Are TN monitors really that bad for a casual observer?

John Doe

John Doe

John Doe

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In terms of colour saturation, are non-TN monitors that much better, bearing in mind I'm a casual observer and no expert? Do the dithering methods of TNs make much difference?

I've heard some people look on in disgust at TN monitors, but am wondering if some people just demand the best when it comes to their monitors, or if there really is a massive difference in colours to a casual observer like me.

Thanks.
 
There's othing wrong TN's at at all, given the price point. You tend to get what you pay for in this market anyway. If you go TN, though, make sure you go with the absolute best of it's kind; Samsung models are usually a good point of reference.

It's also worth noting that Dell have started selling E-IPS monitors at a relatively competitive price this year.
 
Depends on what you're using it for. Personally I'm splashing out on a little more for the NEC 24" monitor, as I need to have good viewing angles. If you're only using it head on, and aren't doing professional graphic design or something, a good TN will suit you fine though.
 
All depends whether you want/need the improved colour reproduction and viewing angles of the more expensive panel types.

If you're the only one viewing it and you're not doing stuff that requires high colour fidelity then TN will do fine :)
 
I will only be using it for games and films. Unless the colour reproduction difference is massive, I think I will go for a TN. I do lean back in my chair when I watch films, but this shouldn't make much of a difference, should it?

I'm so glad I joined this forum for some expert advice. Thanks again.
 
I had a nice viewsonic vx922 gaming monitor and yeah it was good but my 20" dell ips panel monitor was way better and atleast when I turned my head it didnt change colour. I think the only real bad thing about Tn panel's is teh colour shift so my vote goes for the Dell 22" here.

I'm currently using one the DGM pva panels at teh mo but if anything was to go wrong I'd jump on that dell.
 
the black lines that aren't really black and they are kinda annoying when you're watching a film. But mind you I get annoyed by my lines while other people got spots that are 5 times as visible on their laptop screens and never notice them.
in games it's not that noticeable and certainly office/internet ain't a problem at all.
 
Zensuji said:
In my experience Samsung are among the worst....they look nice though :o
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They seem to vary. The Samsung 226BW (S Panel), which I upgraded from two years ago, was considered a benchmark for TN's back in the day. I'm not sure how their latest line holds up against the competition, but whenever I see friends brandish new Samsung panels, I'm usually surprised by crispness of the picture.

In the end, I moved on to VA and IPS panels due to the limited viewing angles, which heavily disrupted movie-viewing for me. The lack of forward tilt and height adjustments on the 226BW didn't help matters either. Now I can get a clear view of the screen from bed. :)
 
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Will_3rd said:
As a panel technology it is perfectly fine, just depends on your application and how you intend to use it.
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I 2nd that.

For gaming I would go TN every time. I have a ACER G24 TN panel and its fantastic for gaming.I cant complain about the colours and viewing angle.I also have a DELL 2407WFP which i think would be better suited for Computer aided design work.I stopped using it because i didn't like it for gaming.:p
 
cataferal said:
They seem to vary. The Samsung 226BW (S Panel), which I upgraded from two years ago, was considered a benchmark for TN's back in the day. I'm not sure how their latest line holds up against the competition, but whenever I see friends brandish new Samsung panels, I'm usually surprised by crispness of the picture.

In the end, I moved on to VA and IPS panels due to the limited viewing angles, which heavily disrupted movie-viewing for me. The lack of forward tilt and height adjustments on the 226BW didn't help matters either. Now I can get a clear view of the screen from bed. :)
Click to expand...

The samsung 226bw S panel. was/is a great monitor. I was just making a large generalisation :D
 
build quality is getting sad indeed at samsumg.
I've got a rather cramped desk so I ended up putting books on the foot of the monitor, my god you can scratch that thing with your bare finger!
and the annoying led flashing and buzzing while it's off is a pain in the but. I always turn it off completely lol.
 
Thanks again for all the advice. I'm beginning to think twice about Samsung now. Due to the advice given, I've now decided to go for the best 23-24" TN and don't mind if its 1920x1080 or 1920x1200. Any suggestions please?
 
My 2 main problems with TNs.

1. Horizontal viewing angles. In some cases so bad that even sitting straight in front of them will yield a noticable difference from top to bottom, in other cases, acceptable as long height and tilt is set properly. (Samsung T240 is the most crappy Ive seen in this regard)

2. They're built to be too cheap, often meaning plastic chassis and higher tolerances, making backlight bleeding issues are very common. This is mostly a feature of "low end", not TNs as such.

If you can get around or live with these two issues than TNs are probably completely fine.
 
Goofball even quite expensive LCD screens have backlight bleeding.

I can highly recommend the Iiyama e2209hds which I got 2-3 weeks back. THe viewing angles are actually excellent imo, not that I even care anyway but since it's something people mention a lot.

Colour and sharpness is amazing. Feels like I'm looking into something.

Only problem with it is a couple of days ago I accidentally locked the screen and haven't figure out how to unlock it so I can adjust the brightness.
 
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