How to choose an LCD monitor?

How to choose a monitor? Whether it is from the appearance, or from the consideration of cost performance, or the pursuit of the ultimate performance of the product, many consumers may not particularly understand this, the following quality inspector will take you to understand the purchase of LCD monitors method.

1. Screen display

When we buy LCD monitors, the first consideration is the size of "face". The screen size is calculated according to the diagonal of the screen, usually in inches (inch) as the unit, which refers to the length of the diagonal of the screen. The choice of screen size is highly subjective. Some people prefer large screens, while others prefer small screens. The choice can be made according to your own budget and preferences.

2. Resolution

The resolution is mostly used for the clarity of the image. The higher the resolution, the better the image quality and the more details it can show. Generally speaking, the higher the resolution of the monitor, the better. Today, even cheap monitors have at least 1920 x 1080 resolution, a standard format called "1080p". This format is widely used in most standard LCD TVs, cell phones and tablets, and a wide variety of other technologies. In addition to 1080p, there are options for larger resolutions, but they are also more expensive. So within the budget, try to choose a monitor with a larger resolution.

3. Interface type

In the past ten years of development, the interface of display devices has undergone tremendous changes! We used to use blue VGA interface more, and then white DVI interface appeared. When encountering different interfaces, we have to buy a switch connector for transfer. Later, there were HDMI and other interfaces, and now there are DP and USB Type-C interfaces. For the monitors we use every day, HDMI is absolutely dominant. It is mature and stable, and can also meet daily needs, but it is not recommended to use HDMI interface when applied to monitor hardware color calibration, its RGB range will be missing, DP interface is a better choice for color calibration. The practicability of the rest of the interfaces is also very high, and some relatively "cold" interfaces are also being popularized. Therefore, choosing according to your needs is the most fundamental solution.

4. Refresh rate

Refresh rate refers to the number of frames per second a monitor can display, measured in Hertz (Hz). The most common refresh rates are 60Hz and 144Hz, but there are also 50, 75, 85, 165, 200, and 240Hz. In video games, the stronger the performance of the computer, the higher the frame rate (fps), the smoother the game screen, and the refresh rate of the monitor must be greater than or equal to the game frame rate to fully exert its full performance. In general, the refresh rate of the display is of course the higher the better. However, for the vast majority of people, it is difficult to notice the difference between 60, 144 and 240Hz, and the average user only needs a 60Hz monitor.

5. No splash screen

The display will flicker on any background below maximum brightness. Due to the limit of the human eye's perception of flicker, it is difficult for the user to perceive this flicker, but this problem cannot be ignored. Although our vision cannot detect the flicker, the muscles of the human eye are constantly contracting and opening, which will cause the intraocular pressure to rise over time, and the eyes will experience soreness, numbness and pain. It will also cause some damage to the eyesight.

How to identify the screen without flickering? After purchasing the monitor, use the camera or mobile phone to take a picture of the monitor, no need to take a picture, just watch the image captured by the camera or mobile phone. When a display with a splash screen is at low brightness, you can see wavy stripes on the screen, which will not appear on a display without the splash screen.

6. Low blue light mode

Low-Blue Light, a new feature that became popular around 2016, is now a standard feature on monitors. According to media reports, blue light has long been disgusting. After all, its damage to the eyes has been verified by medical examples. Low blue light mode usually takes the form of a slider or a series of presets that gradually reduce the blue light in the image. After this function is turned on, it will have a certain impact on the color rendering of the overall picture, but it is indeed necessary to protect the eyes.

7. Response time

Response time, also known as standard response time, refers to the time it takes to turn a pixel off, then turn it on and off again (or from black to white and back to black). The response time of the display is divided into standard response time and grayscale response time. If the response time is too long, there will be "blur" and "ghosting" when playing games and watching movies. When consumers buy, the general experience is that the shorter the response time, the better. In addition, it should be noted that the response time is divided into two parts: Tr (rise time) and Tf (fall time). From black to white, it is rising, and white to black is called falling. The response time is the sum of these two values. . However, some manufacturers only mark one of these two values to mislead consumers. Therefore, everyone must understand clearly when purchasing.

8. Curved display

Displays are divided into ordinary flat-panel displays and curved displays. In theory, a curved screen offers a wider viewing angle and an "immersive" experience, with a smaller radius of curvature and a greater degree of curvature. To get the benefits of the curved surface requires a large 100-inch screen and sits close together, which may give you a more "cinematic" experience. But you probably don't want a TV or computer monitor that big, and you probably don't want to sit that close. If your monitor isn't this big, a curved monitor isn't really that useful.

9. Brightness/Contrast

Liquid crystal is a substance between liquid and crystal, which cannot emit light by itself, so the brightness of the backlight determines its brightness. Generally speaking, the higher the brightness of the liquid crystal display, the brighter the displayed colors and the better the display effect; if the brightness is too low, the displayed colors will be darker, and you will feel tired after watching for a long time. Contrast is the ratio of brightness, which refers to the brightness of a white screen divided by the brightness of a black screen in a dark room. Therefore, the brighter the white and the darker the black, the higher the contrast ratio, the clearer and brighter the displayed picture, and the stronger the color layering. For consumers who often use computers to play games or do graphics processing, they should choose LCD monitors with higher contrast ratios. For users who have a soft spot for DVD blockbusters, a high-brightness/high-contrast LCD display is the most suitable choice. Of course, it's not that the higher the brightness and contrast, the better. Watching a high-brightness LCD screen for a long time will also make your eyes tired easily.

10. Bad Pixels

"Bad pixels" are physical pixels that cannot be repaired on the LCD panel, and are divided into two types: bright spots and dark spots. Bright spots refer to pixels that still emit light when the screen displays black, and dark spots refer to pixels that do not display color. Since their existence will affect the display effect of the picture, the fewer dead pixels, the better. When consumers choose LCD monitors, they should not choose products with more than three dead pixels. How to test monitor dead pixels? Users can test with the help of monitor tester (Nokia Monitor Test) software. In addition to "Dark Spots" and "Highlights", there are also "Color Spots" that always display a single color.

11. Viewing angle

The light of the liquid crystal display is projected forward through the liquid crystal at a near-vertical angle. Therefore, when we observe the screen from other angles, it will not be as clear as the CRT display, but will see obvious colors. distortion. This is caused by the size of the viewing angle. The viewing angle is divided into horizontal viewing angle and vertical viewing angle. When choosing a liquid crystal display, you should try to choose a product with a large viewing angle. At present, the viewing angle of the liquid crystal display is basically more than 140 degrees, which can meet the needs of ordinary users. No matter how much the viewing angle is, whether it is convenient for your own use is fundamental, and it is best to choose according to your daily usage habits.

12. After-sales service

The warranty time of the monitor is set by the manufacturer itself, and generally has a full free warranty service of 1-3 years. Therefore, consumers should understand the detailed warranty period, so as to avoid product problems, which will affect the use of consumers. Therefore, consumers should try to choose products with a long warranty period.