▷ Types of pc monitor panels: tn, ips, va, pls, igzo, wled

Surely you have seen the type of panel of a monitor many times in its technical specifications. Do you really know what a monitor panel is? Do you know what types of panels are there and what is each one for? That is precisely what we will see today in this article, we will try to explain everything about the image panels of a monitor and we will see what display technologies exist.

Index of contents

We always get used to looking at two basic characteristics when buying a monitor, that is, the image resolution and the size or inches it has. And if anything, we will also look at the response time if we want a gaming monitor or the refresh rate, very fashionable now with the new quite affordable 144 Hz monitors such as the ViewSonic ELITE XG240R, a gaming monitor that brings all this together under a fast response TN panel.

Monitor panel type: essential feature

Well, in all cases, the panel of a monitor is an essential feature that we will need to know based on what we want to use our monitor for, since each of them has its pros and cons. Currently the types of LCD and LED panels that we can find in the market are IPS, TN, VA, PLS, IGZO and WLED. We must know that there is no panel better than another in general terms, but that its characteristics will allow us to work better depending on which cases.

What's more, each of the manufacturers stops to add different functionalities to each of these panels depending on the final quality of their product, we can find IPS panels with very high response speed, power consumption or resolution and brightness.

The panel of a monitor is nothing other than the element that is responsible for providing the image on our monitor. Millions of diodes are installed in this panel that dynamically vary the light intensity or brightness of three basic colors: Red, Blue and Green (RGB). By means of a CCFD or LED lamp that provides backlight, these diodes will let a certain level of light pass through and in a different color, and this is how colors are formed on our screen and how we are able to see an image on it.

Types of image panels of a monitor

From now on we are going to see in detail each one of the types of panels that currently exist in the monitor market and what are the characteristics of each one of them. In this way you can get a rough idea of ​​what the panel of your next monitor will be. We are going to take Viewsonic monitors because they have a wide variety of panels and it is one of the largest monitors specialists in the professional and gaming sector. Let's start!

Monitor with TN panel

Coming from the acronym (Twisted Nematic), TN panels were the first type of panel used by flat panel LCD monitors, and in fact they are still widely used and of course have been improved compared to the first versions.

As for the positive characteristics that these panels bring to a monitor, there can be several. For starters, they consume less energy than the rest, and have a lower production cost. In terms of thickness and size, these panels are lighter, because they are narrower and can generate different resolutions and different sizes and shapes. They are also capable of reproducing clearer images and do not have flicker or flicker.

These panels are widely used by manufacturers to build “gaming” or specialized gaming monitors, since the response times are very low, so that the images will not suffer lag or delay since the graphics card creates it and is sent to the monitor. In addition, the refresh rate of these monitors will also be very high, between 60 Hz and 144 Hz in the latest monitors, offering us incredible fluidity of movement with games.

Regarding the negative aspects of this type of panel, there are also numerous. Perhaps one of the most significant problems is the limitation in viewing angles, as these monitors will look good when viewed from the front. The lower the mink angle of a monitor, the worse it will be when we look at it from the side, the color representation will change and we will not properly appreciate the image. The first TN LCD panels had horrible viewing angles, although they are currently quite acceptable between 160 and 170 degrees, but there is still color distortion.

Other disadvantages of them are that they produce motion blur, uneven backlighting on large screens, dead pixels, and not-so-faithful color rendering. Although it is true that we will see bright and saturated colors on these monitors, they will not be too real.

Therefore, these monitors are not recommended for use in graphic design work or image or video management, since the color representation will not be good. However, they are widely used monitors for gamers, due to their fast response and high refresh rate. So, if you want a monitor only to play, look at one of these, for example, the ViewSonic ELITE XG240R, which in our review left us very good feelings at a really attractive price.

WLED or LED backlit monitor

The LED or WLED (White LED) is not a panel in itself, but a backlight technology for LCD monitors. This lighting method is used in high-end LCD displays, hence it is known as LED or WLED displays, rather than simply LCDs. We must bear in mind that an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is not the same as an LCD (Liquid Crystal) screen. We will explain this.

