LG L246WP-BN : 24″ LCD Monitor
LG L246WP-BN
Size: 24″
Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1200
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Response Time: 8ms
Inputs: VGA, HDMI, Component
Panel: In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology or Multidomain Vertical Alignment (MVA)
Viewing Angle: 178/178
Price: MSRP $650
I have always preferred LCD monitors that use In-Plane Switching (IPS) panels. A display’s primary function, in my opinion, is to accurately display information, may that be text, graphics or video. For graphics color is very important. IPS panels are known to have little color shift as you go off-angle leading to great color reproduction. That is why almost all of Apple’s LCD monitors use IPS panels. And that is one of the reasons why I like LG’s L246WP-BN.
Thanks for the tip! I checked BestBuy online and my local store had one, so I went and picked one up — their weren’t many left. I plugged it in to make sure it wasn’t DOA, but can’t comment on the display quality yet.
topmetropolis
December 22, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Hi,
Are you sure that this LG monitor is S-IPS? There was a discussion at one of the Anandtech threads (http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2135720) where a frequent poster thought this was a VA panel. I tried to find out more information myself, but could not confirm that it is indeed S-IPS. Are you able to provide any additional information?
Thanks,
–Ken
replytoken
December 30, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Hi Ken,
Thanks for reading my blog! I’ll try to answer your question as best as I can.
LG Electronics procure LCD panels from several source, but mostly from LG.Philips LCD, a joint venture between LG Electronics and Philips Electronics. LG.Philips LCD is a In-Plane Switching technology house and makes most IPS panels in the world. Others such as BOE Hydis, HannStar, Hitachi and a Japan-based joint venture called IPS Alpha also make IPS-based displays.
VA-based LCD is manufactured by companies such as Sharp, Samsung, AU Optronics, Chi Mei Optoelectronics, Chunghwa Picture Tubes and others. Although the possibility of the LG 24″ LCD monitor having a VA LCD panel is there, it would be surprising. Although some sites report that the LG 24″ LCD monitor uses a VA panel, my personal test, which I will show you below, shows that that is not true.
A way of figuring out if you have a IPS or VA panel is to use a pair of polarized sunglasses, or any piece of glass or transparent plastic that is polarized.
Polarized sunglasses are great at blocking light that bounces off of flat surfaces (roads, body of water, etc.). The light is generally polarized vertically and what that means is that horizontal light, light that bounces off roads, etc., are blocked, removing a lot of glare and helping you to see better.
If you place a set of polarized sunglasses in front of the LCD, you should see the contents pretty well. If you tilt it 45 degrees (positive or negative), most TN and VA panels should turn black. Now, if you tilt it 90 degrees a IPS panel will turn black. This is based on my understanding of how liquid crystals are aligned and therefore how light is polarized for VA versus IPS technologies. Try it and let me know what happens with your LCD monitor.
Note: Some polarized sunglasses are not completely vertically polarized and may be off by a few degrees.
Jin
January 2, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Hi Jin,
Thank you for the detailed response. While I have not yet had a chance to perform the test that you have described, I did contact LG USA customer service today. They specifically stated that this model has an MVA panel. It is also listed as such at the LG Canadian web site: http://ca.lge.com/en/products/model/detail/lcdmonitors_l246wpbn.jhtml# under the specification tab near the bottom of the page. Its great that MVA technology is becoming so similar to S-IPS that it is becoming harder and harder to tell them apart.
–Ken
replytoken
January 3, 2008 at 10:59 am
Thanks Ken. I have also done some digging and it seems that LG has procured from more than one panel supplier for the 24″ LCD monitor. Although for most consumers the difference between IPS and VA panels might not make much of a difference, for those that are seeking out IPS technology, this development is slightly disappointing.
On another note, the power saving problem has come back and after several reboots the monitor does not want to work. Even though the price was great, I cannot continue to deal with a monitor that simply does not want to work. Unfortunately, the 24″ monitor will be going back to Best Buy tomorrow or sometime next week.
I am still in need of a solid 24″ LCD monitor and am currently researching HP’s w2408. The price is just as competitive at just $485 shipped. But more important than price, I will need for it to simply work and will complete its due diligence before I purchase it.
Please offer up any advice you may have if you know of excellent 24″ LCD monitors. Thanks!
-Jin
Jin
January 4, 2008 at 11:36 pm
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January 22, 2008 at 9:12 pm
The powersaving problem you speak of is from using the HDMI connection? I did what you said to do and made my hdmi connection as my main monitor and then unextended it from the vga connection. I haven’t had any problems since. I bought it for 449 at circuit city. Good deal.
thirdshiftdj
January 31, 2008 at 9:42 pm
@thirdshiftdj
Yes, I experienced the power-saving problem when the LG was connected via the DVI-HDMI cable. I am very happy to hear that your LG is working without a problem for you. I wish I can say the same. I returned the LG unit and am still looking for a 1920 x 1200 external monitor. I might instead go with two 1600 x 1200 monitors instead.
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February 3, 2008 at 2:18 pm
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June 16, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I’d like to correct a misconception here. VA means Vertically Aligned, meaning the liquid crystals are naturally aligned vertically and thus blocking any horizontally polarized light. In your test this would produce exactly the same result as you’d get from a n IPS display, because both IPS and VA are assembled with horizontal polarizers that block off all light when seen through polarized sunglasses. The only distinction that you can make is between non-TN and TN displays since TN displays have their polarizer rotated 45 degrees.
Can’t say I care much whether it’s IPS or VA though, I’ve had this HP f2105 for 3 years and for me VA has been good enough since I bought it, especially in a market overflooded with TN crap.
I’ll keep an eye out for those LCs though, since the reason why I came here was because I was googling for VA displays to replace this aging HP.
choom
June 25, 2009 at 10:38 pm