Curved screen
The presence of
a curved screen in the monitor design.
Such a screen has the left and right edges curved forward - it is believed that this shape significantly improves perception compared to a flat surface. At the same time, it makes sense to provide this feature only on fairly large diagonals - at least 30"; therefore, it is typical mainly for high-end models. It is also worth noting that in order to take advantage of all the advantages of a curved screen, you need to look at it from a certain point - at the optimal distance, strictly in the center; however, for computer monitors this is usually not a problem.
The main parameter of a curved screen is the radius of curvature. It is indicated in millimeters along the radius of a circle, the bend of which corresponds to the bend of the monitor: for example, the designation 1800R indicates a radius of 1.8 m.
The smaller the number in this designation, the more curved the screen (all other things being equal). At the same time, some manufacturers claim that the ideal curvature value is 1000R: supposedly, it is with this curvature of the screen that the image on it turns out to be as close as possible to a person’s natural field of vision, and the closer the curvature of the monitor is to 1000R, the better the viewing experience. However, in practice a lot depends on personal preference; and when viewed from a long distance (exceeding the radius of curvature by one a
...nd a half times or more), all the advantages of a curved screen are lost.Surface treatment
Modern monitors can use displays with both glossy and matte screen surfaces.
A matte surface is in some cases more preferable due to the fact that on a
glossy screen, when exposed to bright light, noticeable glare appears, sometimes interfering with viewing. On the other hand, glossy screens offer better picture quality, higher brightness, and richer colours.
Due to the development of technology,
monitors with a special anti-glare coating have appeared on the market, which, while maintaining all the advantages of a glossy screen, creates significantly less visible glare in bright ambient light.
Resolution
The native resolution of the monitor. Ideally, the resolution of the video signal should be the same, then the quality of the image on the screen will be maximum.
In general, the higher the resolution, the higher the detail and the more advanced the screen is, but the more expensive it will cost (ceteris paribus) and the more power the graphics card will need to work properly at that resolution. As for specific values, they are quite diverse in modern monitors, but all resolutions can be divided into several general categories:
—
HD (720). Screens suitable for HD video with a resolution of 1280x720. Note that this category also includes models with a resolution of 1024x768 — this figure is somewhat less than necessary to display HD in its original size, but the quality of the HD picture on such a screen still turns out to be quite high. The most popular option among HD monitors is 1366x768, there are also models 1280x768, 1280x800 and non-widescreen (5:3) 1280x1024.
—
Full HD (1080). Full HD monitors. The classic, most popular version of this resolution is 1920x1080 (
16:9 format), however, there are other options among monitors, including such specific ones as
ultra-widescreen (32:9) 3840x1080, as well as 1600x1200 (a 1920x1080 frame “does not fit into it”) ” in width, but this resolution is still commonly r
...eferred to as Full HD). To date, Full HD is a good compromise between image quality, screen cost and graphics card requirements. As a result, it is this format that is most popular among modern monitors.
— Quad HD. A kind of intermediate option between the popular Full HD and advanced demanding Ultra HD 4K. It covers resolutions from 1920x1440 to 3200x2400, although most modern Quad HD monitors fit into a narrower range — from 2560x1440 to 3840x1600. Such a screen can be a good option for those who “Full HD is not enough, but 4K is a lot.”
— Ultra HD (4K). This standard assumes a horizontal frame size of approximately 4000 pixels, but specific resolutions may vary. Popular options found in monitors include 3840x2160, 4096x2160, and 4096x2304. Overall, UHD 4K gives you 4 times more pixels on screen than Full HD; such resolutions are typical for high-end monitors and are most often combined with a large diagonal — from 27 "(although there are exceptions).
— Ultra HD (5K). An even more advanced standard than UHD 4K, which assumes a horizontal frame size of about 5000 pixels — for example, 5120x2160. It is used extremely rarely, mainly in top professional screens.
— 8K. Further, after 5K, the development of HD standards, which provides for a frame with a horizontal size of about 8000 — for example, one of the 8K resolution options in monitors is 7680x4320. Allows you to get extremely clear and detailed images, but such high-resolution monitors are very expensive, and it is not so easy to find a signal source in such a resolution. Therefore, only single models of 8K monitors are currently on the market.Pixel size
The size of one dot (pixel) on a monitor screen. This parameter is related to the maximum resolution of the monitor and its diagonal size — the higher the resolution, the smaller the pixel size (with the same diagonal) and vice versa, the larger the diagonal, the larger the size of one pixel (with the same resolution). The smaller the size of one pixel, the clearer the image will be displayed by the monitor, the less grainy it will be noticeable, which is especially important on large monitors. On the other hand, a small pixel size creates discomfort when working with fine details and text — this mainly applies to monitors with a small diagonal.
