Probably, you have heard that this or that device has an IPS matrix and a Retina display. What is it?
The development of LCD monitors is due, among other things, to the advent of a technology called IPS (In-Plane Switching). The name was given because of the way the crystals are placed in the IPS panel: the crystals are located in one plane parallel to the surface of the panel. This method made it possible to obtain much larger viewing angles, which made LCD monitors an alternative to CRT displays.
Implementation IPS technology made it possible to remove the main disadvantages of the first LCD displays: a small viewing angle due to the different degree of rotation of the molecules of the LCD substance, which led to different intensity of the emission of light beams after they passed the second filter of the panel.
Changes in the LCD panel industry were made possible by Hitachi engineers who officially introduced IPS technology in 1996. Thanks to this breakthrough, the new displays were not very big time response with color quality comparable to monitors based on a cathode ray tube.
But an increase in the viewing angle made it necessary to apply two control transistors to each element at once. This became necessary as a result of placing the electric field in a plane with respect to the screen. This greatly improved the image quality, but using a large number transistors automatically increased the opaque area occupied by them, as a result, it was necessary to significantly increase the power of the backlight lamp.
Also, a feature of IPS was that when voltage was applied to the liquid crystal, it returned its circular polarization, which means it increased its brightness.
The first IPS panels were unreasonably expensive, which in no way contributed to their popularity. In addition, the response time of 50 ms left much to be desired: the response time was noticeable even with simple scrolling, not to mention three-dimensional ones.
Naturally, improvements were required, which were made by various manufacturers of LCD panels. These are Super-IPS, Dual Domain IPS, Advanced Coplanar Electrode, etc. The refinement made it possible to achieve even greater viewing angles, up to 180 (!) Degrees. After some time, NEC began to produce panels that became a simple development of IPS technology, among which were A-SFT, A-AFT, SA-SFT and SA-AFT.
What is a Retina screen?
It is known that human vision is very inertial. That's why 24 frames per second is enough for the human eye to see a continuous image on a TV screen. The same can be said about the image itself. With a sufficient removal of the human eye, it takes a picture of large strokes as if it were a glossy photograph with high resolution. In general, a person is able to distinguish about 300 dpi. If there are fewer of them, then the eye sees the so-called display graininess, and if there are more, then the picture seems very clear and bright.
It is this feature that characterizes Retina screens, i.e. screens with high pixel density. This is the one used in the Iphone 4:
The picture shows that the density of 326 dpi provides a clear image, while a regular screen is simply intimidating with its pixels.
Liquid crystal displays are one of the fastest growing technologies. Every year, new developments are released that can significantly improve image quality and other display parameters. In connection with such a pace of development and the constant emergence of new types of LCD displays, many have a question, IPS screen, what is it?
So, answering the question, what is an IPS display, you should start by saying that this is an abbreviation for In-Plane Switching. The technology got its name due to the peculiarity of the location of the control electrodes, which are not on opposite sides of the liquid crystal molecules, as in other types of matrices, but on the same plane. This decision led to a significant increase in the brightness and contrast of the image.
However, there is also a negative side, which is that for such an arrangement of electrodes, a higher voltage is needed to drive liquid crystals. This in turn means that the IPS screen has a longer response time.
main feature this technology - the location of the control electrodes is not on different sides of the liquid crystal, but on the same plane.
1. What is an IPS screen
An IPS panel is an array of special cells called pixels. These cells are filled with liquid crystal molecules. As mentioned above, the main feature of the technology is the location of the electrodes, but this is not the only difference. IPS matrices. In addition, the liquid crystal molecules themselves are located parallel to the plane of the screen, while in the cells they are located in the same plane.
This means that in a calm state, the emission of light does not change its polarization. That is, light passes freely through the first polarizing filter and is completely blocked by the second. This in turn means that dead pixel will appear as a black dot on the screen, which is less noticeable than a bright white dot on a TN screen.
The technology was developed back in 1996 by Hitachi. However, IPS displays have received mass distribution only since 2010. During this time, the technology has come a long way of development, as a result of which we have a fairly large variety of IPS matrices.
1.1. IPS display types
As mentioned above, there are many varieties of IPS matrices in the world. Of course, it’s not worth listing all of them, but there are several types of screens that are most popular:
- AS-IPS;
- HIPS;
- AH-IPS;
- EIPS;
- P-IPS;
- S-IPS.
It is worth noting that the E-IPS display is the cheapest. It is designed for the middle and budget class. However, even this type of display has a fairly high performance. most modern matrix, which has the highest image quality scores, is AH-IPS. This technology was developed in 2011, and today it occupies a leading position among LCD displays.
It is noteworthy that IPS screens are almost the only competitor to plasma panels. It is also worth noting that every year more and more manufacturers prefer this type displays.
1.2. Advantages of IPS displays
A modern IPS display is high quality images, as well as the most natural color reproduction. The main feature of the technology is the realism of color reproduction. Exactly because of this reason this monitor is in great demand among professional photo and video image editors.
