there's environmental light to cancel it out.
Also, I may decrease the brightness soon. It's a bit bright at factory default settings. But I'll just do that when I have to recalibrate. Should reduce this effect somewhat.