Response time (GtG)
The time each individual pixel on the monitor takes to switch from one state to another. The
lower the response time, the faster the matrix responds to the control signal, resulting in less delay and better image quality in dynamic scenes.
Note that in this case, the gray-to-gray method is used (the time it takes to switch from 10% gray to 90% gray). Pay attention to this parameter if the monitor is specifically purchased for fast-paced games, movie watching, or other applications involving quick screen movements. However, there’s no need to chase the fastest models. It’s not often possible to discern the difference between
1 ms and
5 ms. For most scenarios,
monitors with a 4 ms response time will suffice. In any case, it’s best to rely on live impressions for a true comparison.
Refresh rate
The maximum frame rate supported by the monitor at the recommended (maximum) resolution.
The higher the frame rate, the smoother the movement on the screen will look, the less noticeable jerks and blurring will be on it. Of course, the actual image quality also depends on the video signal, but for normal viewing of video at a high frame rate, the monitor must also support it.
When choosing this option, keep in mind that at lower resolutions than the maximum, the supported frame rate may be higher. For example, a model with a 1920x1080 matrix and a claimed frame rate of
60 Hz at a reduced resolution can give 75 Hz; but the
75Hz frame rate is only listed in the specs if it is supported at the monitor's native (maximum) resolution.
Also note that a high frame rate is especially important for gaming models (see "Type"). In most of them, this figure is
120 Hz and higher;
monitors with a frequency of 144 Hz are considered the best option in terms of price and quality, however, there are also higher values —
165 Hz and
240 Hz. And
monitors at 100 Hz can be both inexpensive gaming models and advanced home ones.
You can evaluate all the frame rates at which this monitor is capable of operating by the ver
...tical frequency claimed in the specifications (see below).Brightness
The maximum brightness provided by the monitor screen.
Choosing
a monitor with high brightness is especially important if the device is going to be used in bright ambient light — for example, if the workplace is exposed to sunlight. A dim image can be "dampened" by such lighting, making work uncomfortable. In other conditions, the high brightness of the screen is very tiring for the eyes.
Most modern monitors give out about 200 – 400 cd / m2 — this is usually quite enough even in the sun. However, there are also higher values: for example, in LCD panels (see "Type") the brightness can reach several thousand cd/m2. This is necessary taking into account the specifics of such devices — the image must be clearly visible from a long distance.
Colour depth
The colour depth supported by the monitor.
This parameter characterizes the number of shades that the screen can display. And here it is worth recalling that the image in modern monitors is based on 3 basic colours — red, green, blue (RGB scheme). And the number of bits is indicated not for the entire screen, but for each base colour. For example, 6 bits (the minimum colour depth for modern monitors) means that the screen is capable of producing 2 ^ 6, that is, 64 shades of red, green and blue; the total number of shades will be 64 * 64 * 64 = 262,144 (0.26 million). An
8-bit colour depth (256 shades for each base colour) already gives a total of 16.7 million colours; and the most advanced modern monitors support
10-bit colour, allowing you to work with more than a billion shades.
Screens with support for FRC technology are worth a special mention; nowadays, you can find models marked "
6 bit + FRC " and "
8 bit + FRC ". This technology was developed to improve picture quality in situations where the incoming video signal has a greater colour depth than the screen, such as when 10-bit video is fed to an 8-bit matrix. If such a screen supports FRC, the picture on it will be noticeably better than on a regular 8-bit monitor (although somewhat worse than on a full-fledged 10-bit monitor, but “8 bit + FRC” screens are much
...cheaper).
High colour depth is important primarily for professional graphics and other tasks that require high colour fidelity. On the other hand, such features significantly affect the cost of the monitor. In addition, it is worth remembering that the quality of colour reproduction depends not only on the colour depth, but also on other parameters — in particular, colour gamut (see below).Colour space (sRGB)
Monitor colour gamut Rec. 709 or sRGB.
Any colour gamut is indicated as a percentage, however, not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the monitor's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.
Nowadays, sRGB is actually the standard color model adopted for computer technology; This is what is used in the development and production of most video cards. For television, the Rec. standard, similar in parameters, is used. 709. In terms of the range of colors, these models are identical, and the percentage of coverage for them is the same. In the most advanced monitors it can
reach or even exceed 100%; These are the values that are considered necessary for high-end screens, incl. professional.