Which is superior among IPS and VA LCD TVs?

You’ve probably come across terms like LED, QLED, mini-LED, QNED, Neo QLED, and so on when it comes to TVs.

But do you know what foundational technology lies behind them?

They’re all built on the well-known LCD technology, which typically relies on two main panel types: IPS or VA.

No matter what fancy brightness, color, or contrast tech they add, it all comes down to just these two major panel types: IPS or VA.

In this article, we’ll break down what these terms mean and why they matter.

We’ll also compare IPS and VA panels to see which one comes out on top.

Let’s dive in!

Why the names IPS and VA?

You might be wondering why LCD panels are named this way.

To understand that, we first need to take a quick look at how an LCD TV works.

An LCD TV has an LED backlight that serves as the light source to create images on the screen.

To control the light’s intensity and color for different parts of the picture, a layer of liquid crystals and color filters are used respectively.

The liquid crystals are aligned in specific configurations, and they shift their alignment when powered by an electric current.

If the nanocrystals are vertically aligned in their original state, we call it a VA panel, and if they’re horizontally aligned or in-plane, it’s an IPS panel.

IPS

In an IPS LCD panel, the liquid crystals are initially aligned horizontally.

When light hits them, they rotate within the horizontal plane, which is where the name “In Plane Switching” (IPS) comes from.

Because they rotate this way, they spread the light over a larger area, giving IPS panels wide viewing angles.

However, their original horizontal alignment may not block light very effectively, which means they struggle to achieve really deep blacks.

As a result, you might notice some light bleeding through the screen, during dark scenes, which lowers the overall contrast ratio.

IPS panels typically have wide viewing angles but low contrast ratios.

VA

VA (Vertical Alignment) refers to the arrangement of liquid crystals in a VA panel, which are naturally aligned vertically when no current is applied.

This vertical alignment allows the pixels to block light more efficiently in dark scenes compared to IPS panels, where the crystals are aligned horizontally.

As a result, VA panels offer superior contrast and deeper blacks.

However, when current flows through the crystals, they twist and rotate to allow light to pass, but their rotation is limited in the vertical plane, leading to narrower viewing angles.

VA panels typically have high contrast ratios but narrow viewing angles.

Why do most monitors use IPS panels?

When you’re using a PC monitor, you’re usually sitting fairly close, so it’s important that you see the entire screen clearly, even the edges.

For that, an IPS panel is a better choice since it offers consistent color and clarity across the whole screen, no matter where you’re looking.

With a VA panel, the image will look great in the center, but as you move toward the edges, the accuracy can drop due to its narrower viewing angles.

Because of this, IPS monitors are often the go-to for both work and gaming, since they provide better overall viewing experience from any angle.

Why do most TVs use VA panels?

When it comes to TVs, picture quality is of the utmost importance, and one of the main factors affecting it is the contrast ratio.

A high contrast ratio means deeper, more realistic blacks, which makes images on a dark background appear more vibrant and lifelike.

OLED TVs are the top performers here, delivering true blacks and creating an amazing picture quality.

However, since LCD TVs can’t control each pixel as precisely as OLED, they typically rely on VA panels to achieve better contrast.

To further boost contrast, advanced features like full array local dimming and mini LED backlighting are used, enhancing the overall performance of VA panels.

IPS vs VA LCDs: What are the main differences?

The differences between IPS and VA panels stem from various factors such as contrast ratio, blooming, and viewing angles.

Let’s take a closer look at how they compare, including against OLEDs, which are often regarded as the gold standard for picture quality.

Contrast

A VA panel naturally offers higher contrast than an IPS panel due to its vertical alignment of liquid crystals.

This means TVs with VA panels generally deliver better picture quality, with deeper blacks.

For example, VA LCD TVs that incorporate mini LED backlighting, like some of Samsung’s Neo QLED models, significantly boost contrast, bringing black levels closer to those of OLEDs.

In contrast, IPS panels inherently have lower contrast.

To improve this, some IPS-based TVs, like LG’s QNED models, use mini LED backlighting, while NanoCell TVs implement Full Array Local Dimming (FALD).

However, even with these enhancements, their contrast still falls short compared to VAs or OLEDs.

OLED TVs, on the other hand, don’t rely on backlighting.

Instead, each pixel is self-emissive, allowing them to achieve true blacks.

As a result, the contrast on OLEDs is virtually infinite, offering unparalleled picture quality.

Blooming

Blooming is a phenomenon related to black uniformity on a TV.

Black uniformity refers to how well bright objects stand out against a dark background in scenes with bright elements.

Blooming occurs when light from bright objects spills into the surrounding dark areas.

This issue doesn’t occur with OLED TVs because they use self-emissive pixels.

Each pixel can turn off completely, resulting in pure blacks and clearly outlined bright areas without any light leakage.

In contrast, LCD TVs can experience blooming since they don’t have self-emissive pixels.

Instead, they rely on a constant backlight that illuminates the screen.

The degree of blooming in LCDs depends on factors like the type of panel and the effectiveness of the local dimming technology used, with more advanced local dimming features reducing the issue to some extent.

In general, IPS displays tend to suffer from more light leakage, especially in brighter areas, which can bleed into the dark background and raise black levels.

As a result, the blacks on IPS displays aren’t as deep or true, though some models with advanced local dimming technology can somewhat improve black levels.

