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    What is Flex View??

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Lt.Glare, Mar 29, 2007.

  1. Lt.Glare

    Lt.Glare Notebook Evangelist

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    What is Flex view (something to do with screens)? There is no definition on Wikipedia.
     
    Lt.Glare, Mar 29, 2007
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  2. NetBrakr

    NetBrakr Notebook Deity

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    NetBrakr, Mar 29, 2007
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  3. Ethyriel

    Ethyriel Notebook Deity

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    It's IBM marketing for the IPS technology used in LCD's. Other LCD techs include TN and *VA (PVA and MVA, further prefixes indicate marketed quality level).

    IPS is known for it's capacity for extremely accurate color, the highest viewing angles of mass produced LCD panels, and less than stellar black levels. There are sometimes issues with pixel twinkling in instances of high contrast and motion. Most of the extremely high end graphics arts monitors use IPS, though Eizo is starting to buck that trend and transition to PVA.

    *VA is known for excellent black levels, a similarly excellent capacity for color accuracy, and viewing angles almost as good as IPS. Viewing angles start to show their limitation even at 24", but especially with 30" resulting in slight loss in color uniformity. There isn't an issue with pixel twinkling, but *VA panels aren't as responsive as IPS at their base, and are more likely to use overdrive circuits which sometimes causes an effect called input lag.

    TN panels are extremely fast, very cheap, but have very poor color (usually only 18 bit dithered up to the range of 24 bit, a HUGE difference), and horrific viewing angles. Most panels you see are TN, which is a sad development indeed.
     
    Ethyriel, Mar 29, 2007
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  4. vespoli

    vespoli 402 NBR Reviewer

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    vespoli, Mar 29, 2007
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  5. Pitabred

    Pitabred Linux geek con rat flail!

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    It's because they're cheap. 90% of people would rather have cheap than good. Even I am barely affected by a TN vs. an IPN display, and I do a fair bit of graphics work. The reality is that it's "good enough", just like a Honda Accord is "good enough", even though an Acura or Lexus is technically better.
     
    Pitabred, Mar 30, 2007
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  6. Ethyriel

    Ethyriel Notebook Deity

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    Yeah, but *VA was poised to become the cheap option (S-PVA on the higher end), but then marketing departments discovered that low pixel response sold more than full 24 bit color depth and wider viewing angles. Some really are down to 4ms or 8ms, but not nearly as many as advertise those values.

    And no offense to you or your graphics work, but it's hard to do much with 262k colors, especially when it's dithered up. FRC isn't much better, and the viewing angles are so abysmal you get serious color inconsistency on even a 17" screen. I'm not talking color critical, it doesn't even do a $200 point and shoot justice for simple post processing.
     
    Ethyriel, Mar 30, 2007
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