The main cause of the price drop that occurred sometime in 2010 was LG’s new economical e-IPS panel. In typical iterations this is a 6-bit panel, with FRC dithering to fill an 8-bit colour space—the same kind of technology in use in current TN panels. (For the less jargon-inclined, this means it uses 64 levels of brightness to simulate 256 levels). Mind you: though LG manufactures the panel, it doesn’t mean that only LG monitors use them — they’re found in quite a number of other monitors as well.
Can you perceive the difference between these 6-bit+FRC panels vs their higher-end 8-bit panels? Possibly, but if you’re coming from a TN panel, or just using it for gaming + general use, chances are: not likely. Even as 6-bit panels, they already exhibit better colour range, gradients, and much viewing angles than their TN brethren (assuming the manufacturer calibrates and QCs them properly). And the better e-IPS panel monitors seem to have implemented the dithering in a way that it’s pretty much unnoticeable to all but the most visually sensitive (that’s probably not you). But of course, just like with TN panels, manufacturers can also
cut lots of corners with IPS panels. To round out kitamesume’s list of places where ultra-budget monitors cut costs:
- Panel calibration
- Backlight uniformity
- Backlight bleed
- Colour gamut, i.e. range (yes, it is possible for cheapo IPS panels to have lower colour gamut than good TN panels)
- Material durability and quality (of the panel housing)
- Internal display processor, scaling quality (how well the monitor scales non-native resolutions, input lag, response time, etc)
- Input options
- Other niceties: OSD display, included cables, colour calibration reports, warranty terms, …
Once major brands (Dell, HP, et al) released monitor models using that panel (Dell released the U2311H, their first e-IPS monitor, in 2010), IPS started to gain a bit of a reputation as a budget quality solution. Some brands, e.g. LG, ASUS, started to jump on that by shipping monitors with more corner-cutting. Today, this means that in the low-end IPS space, one cannot be entirely sure that IPS == quality.
If you want decent quality without too much legwork, stick with a reputable brand, namely Dell Ultrasharps and HP ZR-series monitors (for mid-range IPS monitors). (For the skeptics, the Ultrasharps and ZR-series are Dell’s and HP’s high-end monitor models, respectively. Both brands may have terrible reputations in the budget equipment space, but don’t confuse that with the quality of their higher-end offerings). ASUS, LG, AOC, unheard-of Korean imports, etc, be sure to do your research before putting your money down. Just like with technology in any other sector, you get what you pay for.
[edit] corrected brightness levels per
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