What is so bad about TN panel monitors?

[Jumpem]

Is it just something that overly anal people notice?

 

[vhx]

Because TN's have poor color accuracy and extremely poor viewing angles. They generally have fewer inputs as well.

 

[gpse]

I have a Samsung 2232GW TN panel and the viewing angels are pretty bad, my old NEC MultiSync LCD1765 had much better angels however.

 

[qliveur]

I'd say that the biggest and most legit gripe would have to be the viewing angles, especially vertical. I have an Acer AL2216W 22" TN right now, and that would definitely be my biggest gripe about it. You get what you pay for.

 

[panfist]

Originally posted by: vhx
They generally have fewer inputs as well.

This is a completely untrue blanket statement. You're absolutely right about the viewing angles. Specifically, they have very bad vertical viewing angles. If you are looking at the monitor dead on, head height and straight, it's so bad that the top and bottom will be distorted, unless you're viewing from more than about 3 feet away.

 

[IL2SturmovikPilot]

Viewing Angles.
Lesser Color Accuracy (Something not everyone would notice,not as much as others at least)

 

[redlinez33]

another small mention is something I noticed in games. TNs cant seem to produce dark tones without turning bluish, atleast this is my experience with hand full of TN panels I tested out.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: redlinez33
another small mention is something I noticed in games. TNs cant seem to produce dark tones without turning bluish, atleast this is my experience with hand full of TN panels I tested out.

My TN does better black then the Dell 207WPF
. .. . . mine is an 'el cheapo' compared to the Dell

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=637&page=3

Inside the SM205BW is a TN Film panel, offering what you would expect from a modern screen. 6ms G2G response time is offered thanks to the use of MagicSpeed RTC technology but is not as impressive on paper as some of the other TN Film offerings in the market (2ms Viewsonic VX922 for instance). However, the 20?WS diagonal has yet to see much lower than this measurement so far. The rest of the spec remains pretty modest with a 700:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness

... Both screens offered good colour reproduction with the SM205BW leading the way slightly with a better black/grey range and more even panel uniformity. The Dell ?colour banding issue? did not prove a problem in real use, but the slight backlight bleeding and text blur did sadly (text blur now fixed on current A02 revision). Responsiveness was quite comparable in practice and perfectly adequate on both models. PixPerAn Testing showed the Dell to have a faster panel. Movie playback was average on both models, but with the backlight bleed and limited black depth letting the Dell down somewhat along with its more apparent noise up close. While the Dell might be considered to have a superior panel, to most average users I don't think it would matter and it may not be worth the extra money. Colour accuracy might be a factor, along with wide viewing angles but it depends on the use. TN Film has its limitations but the SM205BW was certainly well suited for most users I would suggest and it is a decent offering from Samsung at a good price.and 160/160 quoted viewing angles. At least there is a good chance Samsung have remained more truthful in their quoted specs rather than going for over the top figures which bare little to no relevance in real use.

Limited viewing angles are the sole reason to not choose a TN .. particularly if you have someone look over your shoulder all the time
[i'd fire my boss if he did that]

 

[Continuity28]

.

 

[sindows]

After using a *va panel at school for a while now, I can't stand TN panels. There is a large difference in the color and I just personally like the way *va panels look. They don't seem to be as "intense" and when I look at them, they seem to be much smoother on my eyes.

 

[HannibalX]

6-bit, back light bleed through, poor viewing angle.

I have the Samsung 225BW and it's fine though.

 

[Dkcode]

TN's have improved a lot over the years. I used to have an old Viewsonic VP171B and it was terrible, not a position you could have it in without some park of the screen going dark which made viewing video files a nightmare.

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: panfist

Originally posted by: vhx
They generally have fewer inputs as well.

This is a completely untrue blanket statement. You're absolutely right about the viewing angles. Specifically, they have very bad vertical viewing angles. If you are looking at the monitor dead on, head height and straight, it's so bad that the top and bottom will be distorted, unless you're viewing from more than about 3 feet away.

well uh,, he said "generally" not all so its not a blanket statement.

he is right too.

TN is low cost, and low cost models typically do not get things liek hdmi, component input , etc

 

[LOUISSSSS]

with all this speak about "poor viewing angles" what would u see if u happen to view the monitor playing a movie or a game from "off-dead on center"?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
with all this speak about "poor viewing angles" what would u see if u happen to view the monitor playing a movie or a game from "off-dead on center"?

Depends on the panel .. mine is 160/160 .. so you can watch a movie from 4 feet away and move from side-to-side .. pick up your popcorn, NP

HOWEVER, if you are sitting and stand up, the colors tend to wash out from the new angle .. slightly annoying .. not enough to pay 2x for

Playing games from 1-1/2 - 2 feet away [yes, i am very nearsighted] - i have no problem since i only move my head a few inches ..

