DO NOT BUY a VA monitor... You'll most likely REGRET IT!

Summary

In this video, Fabio Pisco advises against purchasing VA panel monitors due to their color inaccuracy, poor viewing angles, and black smearing issues. He highlights the washed-out colors and brightness shifting in ultra-wide VA panels, especially noticeable in dark scenes. Despite VA panels offering higher contrast ratios and potentially cheaper options with higher refresh rates, Pisco recommends IPS panels for the best gaming experience, citing better color distribution and overall performance.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is a tutorial on why one should not buy a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel monitor, according to the speaker's opinion.
• 🎨 The first reason against VA panels is that they have less accurate colors compared to IPS (In-Plane Switching) panels.
• 🖥️ The second reason is the poor viewing angles of VA panels, which can result in washed-out colors on the edges of ultra-wide monitors.
• 🔆 The third reason is the brightness shifting issue with VA panels, where the brightness appears different when viewed from the sides compared to the center.
• 🌙 The fourth reason discussed is black smearing, a form of ghosting that occurs in VA panels when transitioning from darker to lighter colors due to slow pixel response times.
• 📊 Despite the downsides, VA panels offer a higher contrast ratio, which can provide deeper blacks, especially beneficial for watching anime.
• 💰 VA panels are generally cheaper and can offer higher refresh rates for the same price compared to IPS panels.
• 🏷️ The video mentions that not all VA panels have black smearing, with some models like the Samsung Odyssey CG7 having minimal issues due to good overdrive settings.
• 🛒 The speaker recommends higher-end IPS panels for the best gaming experience due to their superior color distribution and viewing angles.
• 🔄 The video ends with the speaker's intention to return the VA monitor and stick with his IPS monitors for better overall usage.
• 👍 The speaker encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and share the video, emphasizing that an IPS panel is generally the better choice for most users.

Q & A

Who is the presenter of the video?

The presenter of the video is Fabio Pisco.

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is the reasons why one should not buy a monitor with a VA panel.

What is the sponsor of the video and what product are they offering?

The sponsor of the video is GVG Mall, offering a Windows 10 Home serial key for only $16 with a discount code for additional 20% off.

What are the three main issues with VA panels according to the video?

The three main issues with VA panels are inaccurate colors, poor viewing angles leading to washed out colors on the edges, and brightness shifting due to the viewing angles.

What is the term used to describe the color and brightness issues on the edges of a VA panel monitor?

The term used to describe the color and brightness issues on the edges of a VA panel monitor is 'washed out colors' and 'brightness shifting'.

What is 'black smearing' and why is it a problem for VA panels?

Black smearing is a phenomenon similar to ghosting, where there is a slow transition from darker to lighter colors, causing blurriness in fast-paced scenes. It's a problem for VA panels due to their slower pixel response times.

What is the advantage of VA panels over IPS panels in terms of contrast ratio?

VA panels have a higher contrast ratio compared to IPS panels, which can reach up to 5000:1, providing deeper blacks and more vibrant colors.

What is the recommendation for someone looking for a gaming monitor with a higher refresh rate?

The recommendation is to opt for a higher-end IPS panel for the best gaming experience, as VA panels may have black smearing issues that negate the benefits of a higher refresh rate.

What is the alternative to VA panels if one is looking for a cheaper option with a higher refresh rate?

While VA panels are cheaper and can offer higher refresh rates, the video suggests that for a balance of quality and performance, one should consider IPS panels or look for VA panels with exceptional overdrive settings to minimize black smearing.

What is the final decision of the presenter regarding the VA monitor he is reviewing?

The presenter decides to return the VA monitor and keep his main IPS monitor, due to the issues with color accuracy, viewing angles, and black smearing.

What is the final advice given by the presenter for choosing between VA and IPS panels?

The presenter advises that for overall usage and better color distribution, an IPS panel is the way to go, while VA panels might be considered for cheaper options with higher refresh rates, but with the understanding of their inherent issues.

Outlines

00:00

🖥️ VA Panel Monitor Warnings

In this paragraph, Fabio Pisco discusses the reasons why one should be cautious about purchasing a VA panel monitor. He explains that VA panels have less accurate colors compared to IPS panels, and this is particularly noticeable in ultra-wide monitors where the viewing angles are not as good, leading to washed-out colors on the edges. He also mentions brightness shifting, where the brightness on the sides of the screen differs from the center, especially noticeable in darker scenes. The third issue highlighted is black smearing, a form of ghosting that occurs due to slow pixel response times, which is common in all VA panels and can be a significant drawback for gaming.

05:01

🔍 The Pros and Cons of VA Panels

Fabio Pisco continues by contrasting the disadvantages of VA panels with their advantages. He points out that while VA panels suffer from black smearing and have poor viewing angles, they offer a higher contrast ratio, which can be beneficial for watching content like anime. He also notes that VA panels are generally cheaper and may offer higher refresh rates for the same price as IPS panels. However, he personally prefers IPS panels for their superior color distribution and overall performance, and he plans to return the VA monitor he tested, sticking with his IPS monitors instead.

Keywords

💡VA Panel

VA (Vertical Alignment) Panel refers to a type of liquid crystal display technology used in monitors and TVs. It is known for its high contrast ratios but is criticized in the video for having issues with viewing angles, color accuracy, and motion handling compared to IPS panels. The video's theme revolves around the disadvantages of VA panels, especially when used in large, ultra-wide monitors.