In addition, IPS matrices are characterized by higher brightness and contrast. Relatively recently developed new technology backlight, which is called LED. It is based on the use of modern LEDs, which are significantly superior to fluorescent lamps brightness and flicker frequency. In addition, such a backlight takes up much less space, which allowed not only to increase the brightness and image quality, but also to make the screen even thinner. Almost all modern IPS Displays are equipped with LED backlighting.
IPS screens are used in a wide variety of devices, from monitors and TVs to smartphone screens and tablet PCs. If we compare them with plasma, then we can say with full confidence that IPS displays are more affordable, while they are practically not inferior to plasma panels. Among the screens for mobile devices IPS technology's only competitor is super amoled- Developed by Samsung. However, although S-Amoled is a brighter and thinner screen, IPS still wins in clarity and color reproduction.
2. LCD vs AMOLED: Video
Or a TV, then you will surely come across the term IPS. The consultant in the electronics store will probably tell you that IPS is very cool, but he is unlikely to explain what it is. Therefore, in this article we will try to talk about what IPS is, why it is needed, and how it is better than other similar technologies.
What is IPS
IPS is one type of liquid crystal display. This technology appeared in 1996 as a result of research conducted by Hitachi and NEC. From these two companies, this technology received two names. Hitachi named this technology"IPS" (now the name most often used), and NEC gave the name "SFT". Now LG is also improving this technology.
IPS technology was developed as an alternative to the simpler and more popular TN+film liquid crystal display technology. TN+film displays are inexpensive and responsive. However, such displays have poor viewing angles. If the user looks at such a display not at a right angle, then the colors will be distorted. The degree of distortion depends on the characteristics of a particular display. Sometimes the distortion is less, sometimes more, but TN+film technology does not allow to get rid of them completely. Moreover, even if the user is looking directly at the display, the color reproduction will still not be perfect.
Comparison of viewing angles IPS and TN+film (IPS top)
IPS technology solves both of these problems with TN+film. A display with an IPS matrix can produce an equally good picture regardless of the angle from which the user is looking. At the same time, IPS matrices have more correct color reproduction. So IPS technology allows you to transfer the full color depth of RBG 24 bit. Another advantage of this technology is a more truthful black color. If TN+film's black color is more like dark gray, then here black is really black.
Macro photo of TN+film and IPS matrices (TN+film on top)
History of IPS technology development
AT technical specifications monitor is usually indicated not just IPS, but more specific name technologies. For example, e-IPS, P-IPS, AH-IPS, IPS-Pro, etc. In order not to make a mistake when choosing a monitor, it is not necessary to know all the features of each specific implementation of IPS technology. The main thing is to know what year this version of the IPS matrix belongs to, in order not to buy a frankly outdated device. Below we provide a table that will allow you to quickly navigate in this matter.
| Development of SFT technology from NEC | ||
| Year | Name | abbreviation |
| 1996 | Super Fine TFT | SFT |
| 1998 | Advanced SFT | A-SFT |
| 2002 | Super-Advanced SFT | SA-SFT |
| 2004 | Ultra-Advanced SFT | UA-SFT |
| Development of IPS technology from Hitachi | ||
| Year | Name | abbreviation |
| 1996 | Super TFT | IPS |
| 1998 | Super IPS | S-IPS |
| 2002 | Advanced Super-IPS | AS-IPS |
| 2004 | IPS Provectus | IPS Pro |
| 2008 | IPS alpha | IPS Pro |
| 2010 | IPS alpha next generation | IPS Pro |
| Development of IPS technology from LG | ||
| Year | Name | abbreviation |
| 2001 | Super IPS | S-IPS |
| 2005 | Advanced Super-IPS | AS-IPS |
| 2007 | Horizontal IPS | H-IPS |
| 2009 | Enhanced IPS | e-IPS |
| 2010 | Professional IPS | P-IPS |
| 2011 | Advanced High Performance IPS | AH-IPS |
Alternative to IPS matrices
In addition to IPS, there are other technologies that seek to replace the popular and cheap TN + film matrices. Below we will look at the most popular alternatives to IPS matrices.
- VA/MVA/PVA is a technology developed by Fujitsu in 1996. The main advantages of matrices based on this technology are: high-quality black color (like on IPS), as well as the price, which is usually lower than in IPS. The main disadvantage of VA / MVA / PVA matrices is the distortion that appears when the viewing angle changes. Depending on the manufacturer, this technology may have other names. For example, Super PVA from Sony-Samsung, ASV or ASVA from Sharp, Super MVA from CMO.
Comparison of PVA and TN+film viewing angles (PVA on the right)
- pls technology from Samsung. This technology was first shown in 2010. Samsung is positioning this technology as a direct competitor to IPS. The main advantages of PLS matrices are: more low price(compared to IPS), good viewing angles, high-quality color reproduction, as well as low power consumption (at the level of TN + film matrices). The main disadvantage of PLS technology is the slow response of the matrix (5-10 ms, approximately the same as that of S-IPS).