LCD screens were the great novelty and incredible evolution of traditional CRT or cathode ray cannon screens. Providing much lighter, flatter and better resolution and power consumption displays. What we must take into account is that LED or WLED technology is used to provide the backlight of high-end LCD screens, since low-end or "normal" screens use CCFL technology.

The difference between both technologies is that LED lighting provides higher image quality due to its higher brightness capacity in pure white light, greater lamp durability and lower power consumption than CCFL. And it is that the pixels of LCD screens do not really emit their own light, but vary their brightness to allow or not the passage of light from the backlight and thus generate colors. The backlight color will always be the same, pure white light

Another best thing about WLED lighting over the CCFL is that the panel ignition is instantaneous, while CCFLs take longer to achieve the final brightness. The consumption is much lower, because the pixels are responsible for filtering and reducing the output power by up to 95% of the light generated. This is why the brightness of an LED monitor is much higher than a normal LCD, and the contrast ratios are much higher in LEDs.

Monitor with IPS panel

The initials IPS come from In-Plane Switching, and are panels that were created in response to the limitations of the first TN panels on the market. Currently they are panels widely used for the different areas of work and use of monitors and televisions. Let's see its advantages and disadvantages below.

These panels have a much wider viewing angle (178 degrees) than the previous ones, so the color distortion will be very low even if we look at the screen from the side. And not only this, since they also greatly improve the quality of color reproduction, thanks to a better contrast ratio with better blacks and colors much more faithful to what we see in reality.

As for the negative aspects of these IPS panels, we also have, for example, they have a higher production cost than TN panels, and therefore they will be more expensive products. Additionally, response times are slower (about 4 or 5 milliseconds), refresh rates are also lower (60 Hz), and higher power consumption.

Although it is true that there are currently IPS panels with refresh rates that also reach 144 Hz, their response time will almost always be slower. These characteristics make these monitors ideal for graphic design since some have a color space of more than 90% P3 and 100% sRGB, so the colors will be very faithful and the photographs will be seen more naturally.

One thing that we must keep in mind in these panels is the effect of "bleeding" or bleeding on the edges of the screen. This effect what it causes is that light leaks appear on the edges of the screen, we will be able to notice it perfectly under a black background, where strong brightness appears at the edges as if a light was shining in that place.

Although they are not recommended to play competitively and eSports, they will be suitable for occasional players who want to experience high image quality with spectacular graphics, sacrificing response time.

VA panel monitor

Vertical Alignment or vertical alignment panels offer us a fusion of the characteristics of TN and IPS panels in order to offer us the best of each one, and the truth is that, in part, they did.

These panels offer us refresh rates of up to 144 Hz today, and they also have better color reproduction, higher maximum brightness, and better viewing angles. So certainly the advantages over TN panels are obvious, and some of these panels go up to 90% P3 color space, and feature 178-degree viewing angles, just like IPS.

Similarly, there are VA monitors with dynamic refresh technology from AMD FreeSync or G-Sync from Nvidia, optimized for games, and with response times of 1 millisecond at 144 Hz.

But, even so, they are not going to be faster than the TNs, and they also present a motion blur in fast actions, so they do not make them the best ally of eSports either. They are also not as good as IPS for working professionally in graphic design. On the other hand, due to the combination of properties, one of these monitors will offer us a good experience in both fields, let's say they are very balanced.

Monitor with PLS panel

Plane to Line Switching, are panels with very similar characteristics to IPS panels, what's more, they basically have the same advantages and disadvantages in terms of response times, color space and others.

These panels are built by Samsung, and the manufacturer provides information that places these panels above IPS at a better viewing angle, increased brightness by up to 10%, higher image quality, and the ability to be flexible panels. But generally, we can say that these panels are the IPS version that the Korean brand manufactures for its products.

Monitor with IGZO panel

These acronyms refer to the construction materials used being, Indium, Gallium and Zinc Oxide. This name refers to the type of semiconductor found in the TFT (Thin Film Transistor). This technology can be used in other types of panels to improve them, such as TN, VA, IPS and even OLED screens.

