LCD Display Panel Technology Type and Coating - Buyers Guide TFT

When buying a new LCD Display there are many factors that you should consider before bringing one home. The most important is the Panel`s Type Technology Type and the COATING.

There are 2 types of coating tehnology used nowadays: Glossy and Grainy or also known as "anti-glare coating".

A Glossy Coating displays a more vibrant image,the colors seem richer, more saturated and vivid, the one single problem is that it reflects light more on the panel surface. This occurs when you have a light source in your room, it will reflect it and it can be annoying. Just get rid of any light source in your room and the problem is solved. The glossy coating is best for image editing, playing games, virtually everything that involves image quality.

The Grainy Coating, on the other hand, doesen`t reflect light, but it`s image quality is greatly reduced. compared to the glossy coated ones. It`s like having a fine layer of silk or sand on your display. The images are not that vivid, all plain areas of colour become mottled. Far more noticeable on light shades than dark ones. The coating diffracts light via imperfections on the surface. That's how it's anti-glare and anti-reflection. It is ideal for office work and such, but it will give headakes to those focusing on the image quality. Most of the bigger displays 19"-24" have this type of coating.
Unfortunately, the information about a panel`s coating is most of the times missing from the "features" sheet of the LCD, so it`s adviced that you search on the internet your displays features, including coating, before buying the monitor.

The most important thing when it comes to LCD monitors it`s the Panel technology itself. There are many kinds of panels, here are some usefull information i found:

LCD Panel Technology Type and Characteristics
TN film (Twisted Nematic) - low manufacturing/retail costs - restrictive viewing angles- fast pixel response times - dead pixels display white. Stuck pixels display RGB colors- lower contrast levels means blacks are not as dark as VA based panels- lower color reproduction

IPS (In Plane Switching) - improved viewing angles over TN- very good color reproduction- slower pixel response times than TN- dead pixels display black- lower contrast levels means blacks are not as dark as VA based panelsSuper-IPS (S-IPS)- same as IPS except ...- likely best color reproduction of all TFT- less expensive to produce than IPS- improved pixel responseVA (Vertical Alignment) Technologies

MVA (Multidomain Vertical Alignment) - compromise between TN and IPS technologies- superior color reproduction over TN but not as good as IPS- very good viewing angles but less than IPS- higher contrast than TN or S-IPS means very good blacks- dead pixels are black- slower pixel response than TN or IPS- details can be lost when directly viewing dark areasPremium-MVA (P-MVA)- same as MVA except ...- "overdrive" technology increases pixel response but still slower than TN- may have slightly degraded color reproduction due to "overdrive" processPVA (Patterned VA)- same as MVA except ...- larger viewing angles- higher contrast levels means darkest blacksSuper-PVA (S-PVA)- same as PVA except ...- “Magic Speed” (the Samsung equivalent to Overdrive) improves pixel response- slightly improved color reproduction- slightly improved viewing angles

Purchasing Considerations
TN GamersConsidered a "gamers" panel due to it's fast pixel response times which reduces trailing images know as "ghosting". However, this advantage has been reduced by new technologies to accelerate pixel response times in other panel types. Colors and contrast tend to be weak and blacks are not truly dark. Viewing angles are significantly limited. However, monitors based on this technology tend to be inexpensive.

IPS / S-IPS Graphics Work or Web BrowsingConsidered to have the best color reproduction of all panel types, these panels are well suited for graphics work or web browsing. Pixel response time is also good but slower than the TN "gamers" panel. Contast and blacks are also less dark than VA panels but viewing angles are excellent.

MVA / P-MVA / PVA / S-PVA Compromise for All-Around UseThese panels are a compromise between the fast pixel response times of the TN panel and the excellent color reproduction of the IPS panels. Contrast and blacks are best of all the panel types. Viewing angles are similar but slightly inferior to IPS.

If you consider buying a widescreen LCD display, i would recommend you to consider the following:

When it comes to LCD`s don`t get fooled by the apparent dimensions.. Sure, a 22" widescreen lcd sounds "big", but in reality it has approximatly the height of a 17" 4:3 LCD, it`s only wider. So don`t expect a huge LCD.. The good thing is, at least in the case of 22" widescreen LCD Displays, that on the desktop, the workspace seams really huge compared to any 17"-19" non-widescreen LCD`s. I have a Dell 22" and the grainy coating really annoyed me the first couple of weaks, but after i adjusted it now i got used to it. But still, many times is still bothering, especially knowing the fact that i could have bought a much better LCD if i knew all the things explained above.