Comparative test : color quality
We almost forgot the original objective of this article was a 19” screen comparative test between the attractive LG L1920B, Philips 190S5 and Samsung 193P. Not everyone’s main activity is gaming or watching movies. People also work, read documents, retouch pictures, etc.
The precedent page mentioned use in an office environment. We now will address picture quality.
We come back to our tried and true method of calibrating a screen with our LaCie colorimeter.
How to Interpret the graph
X axis: 0 black to 100 white
If Delta > 3, the desired color is noticeably different from the color displayed.
1< Delta E < 2: colors are accurate
Delta E < 1: the result is perfect.
Contrast ratios measured
This method is once more recommended by the ISO 13406-2 norm. (You might want to take the opportunity to look at this article: "Focus on LCDs" for the problems with this measurement):
-maximum brightness divided by black brightness = contrast ratio.
The three screens have a white close to 200 cd/m². There is a difference with black, a clear advantage for the 193P, the only one able to satisfy requirements of professional photographers.
For most of us, however, these three screens are excellent. We have to remind you that, not so long ago, contrast ratios were rarely over 200 : 1…
LG L1920B
IPS technology has considerably improved during the last three years. It used to be a short-winded technology with viewing angles and color quality inferior to VA panels. These criticisms are now behind them.
The L1920B displays nicer colors than most CRT screens. Its response time is satisfactory especially if we consider the black – white – white result (and vice versa, both the same speed).
Of the three 19” screens tested it’s the fastest to display text with the least afterglow effect when the text is scrolled down.
People spending a lot of time on Internet will appreciate this quality.
Philips 190S5FG
The 190C5FG is equipped with a TN panel but provides excellent color. The vertical viewing angle isn’t great, however, when looking from below.
Otherwise, gamers might be a little disappointed with game quality. Despite a claim of a 12 ms response time there is still has a strong afterglow effect. However, this is no surprise as we already noticed this problem with several 17” screens equipped with 12 and 16 ms Samsung and LG-Philips panels.
We are now anxiously waiting for the 8 ms Hydis and AU Optronics panels.
Samsung 193P
It’s quite original that the 193 P doesn’t have any controls on the screen. All adjustments are made directly via accompanying software in Windows.
Also, unlike the pre-version tested a few months ago, this monitor had good adjustment. After calibration it was even better. The screen claimed a 1000 : 1 resolution and it lives up to its promises.
At 6500 K it’s perfect from black (0.19 cd/m² two time deeper than with the LG and Philips) to white.
Overall a nice design combined with great color quality makes it an exceptional screen if you aren’t too much into gaming. Its only down side was a poor visually estimated response time which doesn’t make it the ideal screen for games.
