Can you tell a TN / MVA/ IPS panel by looking at it?

[5627429]

I am about to purchase a 20.1" 1680x1050 no-name brand lcd called a Hanton h-420w for 210 US dollars..

I've been looking at all kinds of 20" widescreen panels lately, and for some reason this super cheap one has better viewing angles than nearly EVERY other name brand panel i've seen so far, except for Eizo.

I crouched down really low and looked up at it from a steep angle and this thing was still bright and did not get washed out. Is it possible that maybe it has an ips panel? or are there actually wide viewing angle tn panels out there? My only other suspicion is that it uses s-ips panels from the nec 20xg or dell 2007 that weren't good enough to make the cut and got sold off to the highest bidder.....i'm not a tft insider and i don't even know if that's possible..but i just dont know how to explain the spectacular viewing angles for this price.

The specs say 16.2milion colors, which would make it a 6bit tn, right? The specs also say 140 degrees horizontal and only 125 degrees vertical. However it appears to have much more than any monitor i've seen that quotes160 all around, so i'm not sure what the heck is in there.

Is there any way to tell by looking up close at the pixels or viewing at some specific angle to see what kind of panel is used?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

# 螢幕:20.1" TFT
# 解析度:1680x1050(SXGA)
# 像素大小:0.258x0.258mm
# 顯示色彩數:16.2M
# 亮度:300 cd/m^2
# 對比度:600:1
# 掃瞄頻率:H:31-82KHz V:50-75KHz
# 反應時間:8ms
# 可視角度:140度(水&#24179,125度(垂&#30452
# 功能表語言:英,法,德,義大利,西班牙,繁/簡中文,日文
# 輸入端子:VGA (D-SUB 15Pin), DVI-D
# USB端子:2.0 USB端子 4 埠
# 內建喇叭:內建立體聲喇叭
# 電源:輸入AC 100-240V,50/60Hz
# 電源功率:最大輸出 60watts,standby 3watts
# 淨重:5.5Kg
# 外箱尺寸(WxHxD):540*445*110mm
# 認證:UL,cUL,FCC Class-B,CE,CB BSMI

 

[Scyles]

It is almost certainly a TN. Its cheap, quotes 16.2m colors, and advertises a low viewing angle. The easiest way to see is to crouch down below it and look up at it - you'll barely be able to see anything on the screen at this angle.

 

[Snowdog]

Yes I can, that doesn't mean I can tell you how to. I just have experience examining all types of screens and can tell them apart easily now.

At that price/specs, that is without a doubt a TN screen.

 

[5627429]

Thanks for your replies, guys.

I'm going to go back to the store and take another look. I swear it was still really bright even when i looked from an extreme angle underneath it! Almost everything else I look at just goes black as soon as I squat down and look up at them from below...

Maybe they put the panel in upside-down and i should be looking from the top down?? hehe

 

[Snowdog]

If you can get a different material on the screen that might help. Something like a plain midtone is good:

www.techreport.com shows viewing angle problems quite well. Even looking at this page straight on on my TN, the background gets darker toward the top of the screen and lighter toward the bottom. But it is one consistent tone.

 

[jrb531]

Don't let the TN haters sway you. If you like what you see then consider getting it. After all who will be using this LCD? You or everyone on this forum? LOL

Since I sit in front of my TN anyone... why the hell do I care if it gets washed out? Some here would have to think that if you move an inch to the side or up and down that a TN's picture disappears. LOL

-JB

 

[Scyles]

Some here would have to think that if you move an inch to the side or up and down that a TN's picture disappears. LOL

Perhaps you didn't read this:

Even looking at this page straight on on my TN, the background gets darker toward the top of the screen and lighter toward the bottom.

I made it bold so you would see it.

 

[jrb531]

Perhaps you didn't read this:



I made it bold so you would see it.

