Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (S-PVA) panels. Most of these are based on the introduction of "Magic Speed" (the Samsung equivalent to Overdrive), which offer improved response times over traditional PVA matrices. Note that some PVA panels still used this technology, but S-PVA panels almost certainly feature it. Like P-MVA panels, these are really just an extension of the existing technology, but with the MagicSpeed technology, they have managed to make them more suitable for gaming than the older panels. One other difference is that the liquid crystal cell structure is a boomerang shape, splitting each sub pixel into two different sections with each aligned in opposite directions. This is said to help improve viewing angles and colour reproduction when viewed from the side.

Super-IPS (S-IPS), Dual Domain IPS (DD-IPS), and Advanced Coplanar Electrode (ACE). The latter two technologies belong to IBM (DD-IPS) and Samsung (ACE) and are in fact unavailable in shops. The manufacture of ACE panels is halted, while DD-IPS panels are coming from IDTech, the joint venture of IBM and Chi Mei Optoelectronics - these expensive models with high resolutions occupy their own niche, which but slightly overlaps with the common consumer market. NEC is also manufacturing IPS panels under such brands as A-SFT, A-AFT, SA-SFT and SA-AFT, but they are in fact nothing more than variations and further developments of the S-IPS technology. Enhanced S-IPS is the term given to LG.Philips' latest generation of panels using this technology. More information can be found about the improvements in the technology here, with a ODC (overdrive) technology playing a key role. Advanced Super IPS (AS-IPS) is also a term being used as well, but is just a term for the new Enhanced S-IPS panels used in models by NEC.

S-IPS panels have gained the widest recognition, mostly due to the efforts of another joint venture LG.Philips LCD, which is outputting rather inexpensive and high-quality 19", 20" and now larger matrices. Besides the high price, the response time was among the serious drawbacks of the IPS technology - first panels were as slow as 60ms on the "official" black-to-white-to-back transitions (and even slower on gray-to-gray ones!). Fortunately, the engineers dragged the full response time down to 25 milliseconds later, and this total is equally divided between pixel rise and pixel fall times. Moreover, the response time doesn't greatly grow up on black-to-gray transitions compared to the specification, so some older S-IPS matrices could challenge TN Film panels in this parameter (before overdrive anyway). For a while, S-IPS panels remained ar ~16ms as their best response time on paper. However, overdrive has caught up with this technology (what LG.Philips call ODC - Over Driving Circuitry) after it's success with TN Film, PVA and MVA panels. IPS has re-emerged offering some excellent quoted response times as well as excellent responsiveness in practice. Some modern IPS panels are even as responsive as the fastest TN Film panels in real use!

The IPS technology has always been better than TN+Film in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles. In fact, S-IPS matrices leave no chance to other LCD technologies in the color-reproduction quality. They have soft and pleasant colors, which are natural and close to high-quality CRT monitors. That's why nearly all LCD monitors for professional work with color are based on S-IPS matrices, starting from relatively inexpensive to hi-end models of the Eizo ColorEdge series with integrated tools for custom hardware color-calibration.

The viewing angles are a treat after TN matrices: you can't notice any distortions of the image, sitting in front of an IPS matrix. There's only one specific defect - when you're looking at the screen from a side, black color acquires a characteristic violet hue (by the way, this defect allows telling an IPS matrix from any other), but the manufacturers are improving on this. In most cases, this is an insignificant defect anyway. Viewing angles are wider than PVA and MVA even and are signified by their listed specs commonly of 178/178 instead of 176/176. Only a guide on paper, but in reality, viewing angles are better on S-IPS based screens.

The only real problem of the S-IPS technology traditionally was the low contrast ratio (about 200:1, like that of an average TN+Film matrix). In means you see a dark gray instead of pure black. That's not noticeable at daylight, but if you're working in a dimly lit room, you may be disappointed at the highlighting of the black color (coupled with the characteristic violet hue when you're viewing the screen from a side). Black depth was often a problem with S-IPS panels. However, contrast ratios have been improved significantly, and black depth is much better as a result. Whether or not black depth is as good as PVA / MVA panels is debatable, but technologies like Digital Fine Contrast DFC are helping to make blacks better as well. One area which remains problematic for modern IPS panels is movie playback, again with noise being present, and only accentuated by the heavy application of overdrive technologies.