6 bit vs 8 bit LCDs

[blanketyblank]

I've been looking at IPS panels and the cheapest ones (i.e. dell u2211h and new LG and Asus LEDs) are all e-IPS which seemingly use 6 bit panels and RFC to get 16.7 million colors instead of 8 bit panels. I'm wondering what the difference is, and if I would notice anything. The monitor is primarily going to be used for work so colors are important but I don't need a 10 bit panel with 102% of the NTSC color gamut.


Anyways has anyone had any experience with an 8 bit panel vs. a 6 bit panel, and could explain the difference? I'm trying to figure out if one of the normal S-IPS panels is worth the price difference.

 

[Throckmorton]

e-IPS is only 6 bit??


You will notice a difference. At work I use a Dell XPS 1730 (or something) with an external Dell 20" 1600x1200 PVA (I think) moitor. I do GIS and when I make maps I have to put them on the PVA monitor in order to see accurate colors.

 

[blanketyblank]

e-IPS is only 6 bit??


You will notice a difference. At work I use a Dell XPS 1730 (or something) with an external Dell 20" 1600x1200 PVA (I think) moitor. I do GIS and when I make maps I have to put them on the PVA monitor in order to see accurate colors.

According to this review on tft central
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_ea232wmi.htm

monitors like the Dell U2311H and Viewsonic VP2365wb use LG's e-ips panel.
The NEC EA232WMi utilises an LG.Display LM230WF3-SLB1 e-IPS Film panel and is capable of producing 16.7 million colours. The panel itself actually uses a 6-bit colour depth with advanced frame rate control (A-FRC) to produce the 16.7m colours. This is different to regular 8-bit IPS matrices, but this is likely a measure taken to achieve a lower price point for these so-called e-IPS displays. Studying detailed information from LG.Display's datasheet confirms the panel is indeed 6-bit+AFRC.

I'm just a bit confused about the colors since the reviewer can apparently calibrate the monitor to pretty good color accuracy, but since I've never seen one I'm just not sure how it looks as compared to an 8 bit panel that has been calibrated. I'm wondering if I'll notice the color shifting or sparkling or something.
I'm not sure what kind of panel is in the XPS, but it may not be a fair comparison if it's a TN which I think is the usual case with laptop screens especially for gamers. I know TNs are usually(always?) 6 bit panels, but the technology itself produces color inaccuracies along with the poorer viewing angles.

 

[palladium]

It depends on how well the FRC is implemented. It is much less of an issue now compared to older days. It also depends on the gamut you're working with; the ability to reproduce more discrete colours (natively) is more important in wide gamut displays compared to sRGB displays.

Having said that, if colour accuracy is important for you, then you should get a true 8-bit panel.

 

[Anarchist420]

Get a true 8bit panel. All 6 bit panels show noticeable banding.

 

[Zanovar]

Grr,why are most ips matte(could only find 2 for sale that were glossy),sent back a dell u2311 because of this, anti glare was way to aggressive.

 

[JRW]

My 2333T (PVA panel) is 6-bit with FRC but oddly it still shows smoother gradients (less banding) than my PX2370 TN panel sitting next to it, figured they would be the same.