One of the best properties of these panels is that they consume very little energy and provide very faithful and vibrant colors, just like basic IPS panels. Of course, the construction and marketing costs are much more expensive.

The materials used to build the transistors of these panels offer a higher conductivity than the normal ones, and that is why the energy saving is almost 90% compared to IPS honeycombs. The pixel density is also higher, so less lighting power is required to produce images as bright as the other panels. Thanks to this, response times are faster and color rendering can be up to 99% in Adobe RGB color space.

This technology is quite new and little by little it will be extended, and it will surely be linked to OLED technology, for sharing a unique capacity in the sector, that of making transparent panels. These panels will clearly be geared towards mobile and portable devices where battery consumption is always the biggest problem.

Which panels use LED lighting

Well basically all the ones we have seen before, TN, IPS, VA, PLS and IGZO panels currently use LED or WLED backlighting, due to its better quality and durability, exceeding records of up to 30, 000 hours.

OLED and AMOLED screens, the future

LED displays are the most widespread these days, along with the types of panels we've seen, especially for making large monitors and displays. But there are still a few technologies that are increasingly being used and not only in Smartphone and Tablets, these are OLED and AMOLED screens.

OLED screens are based on organic light emitting diodes, in this technology an organic compound is used that ensures that each pixel can be illuminated separately. In this case, it will be the pixels themselves that provide the lighting, thus generating more accurate images with a higher brightness quality and better contrast, because no backlight is used. The black levels improve a lot and among other capabilities that we have, it is that it is possible to manufacture flexible and also transparent screens.

AMOLED displays are a variant of OLED displays with active matrix. In this case, each pixel lights up when activated electronically, managing energy much better and providing very low consumption. In this way blacks will be real because there is no light and the quality of colors will be that of OLED screens.

Both technologies are mainly used in mobile screens, because they are expensive to build and ideal for their quality to represent colors and low consumption. Samsung is the largest manufacturer of AMOLED screens, having already implemented this technology in monitors and television screens.

Recommended monitors according to your panel

TN monitors

ViewSonic TD2220-2 - 21.5 "Full HD multi-touch monitor (1920 x 1080, 200 nits touch, VGA / DVI / USB Hub, Integrated Speakers and a VESA Mount design), Black Color 21.5" multi-touch screen with hardness H8 and 1920 x 1080 FHD resolution; Connection ports: VGA, DVI, supports HID Touch USB controller 229.00 EUR ViewSonic VA2407H - 23.6 "Full HD Monitor (1920 x 1080, 3ms, 250 nits, 16: 9, VGA / HDMI, ECO Mode), black color 23.6 "screen, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 Full HD and Brightness of 250 cd / m; 3ms response time EUR 107.24 ViewSonic VX2457MHD - 24 "Full HD Monitor (1920 x 1080, TN, 1ms, 300 nits, VGA / HDMI / DP, 95% sRGB, Speakers, Free Sync, Black stabilization, Blue Light Filter, Flicker Free), Black Color 23.6 "Multimedia Screen, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 Full HD; Screen brightness: 300 cd / m 157.00 EUR Viewsonic XG240R PC Screen 61 cm (24 ") Full HD LED Flat Black - Monitor (61 cm (24"), 1920 x 1080 Pixels, Full HD, LED, 5 ms, Black) 307, 00 EUR ViewSonic XG2401 - 24 "Gaming Professional Monitor Full HD TN (1920 x 1080, 144Hz, 1ms, FreeSync, 350 nits, Speakers, DVI / HDMI / DP / USB, Low Input Lag), Color Black / Red 24 "144Hz Professional Gaming Screen, FreeSync, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 FHD; Response Time 1ms, Low Input Lag 295.14 EUR

