From IPS to TN, will I notice?

[FoxEye]

I should say, the only reason I bought an IPS panel the first time round was my (extremely sad) tendency to be a bit of a technology snob I don't do photography work - colour accuracy isn't really criticially important.

The second benefit, wide viewing angles, I'm not sure about. I sit directly in front of mine, and generally don't have more than one person viewing it at a time.

Obviously, the bigger you go, the more you're looking at certain parts of the screen at an angle (the edges). I'm wondering if, with say a 27" TN panel, you'd notice the edges greying out, or looking off-colour?

60% of my time spent in front of my monitor is web browsing, 30% gaming, 10% watching video of some sort.

So, for the sake of getting a bigger screen (big IPS are $$$), will the jump from IPS to TN be one I won't notice, or a huge mistake?

 

[PCM2]

The 'colour shift' that can be attributed to poor viewing angle performance on TN panels is noticeable even if you're sat directly in front of the screen. This page illustrates the point very nicely. On most IPS panel monitors the Lagom text will appear predominantly a blended grey, whereas on a TN panel it will appear grey, pink and green at different points across the screen. The large coloured squares highlight this in a way that you could probably relate a little more to actual images and other content viewed on the monitor. On most IPS-panel monitors they appear pretty consistent whereas on a TN-panel monitor there is very noticeable shift (particularly on the purple and red squares). If you look through the reviews of some of the monitors on our website these differences are noted (the FX2490HD as a typical TN-panel example).

 

[Rroff]

Depends on the TN tho - on my SM2343bw which is one of the original run with true 8bit TN panels theres no color shift on the lagom text just a slight change in the brightness of the text from top to bottom on my SM2233RZ the text is red rather than grey with more red towards the bottom.

 

[PCM2]

It is certainly less noticeable on some monitors (particularly for the 'text test') but it is a limitation inherent to all TN-panel technologies and the way the panel type handles light. I think the coloured squares represent it better and again the extent of the shift does indeed depend on more than just the panel technology (although even 8-bit VA panels exhibit worse colour uniformity than most IPS panels here). At 27 inches there is really no escaping it - but whether it would be problematic is another issue that only the OP can answer by using it. I would certainly advise the OP tries whatever screen he is buying (be it in store or by exercising DSR rights) before getting rid of the IPS. Provided you can afford to do this it would be wise.

 

[lancelot48]

For your purpose(web browsing, gaming and videos) why pay extra for the IPS panel. Although I picked up a U2311 on sale from Dell at $199 CDN. At that price its better than any TN.

 

[Boozebeard]

my 24" TN has really bad vertical viewing angles. I'm forced to have it higher than I would like and the top of the screen is noticeably darker and it gets on my ****, I can't imagine how bad it would be on a 27" screen. I think the only reason I would get a TN over a IPS next time I buy would be for 120hz.

 

[HW91]

there will be a noticeable difference in quality

unless your IPS panel is an old 20" getting a 27" TN is a downgrade especially since the size difference between a U2410 and the HannsG 27.5" isn't that noticeable. Assuming your current screen is a 24" 16:10 monitor the difference will be even less.

 

[BlackBat]

The new not quite released Hazro HZ27WC might be worth considering as it has an IPS panel and pricing potentially seems quite competitive.

Hi

I just received an answer from hazro, telling me that:

The HZ27WA/B/C models will be available in 2 weeks from Overclockers. All EU purchases can be made directly from our new site due to go live next week. Pricing is to be set but we expect a MSRP of max £550 and £420 [inc. VAT] for the HZ27WA and HZ27WC respectively [although launch promos maybe on offer]. Also, EU business customers with a valid TAX ID can purchase the product tax free.
​

Cheers - Klaus

 

[FoxEye]

there will be a noticeable difference in quality

unless your IPS panel is an old 20" getting a 27" TN is a downgrade especially since the size difference between a U2410 and the HannsG 27.5" isn't that noticeable. Assuming your current screen is a 24" 16:10 monitor the difference will be even less.

My old IPS panel is a 20" Philips 200w6cs It's great, but it's small, and the OSD buttons no longer work (in fact I had to open 'er up and take out the circuit board, because the buttons had started to operate by themselves )

 

[tbh]

I think the only reason I would get a TN over a IPS next time I buy would be for 120hz.

I've actually decided that I wouldn't go back to TN even for 120hz; I may have to wait a long time for non-TN 120hz models however...

 

[BlackBat]

FWIW LG anounced 23" 240Hz IPS panels for desktop and TV usage November 2010.

 

[d_brennen]

Dell S2409W TN here, no complaints at all. Had it nearly 2 years and have yet to see a nicer TN panel. For 90% of people an IPS screen is overkill. Like op said you generally sit in front of your computer what you are using it

 

[cmndr_andi]

FWIW LG anounced 23" 240Hz IPS panels for desktop and TV usage November 2010.

Isn't that just a 60Hz IPS, but with HDTV-like interpolation applied?

 

[PCM2]

FWIW LG anounced 23" 240Hz IPS panels for desktop and TV usage November 2010.

That is similar to this story. If it's the TV/monitor I'm thinking of then it's just another TV with frame interpolation to artificially raise refresh rate. There's a new article on our website about the barriers holding back 120Hz+ refresh rates on computer monitors.

Edit: as above

 

[sybaris]

if that test is anything to go by then my cheapo 4 year old unbranded 19ws has got some pretty good viewing angles, though my eyes have gone mad at the moment.

 

[FoxEye]

One difficulty I'm having is that the 27" IPS are using 2560x1440 natively. I'm concerned that my GTX460 won't be man enough for that rez - even tho I game with AA off.

The 27" TN on the other hand can be found with 1920x1080.

But then seeing how I normally keep my monitor longer than my gfx card, perhaps the higher rez wouldn't be so bad... argh, it's decisions like this that are giving me a hard time

I think I'll cap my budget at around £400. The Dell U2410 caught my eye for that price, and it's 16x10 too. Such a shame the industry has settled on 16x9 for both games and film.

 

[neologan]

One difficulty I'm having is that the 27" IPS are using 2560x1440 natively. I'm concerned that my GTX460 won't be man enough for that rez - even tho I game with AA off.

The 27" TN on the other hand can be found with 1920x1080.

But then seeing how I normally keep my monitor longer than my gfx card, perhaps the higher rez wouldn't be so bad... argh, it's decisions like this that are giving me a hard time

I think I'll cap my budget at around £400. The Dell U2410 caught my eye for that price, and it's 16x10 too. Such a shame the industry has settled on 16x9 for both games and film.

HP ZR24w can still be had in places for about £320. It's a good IPS monitor. I think the Dell is overpriced tbh...

 

[PCM2]

if that test is anything to go by then my cheapo 4 year old unbranded 19ws has got some pretty good viewing angles, though my eyes have gone mad at the moment.

Generally not as noticeable on displays that are that small. Also it could be a VA panel of some sort? 'Generic' office monitors sometimes are. We're talking about something a lot larger here and almost certainly 6-bit Twisted Nematic driven.

 

[sybaris]

small ? Small ? Pah, you are talking to someone who once had a 14" TV and a 15" CRT monitor many years ago.

I get the point, a smaller monitor has less surface area to notice changes. I doubt that it is a VA panel. Its a cheap budget screen, can't fault it generally. However over the last few months it has got slightly dimmer.

 

[PCM2]

Don't worry - I remember my 15" Gateway CRT well. It seemed even smaller due to the curved glass at the edges.