VAs back in style?

There has been so much negative feedback with "IPS backlight bleed" (which isn't actually even tied to the IPS technology itself, btw), so now that AUO has started manufacturing their 144Hz AMVA3 panels in full scale, the monitor manufacturers are eager to take them.

But, a little bit of statistics (the 2016 figures are naturally only Jan-Oct):

2015 new monitors in total: 268 IPS, 156 TN, 59 VA
2016 new monitors in total: 178 IPS, 116 TN, 57 VA

2015 curved monitors: 10 IPS, 17 VA
2016 curved monitors: 10 IPS, 20 VA

2015 100Hz+ monitors: 8 IPS, 13 TN, 8 VA
2016 100Hz+ monitors: 4 IPS, 17 TN, 12 VA

2015 G-Sync monitors: 8 IPS, 3 TN, 1 VA
2016 G-Sync monitors: 3 IPS, 5 TN, 6 VA

2015 FreeSync monitors: 13 IPS, 15 TN, 2 VA
2016 FreeSync monitors: 32 IPS, 17 TN, 13 VA

Interesting small tidbits:
- TN is apparently not suitable for curved monitors at all
- every third new VA monitor is curved
- every fifth new VA is 100Hz+
- every fourth new VA is FreeSync compatible
- FreeSync seems to have gained ground quite rapidly (every sixth new monitor supports FreeSync)

Final conclusion: Yes, VA is indeed catching up, relatively speaking. But its rise is mostly seen in the "special features" market.

Disclaimer: These are just hasty calculations from a price aggregation site. (AHVA are included in the IPS sections)
 
Hm interesting, so they are using it to fill gaps in the market.

Strange how these new panels always show up just in time to bolster the industry's sagging bottom line...
 
2015 G-Sync monitors: 8 IPS, 3 TN, 1 VA
2016 G-Sync monitors: 3 IPS, 5 TN, 6 VA

2015 FreeSync monitors: 13 IPS, 15 TN, 2 VA
2016 FreeSync monitors: 32 IPS, 17 TN, 13 VA
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Free/adaptive sync :cool: Not bad at all considering gsync was out for over a year longer but then that is what happens with open source technology :p ;) :D
 
I suspect it's less to do with open source per se and more to do with the cost of implementing GSync; if Nvidia made it free of licensing costs then we'd see more GSync monitors. What does surprise me is that none of the GSync monitors also support Freesync.
 
Knowing nVidia, that doesn't surprise me at all. :)

If i'm honest I don't know why we haven't had more VA panels in the market - you seem to get the responsiveness of TN with the colours and viewing angles of an IPS.
 
VA panels have always been very slow from a response time point of view, and so they've not had the same push for refresh rates in the last couple of years that TN Film and IPS equivalents have.

we're only really just starting to see some high refresh VA-type panels become available and it remains to be seen how they perform from a response time point of view. The 35" 144Hz panel from AUO used in the likes of the Acer Predator Z35 was still pretty slow, and couldn't really manage to keep up with anything above 120Hz. I'm currently reviewing the Acer Predator Z271 which has a Samsung VA panel, and the first high refresh rate Samsung VA panel i've seen, so will report back on how that fairs soon :)
 
Tute said:
Knowing nVidia, that doesn't surprise me at all. :)

If i'm honest I don't know why we haven't had more VA panels in the market - you seem to get the responsiveness of TN with the colours and viewing angles of an IPS.
Click to expand...

This ;) :p

Also, the monitor would cost even more since it would have both a scaler (needed for adaptive/free sync and this is why freesync has a lot more connection ports than gsync) and a gsync module


Of course, the large and quick adoption of free/adaptive sync is down to cost as well but this wouldn't be possible if it was closed source :p I think it is largely to do with future intel products supporting adaptive sync as well as consoles in the future.


For monitor panels, VA isn't quite as good as IPS for viewing angles and the responsiveness seems to be a bit hit and miss, some can be great but an awful lot have severe issues with trailing, particularly when it comes to dark and bright areas.

I hope VA does pick up as the better black depth and contrast ratio makes such a big difference to IQ, obviously more so with dark content.
 
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Tute said:
Knowing nVidia, that doesn't surprise me at all. :)

If i'm honest I don't know why we haven't had more VA panels in the market - you seem to get the responsiveness of TN with the colours and viewing angles of an IPS.
Click to expand...

IIRC though you have issues like certain colour transitions on VA can be quite long and while you can do things like inserting blank frames to boost clarity in motion that has issues of its own.
 
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