On the other hand, VA panels experience significantly less blooming.

Bright objects stand out more clearly against dark backgrounds, with better-defined edges and less light spill, allowing for deeper blacks compared to IPS panels.

Viewing Angles

As mentioned earlier, IPS panels excel in viewing angles, making them a great choice for wide seating areas.

The image remains consistent even when viewed from off-center positions.

In contrast, VA panels have narrower viewing angles, meaning the best picture quality is typically only seen when you’re directly in front of the TV, at the “sweet spot” in the center.

However, with recent advancements in technology, VA panels have improved and now offer wider viewing angles, though they still lag behind IPS displays in this regard.

OLED TVs, on the other hand, offer the best viewing angles of all, as each individual pixel can be turned on or off independently.

This allows OLED screens to maintain consistent brightness, contrast, and color accuracy from virtually any angle.

Color Accuracy

IPS displays are often perceived to have better color accuracy than VA panels, but this isn’t necessarily a rule.

This perception may come from the fact that many LG LCD TVs use IPS panels paired with a layer of nanoparticles, which can enhance color accuracy by filtering out duller or less pure tones.

However, the panel type itself doesn’t directly determine color accuracy.

VA panels, for example, also use advanced technologies like quantum dots to achieve wide color gamut and high color accuracy.

A good example of this is the Samsung Neo QLED (with a VA panel) and the LG QNED (with an IPS panel), both of which use quantum dots combined with mini-LED backlighting to significantly boost color accuracy and expand their color gamuts.

OLEDs, on the other hand, can achieve very good color accuracy because each pixel is self-emissive, meaning it can emit its own unique color.

This allows for precise and vibrant colors that are consistent across different viewing angles.

Brightness

Both IPS and VA panels can achieve high brightness levels thanks to their powerful LED backlighting.

However, VA-based displays, particularly those with mini-LED backlighting, tend to outperform IPS panels in terms of peak brightness.

These VA panels, especially in HDR content, can deliver stunning levels of brightness, revealing eye-popping details in bright highlights.

On the other hand, OLEDs have traditionally struggled with achieving high brightness because their organic pixels cannot be driven so hard because of the risk of their degradation.

However, advancements in MLA-based WOLEDs (Micro-Lens Array) and QD-OLEDs (Quantum Dot OLEDs) have made significant progress in improving brightness.

These newer OLED technologies have increased the maximum brightness levels while maintaining their signature deep blacks and high contrast, which allows them to compete with even the brightest VA and IPS LCDs, particularly in delivering HDR content.

Input Lag

Response time is particularly crucial for gaming.

OLED TVs offer an almost instant response time, typically around 0.1 ms.

In contrast, VA and IPS panels, being LCD-based, have slightly slower response times.

However, response time is only one factor in overall input lag, which is also influenced by external components like the gaming console, keyboard, and other accessories.

That being said, both modern OLEDs and LCDs have made significant improvements in reducing input lag, ensuring a smoother and more responsive gaming experience.

IPS vs VA vs OLED: Which is the best one?

In an OLED TV, backlight bleeding is never an issue, as OLEDs don’t rely on a backlight at all.

This is a common problem in LCDs, especially with IPS panels, which tend to have poorer contrast and can experience significant light bleed.

VA panels, on the other hand, generally have less backlight bleeding but are still not immune to it.

That said, IPS LCDs have been incorporating more advanced local dimming technology to improve their contrast and reduce backlight bleeding, though they still fall far short of OLEDs.

When it comes to VA panels, they are known for having narrower viewing angles compared to IPS panels and OLEDs.

However, newer VA panels have made improvements, offering slightly better viewing angles, though they still fall short of the wide viewing angles of IPS displays and OLEDs.

Speaking of OLEDs, they don’t suffer from issues like blooming or narrow viewing angles.

OLEDs provide perfect blacks and uniform picture quality across the screen.

However, an issue called “burn-in” may remain with OLEDs. This may happen when a static image, like a channel logo, stays on the screen for too long and leaves a permanent imprint.

This problem is much less common in LCDs, which don’t have the same risk of pixel degradation over time.

So, what’s the solution?

Is it better to choose an IPS display with high contrast, a VA panel with wide viewing angles, or an OLED with no burn-in issues?

The ideal solution is likely to be micro-LED displays, which feature self-emissive inorganic pixels that don’t degrade over time.

These displays offer the best qualities of both OLED and LCD.

However, due to their extremely high cost, more practical alternatives combine the strengths of OLED and LCD.

QD OLEDs and MLA-based OLEDs, with enhanced brightness, along with VA and IPS panels featuring advanced technologies like quantum dots and mini LED backlighting, can deliver an almost perfect viewing experience.

Ultimately, how close they come to perfection depends on the specific TV model.

Conclusion

There isn’t a clear-cut answer to which TV panel is the best out of IPS and VA.

In a nutshell, if you’re primarily into watching movies, a VA LCD TV is a better choice, especially with a mini LED backlight, which offers higher contrast and better quality visuals.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a PC monitor, an IPS display would be more suitable because it provides clear visibility at the edges, even when sitting close to the centre.

OLED TVs, although typically more expensive than VA and IPS panels, offer perfect contrast with the widest viewing angles.

So, if your budget allows for a bright OLED TV and you watch a variety of content, it’s the best choice, and then you don’t need to think of any VA or IPS based LCD TV.