6-bits LCD monitor – the ugly truth
Have you ever wonder how come those Apple LCD display always look so good? I have been wondering a long time until i finally confirmed the fear: the mass market has been selling cheap 6-bits LCD monitors. I checked my local very popular computer shopping mall. Over 99% are selling the low quality LCD monitor for imaging purpose i.e. Photography.
The low quality LCD monitor uses the TN (Twisted Nematic) panel technology.It is the most widely used panel type in the manufacture of LCD monitors.
Pros:
They are cheap and offer excellent response times, making them perfect for fast paced gaming. The response times of current TN panels range from 2ms to 5ms.
Cons:
Color reproduction, viewing angles and contrast ratios of TN panels are the worst of any current LCD panel technology. TN is only 6-bit and unable to display the full 16.7 million colors available in 24-bit true color. These 6-bits TN can only accurately reproduce 262,000 colors. They can mimick the 16.7 million colors of 8-bit panels using a technique called dithering, but the results are unimpressive.
If you have paid less than $300 for your monitor and it has very fast response time, chance ah you have purchased a TN LCD monitor. If you are a keen photographer, you should throw that away quickly and get one of the below LCD monitor.
IPS lcd monitor
The IPS (In Plane Switching) panels are generally considered the best overall LCD technology for image quality, color accuracy and viewing angles. There are also a few variation of IPS. Users claimed “Gradients were smooth again, text was razor sharp, and the color is simply magnificent.”
Pros:
Well suited for accurate and consistent color reproduction. IPS panels offer the best viewing angles of any current LCD technology, with wide viewing angles up to 178 degress.
Cons:
The response time of S-IPS is adequate, ranging from 6ms to 16ms with current panels. Fast paced games may suffer from motion blur or ghosting with IPS panels that have a response time higher than 8ms. Costly.
It is not easy to differentiate the panel type just by looking at the specification. Most vendors do not tell you the panel type in their flyers. Also beware that the latest LED monitors can be of TN type. Once you have purchased the IPS LCD monitor, remember to use a good color calibrator such as the Eye One Display 2 to calibrate it. Happy shopping!
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