IPS and HS IPS monitors

ViewSonic VG2448 Monitor 23.8 "Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080, 16: 9, 250 nits, 178/178, 5ms, VGA / HDMI / DisplayPort, ergonomic, multimedia) black. Box content: LCD monitor, cable power supply, DP to DP cable and USB 3.0 cable EUR 152.05 VG2719-2K see the difference: very sharp clarity and detail with 2k resolution wqhd (2560x1440p) EUR 274.72 VX3276-2K-mhd VX3276-2K-MHD 229, 00 EUR ViewSonic XG2703-GS - 27 "Gaming Professional WQHD 2K IPS Monitor (2560 x 1440, 165Hz, 4ms, G-Sync, 350 nits, Speakers, HDMI / DP / USB Hub, Low Input Lag, ULMB), Color Black 614, 49 EUR VP3881 Calibration function, excellent color reproduction; HDR10 (High Dynamic Range) Function Edge 3Edge Design Ultra Slim Wide Frame EUR 1, 355.41 Viewsonic VP Series VP2768-4K PC Screen 68.6 cm (27 ") 4K Ultra HD LED Flat Black - Monitor (68.6 cm (27 "), 3840 x 2160 Pixels, 4K Ultra HD, LED, 14 ms, Black) Viewsonic VP Series VP2768-4K Hard Drive Capacity: 160 GB; Screen resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels 677.10 EUR

MVA and VA monitors

Viewsonic VG Series VG2437Smc 24 "Black Full HD - Monitor (LED, LCD / TFT, 1920 x 1080 Pixels, Black, 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz) Product Description: VIEWSONIC vg2437smc, VG Series; <response time: 6.9 / B> ms 270.70 EUR ViewSonic TD2421 - 24 "Full HD MVA multi-touch monitor (1920 x 1080, 200 nits touch, VGA / DVI / HDMI / USB, Speakers, Dual-Touch, Multi-User), Color Black Connection ports: VGA, DVI, HDMI, USB, supports HID Touch USB driver; Standard VESA bracket for wall mounting (100 x 100 mm) 161.09 EUR ViewSonic VX2458-C-MHD Curved Gaming Monitor Full HD 24 "AMD FreeSync (144Hz, 1ms, 1080p, 1800R, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, 2X Speakers 3W) Black 172, 70 EUR VX2758-C-MH Diagonal of the screen: 27 "; Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080; Response Time: 5ms 247.24 EUR Viewsonic VX Series VX3211-4K-mhd PC Screen 80 cm (31.5 ") 4K Ultra HD LCD Flat Black - Monitor (80 cm (31.5"), 3840 x 2160 Pixels, 4K Ultra HD, LCD, Black) vx32114kmhd 32in 3840x 2160UHD 300cd 10bit color 2hdmi DP SP 349.00 EUR XG3220…;…;…;…;… EUR 625.90 XG3240C Screen diagonal 31, 5.inch / 80, 01.cm, resolution 2560.x 1440 / wqhd; Panel / angle of view superclear va / 178/178 degrees 560, 14 EUR

Conclusion on the types of PC monitor panels

Well, we have already seen the types of monitor panel that exist in the market and we have also reviewed the technology used for the backlight and other types of screens that are manufactured. Without a doubt this field is of great extension, but neither can we contemplate everything in a single article, but here you have all the keys of each type.

In short, TN panels are the preferred choice for professional players in the eSPORTS field. They are panels with a very fast response, high refresh rates, and allow high resolutions, so they are highly valued in the field.

The IPS panels feature high quality and color fidelity, better viewing angles, and higher brightness and contrast, making them ideal for use in graphic design. They're great at rendering quality graphics, so for casual gamers who don't care about speed or pure performance, they're ideal for enjoying landscapes.

Finally, VA panels present the good of TN and IPS, not exceeding them individually, but they do stay close. Of course, they are usually slower than both, although this is already well outdated, having panels as fast as the TNs. Therefore, they are a good option for practically all types of users, players and designers.

And we must all be aware of IGZO technology, as it is emerging as the best natural of these previous panels due to its low consumption. OLED and AMOLED displays also have a promising future, especially in creating flexible and transparent futuristic displays.

For our part, this is all about the types of monitor combs that exist in the market and what their main characteristics are.

Take the opportunity to take a look at our guide to the best monitors on the market

What type of panel does your screen use? Do their characteristics coincide with those we have listed here? If you do not know what type of screen you have and something is not clear to you, you can always write in our hardware forum, where there is a healthy community always ready to help in any way.