The display market offers a plethora of options, including OLED, MicroLED, and TN panel types, to name a few. However, if you’re seeking a gaming monitor or looking for a display that doesn’t break the bank, IPS and VA are generally the top choices. In-plane switching (IPS) is an LCD-based technology widely used in various displays, while Vertical Alignment (VA) is a more specialized LCD technology found in gaming monitors, gaming TVs, and widescreen displays.
Both of these display technologies have their strengths and weaknesses, so it can be difficult to determine which one is best for your particular needs. In this blog post, we will explore the differences between IPS and VA displays, and provide some guidance on which one might be right for you.
What is IPS?
In today’s market, every non-OLED TV is an LCD TV powered by LED lighting. The individual pixels in an LCD display consist of liquid crystals that respond to voltage to produce colour. In an IPS panel, these crystals align horizontally, parallel to the glass substrate.
The development of IPS technology aimed to enhance colour accuracy and widen the viewing angle of displays. Under the IPS umbrella, there are various variations including ADS, S-IPS, H-IPS, e-IPS, P-IPS, and PLS (Plane-to-Line Switching). While they differ slightly in operation, their fundamental functionality remains the same when compared to VA panels.
IPS panels are by far the most common on today’s monitors.
What is VA?
VA (Vertical Alignment) panels are another common display type used in both computer monitors and TVs, although they are especially prevalent in the latter, outnumbering their IPS counterparts.
Most LED/LCD TVs available in the market utilize VA panels. Unlike IPS panels that align their liquid crystals horizontally, VA panels align them vertically, running perpendicular to the glass substrate rather than parallel to it. When subjected to voltage, the crystals tilt, allowing light to pass through and produce colour.
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This unique positioning affects the behaviour of the liquid crystals. In the absence of voltage, the liquid crystals in a VA panel remain untilted, which is advantageous if your goal is to block light and create image depth. Similar to IPS panels, VA panels also come in different varieties such as PVA, S-PVA, and MVA. However, their core functionality, when compared to IPS panels, remains the same.
Differences Between IPS and VA
The fundamental concept behind each panel type remains consistent: electrically charged liquid crystals regulate the passage of light, determining its intensity in order to reach each of the three coloured sub-pixels. Nevertheless, a few distinctions do exist.
IPS vs. VA: Accuracy and Coverage
IPS panels have long been utilized for creating displays with exceptional colour accuracy and wide coverage of colour gamuts like DCI-P3 or Adobe sRGB. Not only do IPS displays offer impressive visual quality, but they also maintain their excellence even when viewed from wider angles. This means you don’t have to be directly in front of an IPS monitor to experience accurate colours.
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While VA displays can also deliver good colour accuracy and coverage, colour uniformity can sometimes be a challenge. Depending on the viewing angle and distance, the center of VA monitors may exhibit more gamma than the edges, resulting in less accurate colours.
Although IPS generally outperforms VA in terms of colour accuracy and coverage, VA panels still offer perfectly acceptable colour accuracy and coverage for the majority of users. Only professional photo and video editors may find a VA monitor that covers only 90% of the DCI-P3 colour space slightly disappointing. However, for gamers and content consumers, this level of coverage is actually quite impressive.
IPS vs. VA: Contrast Ratio
The contrast ratio is a metric that quantifies the darkness of the colour black displayed on a screen, expressed as a ratio of x:1. A higher value of x indicates better performance. While IPS panels generally excel in colour accuracy, reproducing true black proves to be challenging. Even the finest IPS monitors and TVs can only achieve a very dark shade of grey instead of pure black. Most IPS monitors boast a contrast ratio of 1000:1, which is decent but not exceptional. However, certain monitors can reach up to approximately 2000:1.
Despite its general colour accuracy issues, VA displays excel at rendering black as true black. Even the least impressive VA panels can effortlessly achieve a contrast ratio of 2000:1, with some even surpassing 5000:1. In fact, when it comes to contrast ratio, VA is second only to OLED, which boasts perfect contrast ratios of ∞:1. Consequently, in darker scenes, a VA display can outperform its IPS counterpart in terms of visual appeal.
Certain displays can enhance their contrast ratio through the use of local dimming and HDR. Local dimming, accomplished by employing a sophisticated backlight with multiple LEDs that can be individually activated or deactivated, allows IPS and VA displays to achieve deeper blacks when necessary. Conversely, HDR amplifies brightness for colours that require it.
By combining these two elements, some displays can significantly elevate their contrast ratio. Nevertheless, it is important to note that these features alone cannot match the contrast ratio of an average VA display, and the improper implementation of local dimming may introduce more visual issues than it resolves.
IPS vs. VA: Response Time
Response time refers to the duration required for a display to refresh and present a new image. Both IPS and VA technologies have historically faced challenges in this regard. However, modern IPS displays have made significant strides in overcoming traditional response time issues, while VA displays have not exhibited comparable progress.
Display manufacturers do not adhere to a standard method of measuring response time, but according to BenQ, a manufacturer of both IPS and VA monitors and TVs, IPS typically achieves a response time of 1-2ms, whereas VA can only achieve 4-5ms. It’s important to note that these values represent an ideal scenario. What truly matters is that VA displays significantly lag behind in terms of speed.
Excessive response times can lead to a loss of clarity and sharpness in highly dynamic scenes. This phenomenon, known as ghosting, can be particularly frustrating for avid gamers engaged in fast-paced titles such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Both IPS and VA displays offer remedies and workarounds to minimize ghosting, with overdrive being a crucial factor.
However, an overly aggressive overdrive setting can result in reverse ghosting, where the display tries to change a pixel’s colour too quickly and ends up with incorrect colours for a few frames. Whether it’s ghosting or reverse ghosting, the end result is the same: unsightly smearing. Therefore, finding the right balance in overdrive is paramount for an optimal visual experience.
While IPS panels generally outperform VA panels in terms of response time, it’s important to note that not all IPS displays have satisfactory response times. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that response time only needs to match the monitor’s refresh rate to eliminate smearing.
For example, on a 60Hz display, it takes approximately 16.66ms to display a new image, meaning a 1ms response time doesn’t have a significant impact. Higher refresh rates place more emphasis on response time, although even at 144Hz, a response time of around 7ms is sufficient to prevent ghosting.
IPS vs. VA: Refresh Rate
IPS displays offer significantly higher refresh rates compared to VA displays. While IPS can reach up to 500Hz, VA is limited to 240Hz. It’s important to note that the majority of VA monitors only support 144Hz or 165Hz, with only a few capable of 240Hz. Therefore, if you’re seeking extremely high refresh rates, IPS is the clear winner.
Even if VA could achieve 360Hz, it would likely not perform well due to its weakness in response times. A 360Hz display refreshes every 2.7ms, which is well below what VA displays typically deliver.
Conclusion
As you may have gathered by now, there is no one-size-fits-all panel type; it all depends on your specific needs. While there used to be notable differences between panel types, advancements in technology have made these differences less pronounced. However, two aspects still stand out: viewing angles and contrast.
If you find yourself in a dimly lit room, a VA panel capable of displaying deep blacks would likely be the optimal choice. On the other hand, if your environment is well-lit, it would be wise to consider other features of the monitor and select based on those that align with your specific requirements. To make the best choice for your needs and budget, be sure to consider all of these factors when choosing between an IPS and VA display.
