TN film (Twisted Nematic + Film) - were the first panels to be used and are still widely implemented in many TFT’s today, especially mid to low end screens. They are also the primary choice for gaming screens. This is due to their low manufacturing costs largely. The main issue with TN Film panels is that they have restrictive viewing angles of up to a realistic range of about 140 horizontally. Vertical viewing angles are very poor generally and suffer from a characteristic colour inversion and darkening as you look from below. TN Film panels traditionally offer the fastest pixel response times, and with the implementation of Response Time Compensation (RTC), or 'overdrive' technologies, the grey to grey transitions have become even faster. Today, TN Film panels are used in the majority of gamer-orientated screens and are often used to break into new screen sizes, offering a cost effective way to provide larger screens without increasing the price too much. TN Film displays often support higher refresh rates as well of 120Hz+, and gaming models are often combined with extras such as 3D content support, Blur Reduction backlights and now also G-sync technology.
IPS (In Plane Switching) and variants (PLS, AHVA) – these are developed by LG.Display (formerly LG.Philips) primarily. They are known for their strong colour performance and stable viewing angles. They are also free of the off-centre contrast shift which is evident on VA matrices, and as such are commonly the choice of graphics and colour professional displays. Response times were traditionally behind those of TN Film and VA panel variants, but modern IPS panels using overdrive can offer very good response times suitable for a lot of people. Other manufacturers including Samsung and AU Optronics have begun to manufacturer their own equivalents to IPS, dubbed PLS and AHVA respectively.
