Introduction
We’ve been waiting for months now and were disappointed when their release was postponed. Six months after the initial release date the new generation of fast flat screens has arrived. We tested the AU Optronics 8 ms and new 16ms, the CMO 10 ms, and new Samsung 13 ms panels and we’ve noticed the difference. The Hydis 20ms panel is finally dethroned after 2 years of uncontested rule. You will be surprised to know who the new leader is.
Fall in pricesThis technological evolution comes at an important moment for LCD screens. After 6 months of component shortages (which led to as much as a 30% rise in prices and affected product availability) they find themselves in the opposite position with a surplus of products. As a result prices have fallen, or to be more precise, they’ve crashed. So given the improvements on low end models it’s important to shop around and find the best quality for your money.
Two little digressionsWe are happy to take this opportunity to add two little digressions to this article, an interview with Sony and a discussion of measuring response time.
And why interview Sony? We were dying to ask them a number of questions. Why did they stop using thier Trinitron tubes so soon, abandoning a number of graphic artists and gamers? Where will their cooperation with Samsung lead? What’s the future of the OLED screen ? Why do they stubbornly adhere to the ISO norm concerning dead pixels, etc. Sony responded to all of the above questions.
Also, before we go directly to the tests, we go back to the subject of a previous article, 19 inch LCDs and their response time between grays. In September, we talked about how response times were in conflict with visual assessment. We will breifly discuss this issue.
The test computerWe used a self assembled computer with an AMD Athlon XP 3200+ processor and NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra graphic card.