I was not reffering to your post but rather all the talk about "all" TN panels having such horrible viewing angles that you should automatically skip them. If you sit in front of your monitor (I guess some people do not LOL) then I question how these angles are of such importance. If, however, you are going to use this as a TV then I can see the drawbacks.

-JB

 

[Skyviper]

I'm using some 19" LG LCD at work and I'm pretty sure it's a TN panel. It has horrible viewing angles and if I shift my head to the left or right, anything that is white turns a little bit yellow in colour.

 

[Snowdog]

I was not reffering to your post but rather all the talk about "all" TN panels having such horrible viewing angles that you should automatically skip them. If you sit in front of your monitor (I guess some people do not LOL) then I question how these angles are of such importance. If, however, you are going to use this as a TV then I can see the drawbacks.

-JB

I agree there is a lot of empty rhetoric based mostly on manufacturer specs (AKA blatant lies) and hearsay. Everything needs to be judged by what you see with your own eyes. I certainly am no TN hater, I am much closer to a *VA hater. What matters to me is usability for my usage. Sitting more or less centered and moving around naturally and maintaining a stable image.

My TN actually does a better job at this than a PVA and S-PVA screen I owned previously. TN is fairly stable in the horizontal.

But in the vertical it is nearly impossible to get a constant tone to not go darker toward the top of the screen, while getting lighter toward the bottom. But this doesn't really bother me. Though it is a fact or operation.

VA is equal in both directions. It's vertical is better than TN, but it is worse in the horizontal than TN. What makes the TN more tolerable, is that once you are sitting down, you tend to move a lot more horizontally than vertically so horizontal viewing angle issues will be more tested. You also have two eyes that will each have a different horizontal angle of view. Presenting potentially odd issues even if you don't move.

My TN also has the capability to flip into portait mode, where I find it becomes unusable, further illustrating my point that at least I am much more sensitive to horizontal issues than vertical ones. If your TN flips to portrait, use it for an hour like that and tell me what you think.

My TN is an adjunct screen to my 21" trinitron. I will only consider a good S-IPS screen to replace the CRT itself.

IPS>TN>VA for me personally. YMMV.

If the original poster has closely examined the screen and it meets his needs, he shouldn't worry about what type of panel it is.

Edit: Here is why regardless of the ability to calibrate, I wouldn't use TN for graphics work (PVA does similar) and only IPS is worthy IMO: That should be one consistent tone, on a CRT or IPS LCD, it is the same color on the top as the bottom.

http://ct.pbase.com/o5/04/606404/1/70038474.RUGnlXjd.TN_Shift.jpg

 

[5627429]

I have the same problem with the 10 inch sony laptop screen im looking at right now...except many times worse since it's over 5 years old... I have to hold my head at just the right angle to have things on PART of the screen not be washed out! It is so bad that i am actually not sure if this forum's background is actually supposed to be black or grey...

If the original poster has closely examined the screen and it meets his needs, he shouldn't worry about what type of panel it is.

Thanks. That is good advice. I'm the one that's going to have to look at it all the time, so if it looks good to me, then there's no problem... However, the vertical is really important for me since I have a japanese style bedroom and sit/sleep on the floor. Sometimes I will be sitting up and sometimes laying down, in which case the "bottom-up" vertical washout will definitely be a factor for me unless I want to keep tilting the monitor forwards and backwards all day long.

I was planning to get it this mostly because it is the absolute cheapest 1680x1050 monitor i can find here in Taiwan. It's even 70 dollars cheaper than the BENQ fp202w, the next cheapest.

However, the reason for my post is that with the price so low and viewing angles so good...I am wondering if maybe this no-name company is using random non-gradeA panels that didn't make the cut..I did some Google research and found Chinese references that connect the parent company of this noname brand and NEC...but I couldn't find anything conclusive.

I'm just worried about buying a lemon, that's all. Viewing straight-on, the colors did look a little strange. I guess I'll have to really test the hell out of this monitor in the store before I buy it to make sure its not defective.