LCD, David vs. Goliath: Iolair vs. Dell (page 5: Viewing angles, movies)

Viewing angles

We take pictures of the monitors from a 50° angle from all sides. The claimed viewing angles in a product’s characteristics are often exaggerated especially for TN screens.

There are three types of technologies to choose from: TN, MVA and PVA, the last two being closely related. We could also add ASV – a variation of MVA from Sharp, in decline which we really only find in TVs.

First of all , lateral viewing angles with IPS technology are by far the best. Next usually come monitors with TN panels. In the past (more than 2 years ago), TNs were rather catastrophic from the side angles. Now, it is possible for several people to share a screen, even if they aren’t perfectly in front of it. Finally, we have the PVAs and MVAs, which are more or less equivalent. Beyond 40° from both sides, there is a loss of contrast, which however isn’t too extreme. In fact, there are only really problems when looking from below.

Vertical viewing angles : The IPS screen always offers an image that is almost perfect at 50° and even beyond. In this area, other technologies are largely inferior. The PVAs are behind with a rather abrupt loss of contrast with an image that is still visible though not as flattering (black is more gray, white is pale, loss of depth). It’s the same but even more sudden with MVA panels. Finally, we have the TN screen. From above, the image loses all of its contrast. From below, it turns black. This complicates things when you want to use this screen as a TV and depending on the size of viewers, the monitor may have to be inclined.

PVA 6 ms : Dell 2408WFP

MVA 6 ms : Iolair MB24W

And for comparison :

TN 2 ms : Iiyama ProLite E2201W

IPS 8 ms : Dell 3008WFP

Movie rendering

At this time, we haven’t yet tested a single monitor equipped with a video correction chip worthy of this name. We still have to rely on the graphic card, which has made small improvements in this domain but far from the smoothing and upscaling capabilities of the best televisions. Here, all compression defects are readily visible and watching a DivX requires some patience!

Otherwise, this test opposes a

PVA screen : appreciated for its viewing angles that are a bit larger than those of an MVA and for its deeper black. On the other hand, PVA panels – and it’s no exception here – are particularly subject to shimmering. Moreover, as we’ve seen this model has a very handicapping input lag. A movie encoded in 25 images / second = 1 image every 1/25 = 40 ms. On average, with 70 ms of delay on the two screens tested here, sequences are displayed two images after the accompanying sound. It’s something occasionally sought after in movies to accentuate a surprise effect. Crack ! And Freddie jumps out of the closet... You will more or less consciously experience the entire sequence a little in advance by hearing it first. And it’s true that in movies, it’s less bothersome than in games and only the most sensitive will be occasionally affected. This is all the more true because the attention we give movies is less than what we give to an FPS.

Finally, on our test screen we can unfortunately confirm that shimmering and denatured colors (as long as there has been no calibration with a sensor) are indeed present.

an MVA screen with blacks that are slightly washed out and viewing angles that are a bit smaller. (There is no dead angle but we do lose contrast more quickly than with a PVA when moving from the central axis). On the other hand, shimmering is much better controlled here.