What’s the Difference?
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Update:This is our original explainer about display technologies.
TNis the oldest of the LCD technologies and it stands for twisted nematic.
Then when a voltage is applied, these crystals are essentially untwisted, blocking light.
VA, stands for vertical alignment.
There are several VA variants, including Samsung’s SVA and AU Optronics AMVA.
LG simply calls their tech “IPS” which is easy for everyone.
Viewing Angles
By far the biggest difference between the three technologies is in viewing angles.
Higher-end TNs tend to be somewhat better but overall this is a big weakness for TNs.
VA and IPS panels are both significantly better, with IPS being the best overall for viewing angles.
Neither TN nor IPS get to the range of VA though.
TVs make extensive use of VA panels and there contrast ratios can be even higher.
It’s not unusual to see over 6000:1.
So if you want deep blacks and high contrast ratios, you’ll need to go with something VA.
The best panels exhibit minimal glow but it’s still an issue across all displays of this throw in.
And this can be split into two categories: color depth or bit depth, and color gamut.
In both of these regards, TN panels tend to fall on the weaker end of the scale.
Not all TN panels are 6-bit.
Some VA panels can do it, but they are rare.
Color Gamut
This is another area where VA and IPS provide a superior experience.
Wide-gamut TN panels do exist, but they are rare.
With IPS panels, there is the largest variance.
This makes IPS the best technology for wide gamut work.
So far, it has the worst color reproduction, contrast ratios and viewing angles.
But it does have one key advantage, and that comes in the form of speed.
TN still holds an advantage here.
Most TN panels have a rated transition time of 1ms, or even lower with some recent releases.
Compared to the best TN panels, this still makes IPS slower.
So that’s something to consider.
IPS is a middle-ground technology.
