Guys,

Whenever/whichever LCD you gonna buy, bear this in your mind : RETURN POLICY. Ask as many questions as you can on the return policy they have because LCD monitor (TN/MVA/PVA/IPS/E-IPS/S-IPS/H-IPS) tend to have stuck/dead pixel(s) on the display EASILY.

I returned 2 NEC 2690 and 2 Planar 26" LCD monitor back to the online retailer due to the stuck/dead pixel(s) on the panel.

As for the type of the that panel you need. My 2 cents : TN panel : Nice to have to play fast pace and online games with no lagging. As for watching TV/Movie/HD-DVD/Blu Ray, color reproduction is a bit wash out when you view from different angle. TN is good to have for daily normal daily usage like web surfing, checking emails, online chatting etc.... No suitable for graphic work.

As for MVA/PVA : Nice to have to play strategy games. Lagging on the fast pace gaming. Watching movies is nicer, color reproduction is much more better than TN panel but not as good as IPS panel.

Finally, IPS panel, no questions about this panel that the color is superb no matter which angle you view it. Nice to have to watch movies and play strategy game. The only complaint on this type of panel is its tiny lagging. If you are doing a lot of graphic work, photo editing and web programming, IPS panel is your right choice.

Thanks kianwee ! Just trying to help.

In general, no one ever regret with the quality and solid color that IPS panel has. You will never go back to the TN panel once you own a IPS panel LCD monitor.

So if you have the $ to burn, go for any IPS panels that come with a LCD polarizers. You won't be regret with your purchase. Customer satisfaction guaranteed !

Dude, check the specs of your LCD monitor. If it says the viewing angle is either 160/160, 160/170 or 170/160 degree then it is a TN panel, 100% sure it's a TN panel. Another characteristic of a TN panel is its response time, the response time for a TN panel is normally < than 5ms. Hope this sort your problems out. Thanks.

BTW ... Enjoy your new toy ! Have a good one

LCD Panel Technology Type and Characteristics
===============================
TN film (Twisted Nematic)
- low manufacturing/retail costs
- restrictive viewing angles
- fast pixel response times
- dead pixels display white. Stuck pixels display RGB colors
- lower contrast levels means blacks are not as dark as VA based panels
- lower color reproduction

IPS (In Plane Switching)
- improved viewing angles over TN
- very good color reproduction
- slower pixel response times than TN
- dead pixels display black
- lower contrast levels means blacks are not as dark as VA based panels

Super-IPS (S-IPS)
- same as IPS except ...
- likely best color reproduction of all TFT
- less expensive to produce than IPS
- improved pixel response

VA (Vertical Alignment) Technologies
========================
MVA (Multidomain Vertical Alignment)
- compromise between TN and IPS technologies
- superior color reproduction over TN but not as good as IPS
- very good viewing angles but less than IPS
- higher contrast than TN or S-IPS means very good blacks
- dead pixels are black
- slower pixel response than TN or IPS
- details can be lost when directly viewing dark areas

Premium-MVA (P-MVA)
- same as MVA except ...
- "overdrive" technology increases pixel response but still slower than TN
- may have slightly degraded color reproduction due to "overdrive" process

PVA (Patterned VA)
- same as MVA except ...
- larger viewing angles
- higher contrast levels means darkest blacks

Super-PVA (S-PVA)
- same as PVA except ...
- “Magic Speed” (the Samsung equivalent to Overdrive) improves pixel response
- slightly improved color reproduction
- slightly improved viewing angles


Purchasing Considerations
=================
TN Gamers
Considered a "gamers" panel due to it's fast pixel response times which reduces trailing images know as "ghosting". However, this advantage has been reduced by new technologies to accelerate pixel response times in other panel types. Colors and contrast tend to be weak and blacks are not truly dark. Viewing angles are significantly limited. However, monitors based on this technology tend to be inexpensive.

IPS / S-IPS Graphics Work or Web Browsing
Considered to have the best color reproduction of all panel types, these panels are well suited for graphics work or web browsing. Pixel response time is also good but slower than the TN "gamers" panel. Contast and blacks are also less dark than VA panels but viewing angles are excellent.

* Note : Most of the LCD TVs are fall into this category with a lower resolution.

MVA / P-MVA / PVA / S-PVA Compromise for All-Around Use
These panels are a compromise between the fast pixel response times of the TN panel and the excellent color reproduction of the IPS panels. Contrast and blacks are best of all the panel types. Viewing angles are similar but slightly inferior to IPS.

Hope these help. Thanks.

This post has been edited by hardforum: Feb 27 2009, 05:48 AM