How To View The Different Types of LCD Panels
Make sure to click on the images to enlarge them and inspect them closely on an AHVA/IPS/PLS panel, CRT, Plasma or OLED which are all free from horizontal and vertical gamma shift unlike TN (vertical) and VA panels (horizontal).
In this post the % Brightness refers to the amount from 1-100 in the monitors menu, and the cdm/2 value is the total brightness of white measured with a Spectracal C6 HDR2000 Colorimeter. Photos taken with a Nikon D5200 Camera. The ceiling light used in photos with the lights on is a single 2600 lumen (brightness) Daylight or 6500k (color temperature) Philips CFL light:
AHVA/IPS/PLS panels can not be viewed from above or while being looked down upon without suffering from obvious contrast loss or white glow or vibrancy loss. Despite this AHVA/IPS/PLS panels still have the widest viewing angles, as well as the most accurate, even and vibrant colors.
The top of AHVA/IPS/PLS panels need to line up or be higher than the viewers eyes to eliminate glow. The top left image shows the correct way to view an AHVA/IPS/PLS panel. and is also ideal for keeping proper posture and not hunching:
TN panels have the most restrictive viewing angles both horizontally and vertically, but they do fair better when looked down upon or viewed from above than AHVA/IPS/PLS panels. TN panels can not be viewed while leaning back or from below without darkening significantly which makes them unusable while leaning back, reclining, or placed higher than the viewers eyes. Even slight vertical changes result in obvious darkening:
TN panels colors are also uneven from top to bottom due to vertical gamma shift. TN panel color is too dark in the top quarter and washed out in the bottom half. TN panels must be viewed like this to get the best image quality out of them:
Many people who upgrade from TN panels place their AHVA/IPS/PLS panel at the same height and distance. A high amount of AHVA/IPS/PLS horror stories about glow and light bleed are the result of improper use such as keeping the brightness maxed while looking down at, or viewing the AHVA/IPS/PLS panel from above.
VA panels (A-MVA, S-PVA, ect) have the second most restrictive horizontal viewing angles, but suffer from far less contrast loss and glow than AHVA/IPS/PLS panels when looked down upon or viewed from above.