 

[coreyb]

There is nothing so bad about these panels. They are fine for most people out there, however, some people out there are snobbish about lcd monitors and claim they are basically junk. I watch movies on my TN panel all the time and it's totally acceptable. No complaints.

 

[letired]

Originally posted by: Dkcode
TN's have improved a lot over the years. I used to have an old Viewsonic VP171B and it was terrible, not a position you could have it in without some park of the screen going dark which made viewing video files a nightmare.

I'm reading this right now on my Viewsonic VP171B and I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe I just don't have my eyes trained well enough, but I couldn't be happier with this monitor...and I guess it qualifies as "old" now...

 

[Banzai042]

Originally posted by: letired

Originally posted by: Dkcode
TN's have improved a lot over the years. I used to have an old Viewsonic VP171B and it was terrible, not a position you could have it in without some park of the screen going dark which made viewing video files a nightmare.

I'm reading this right now on my Viewsonic VP171B and I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe I just don't have my eyes trained well enough, but I couldn't be happier with this monitor...and I guess it qualifies as "old" now...

Same here, one of my monitors is a 171b and while I see color distortion from a high viewing angle i need to get way out of normal viewing range before it happens. Granted the contrast isn't the best and there's some backlight bleed, but considering I got the thing almost 4 years ago I'm not complaining that much.

 

[MarcVenice]

It's all about perception. The people being anal about TN panels are probably people who went from a nice CRT monitor to a TN panel, and didn't like it. Or people who work with a few different panels, and thus notice the difference better then people who only work with their TN panel. My TN panel looks cool, everybody who sees my 20" widescreen monitor likes it. But I bet the color configuration sucks, but people simply aren't used to it, so they are immediatly blown away by it. Now here's the thing, people with negative experiences tend to be 7 times more vocal about it then people with good experiences, hence you'll think a lot of people hate TN panels, but that's not really the case.

If they want to spend more on more expensive va or ips panels, fine, but don't go hating on us cheap bastards who love their TN panels

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i see now.. so if i'm in my room watching a movie or playing some CS:S and someone walks into my room, what will they see from a strong (160-180degree) angle? will they be able to make out whats going on on my screen? or will they see "just a bunch of colors"?

 

[amenx]

I have no problem with TN panels. Re viewing angles, um, guess what, I dont sit above, below or to the side of the panel, but straight ahead like 99.9% of normal people do, so I have no issues with viewing angles. If someone likes to watch a movie with 6 family members next to him, then they may have that issue. Re colors, TN panels have improved greatly over the years, in fact some TN panels look more pleasing to the eye than IPS , MVA or PVA panels. Very color-accurate panels sometimes look bland, less vivid to me, but hey, they're 'accurate'. I guess some people cant do with 16.2 million colors, they need 16.7 million, but put them face to face with a good TN panel vs a good ISP one in a blind test and I'll bet they mistake which ones which (if viewing angles are disregarded).

The thing I take issue with TN panels most is the backlighting (of course it will vary widely from panel to panel), but most of time it doesnt bother me. But other than that I suspect most comments dissing TN panels (esp re color accuracy) are just parroting what others say. Maybe its fashionable to say TN panels suck, it makes one look more knowledgeable, more informed than the average guy.

 

[toadeater]

TN panels exist to drive up prices on *VA and *PS panels, that is one reason I hate them. We should be getting $250 PVA panels by now instead of this TN bull****.

 

[Captante]

People who are "anal" about moniters translates into people who did a few side-by-side comparisions and read many reviews of said moniters before buying ... although TN-panel LCD's have gotten better then they used to be, that isn't saying much because they used to be total crap.

Talk to people who either own both types or have done extensive viewing of both & then see if you can find a way to compare on your own. The problem you'll run into is that its very difficult to find a place with TN's set up next to other higher quality LCD's with true 8-bit panels since most people buy on price not IQ. Last year when I bought my BenQ FP241W I was able to compare it with the 22 inch TN BenQ at a trade show & the difference was extremely obvious, both in color reproduction & viewing angles ... I also compared the Gateway 24 & 21 inch M-PVA panels with the Gateway 22 inch TN model with the same results & in fact every 22 inch TN I've looked at has been at best a letdown.

Bottom line is that the only people you'll hear tell you that even the best TN's are as good as high quality IPS or M-PVA panels are those who only own a TN ... don't get me wrong, its fine with me if a TN is "good enough" for you, but when sombody tells you theres no downside to a 6-bit TN panel LCD you're being mislead.

 

[MarcVenice]

I disagree Captante, there is no real downside, I bet TN panels are still the most common and most sold lcd monitors, and they are just fine for plenty of people. I could agree with people saying IPS ir VA panels being BETTER, but people saying TN panels suck aren't adding anything to the community save for some fud.

 

[bfdd]

Went form a PVA to TN and really I like the TN better for gaming, the monitor I have has really bright colors and good darks. Even watching some movies it isn't bad since it's setup at the right angle for my pc chair, but the angles from the side aren't to good.