Maximum PC has just published an insightful article comparing the three most common technologies used in LCD PC monitors today; TN (Twisted Nematic), IPS (In-Plane Switching) and VA (Vertical Alignment). Maximum PC notes that TN (Twisted Nematic) monitors are by far the most popular in today’s consumer market, as this technology is the cheapest to produce whilst offering a perfectly capable display. Unlike the more expensive IPS (In-Plane Switching) monitors, TN monitors require only one transistor per pixel. This means that costs are driven down directly, but also by virtue of TN panels requiring a less powerful backlight – due to less ‘transistor blockage’. This also means that less power is consumed by the monitor, which is attractive in the current socioeconomic climate.

One particular problem of TN technology is that it is unable to transition 8-bits per pixel for colour smoothly; TN monitors tend to use 6-bits per pixel plus a dithering method (alternate but very similar shades of a colour represented each screen refresh). TN technology allows for much faster response times than IPS monitors (2ms vs. 6ms), making them more suitable for PC games and displaying other fast moving images. Aside from the broader colour gamut, IPS and VA monitors also provide greater viewing angles than TN displays.

The PC Monitors of the future are likely to forego LCD technologies altogether; using backlightless OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) to provide superior response times to TN LCD panels and superior contrast and colour compared to IPS and VA LCD panels. We explore OLED display technology not only in our future of PC Monitors article and our OLED monitors article, but also in our monitor technology article. The monitor technology article also provides a more detailed look at some of the terminology briefly touched upon in the Maximum PC LCD monitor technologies article.


TN and IPS compared

Maximum PC explores the different LCD monitor technologies