💡IPS Panel

IPS (In-Plane Switching) Panel is another LCD technology that offers better color accuracy and wider viewing angles than VA panels. The video contrasts VA panels with IPS panels, suggesting that IPS panels are preferable for gaming and general use due to their superior performance in these areas.

💡Color Accuracy

Color accuracy is the degree to which a display can represent colors as they truly appear. The video script mentions that VA panels do not offer color accuracy as good as IPS panels, which is important for users who require true-to-life color representation, such as in gaming or graphic design.

💡Viewing Angles

Viewing angles refer to the extent from which a display can be viewed without significant color shifting or brightness changes. The script emphasizes that VA panels have narrower viewing angles compared to IPS, leading to color and brightness distortions when viewed from the sides, especially noticeable in large monitors.

💡Brightness Shifting

Brightness shifting is a phenomenon where the perceived brightness of a display changes depending on the angle of view. The video describes how VA panels exhibit more brightness shifting than IPS panels, particularly problematic in ultra-wide monitors where the sides appear dimmer compared to the center.

💡Black Smearing

Black smearing is a motion blur effect that occurs in certain types of LCD panels, where transitions from dark to light areas appear blurry due to slow pixel response times. The script uses this term to illustrate a significant drawback of VA panels, especially in fast-paced gaming scenarios where motion clarity is crucial.

💡Pixel Response Time

Pixel response time is the time it takes for a pixel to change from one color to another. The video points out that VA panels have slower pixel response times, which leads to the black smearing effect, negatively impacting the viewing experience in dynamic content.

💡Overdrive Settings

Overdrive settings are adjustments in a monitor's firmware that aim to reduce motion blur and ghosting by speeding up pixel response times. The script mentions that even with good overdrive settings, VA panels can still suffer from black smearing, although some high-end models may mitigate this issue.

💡Contrast Ratio

Contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black that a display can show. VA panels are highlighted in the video for having higher contrast ratios than IPS panels, which can result in deeper blacks, beneficial for watching movies or other content where dark scenes are prevalent.

💡Refresh Rate

Refresh rate is the number of times a display updates the image per second, measured in Hertz (Hz). The video discusses how VA panels can offer higher refresh rates but may not provide a better gaming experience due to issues like black smearing, which can negate the benefits of a high refresh rate.

💡Gaming Experience

Gaming experience encompasses all aspects of how a game is played and perceived on a display, including image quality, motion handling, and overall enjoyment. The video's main message is that while VA panels may offer certain advantages like higher contrast ratios and refresh rates, the disadvantages such as color inaccuracy and black smearing can degrade the gaming experience, making IPS panels a better choice for most users.

Highlights

Introduction to the video discussing the drawbacks of VA panels for monitors.

Sponsorship mention for acquiring Windows 10 Home serial key at a discounted price.

Three main reasons outlined for not choosing a VA panel monitor.

Color accuracy issues with VA panels compared to IPS panels.

Viewing angle problems with large VA panel monitors leading to color washout.

Brightness distribution issues due to poor viewing angles on VA panels.

Black smearing as a significant issue with VA panels, especially during fast-paced scenes.

Pixel response time being too slow in VA panels causing black smearing.

Examples of black smearing in gaming scenarios with VA panels.

High refresh rate monitors with VA panels may not provide a better gaming experience due to black smearing.

Advantages of VA panels, such as higher contrast ratios compared to IPS panels.

VA panels being a cheaper option for monitors with higher refresh rates.

Personal preference for IPS panels over VA panels due to better overall performance.

Recommendation for gamers to opt for higher-end IPS panels for the best gaming experience.

Acknowledgment of the difficulty in trusting online advice, but a confident recommendation of IPS panels for color distribution.

Final thoughts on choosing between VA and IPS panels based on individual needs and preferences.

Transcripts

hello guys gameplays i'm fabio pisco and

welcome to my channel so today's video

is about how you should not

buy a monitor with a va panel why well

right after the sponsor of today's video

for today's sponsor we have gvg mall

where you can acquire your windows 10

home serial key for only 16

and using my skeg discount code will get

you 20 off making it only 11

after the payment you'll receive the key

in your account and after getting it you

simply need to introduce it in your

windows settings and bam

you have an activated system

why you shouldn't buy a va panel there

are in my opinion three reasons the

first one is the colors they aren't as

accurate as an ips panel that's for sure

but that's not the main reason so if

you're getting for example a 35 inches

ultra wide monitor like this one or 34

inches ultra wide

va panel you'll have a way bigger space

and the viewing angles of the

the viewing angles of the va panels

aren't as good as the ips ones so what

will happen is when you actually are in

the middle of the screen looking at the

tips of the monitor the right tip or the

right edge the left edge what will

happen is that the colors that you'll

see on the edges will be washed out so

the colors won't have the full contrast

like they should have or they have in

the middle so only if you move your head

to the other side then you can see the

contrast but once you put your head once

again in the middle of the screen where

it should be in the middle of the

monitor if you just rotate your head and

watch the edge the collars will look

washed out okay so that's a problem that

happens with the va monitors that have a

really a really big length like this one

of 35 inches okay and if you have one

for example 40 49 inches or 38 inches

and still va

i assume it it will be even worse so

yeah that's the first reason the second

reason also has to do with the viewing

angles so since the viewing angles are

not as good as the ips one the

brightness distribution per se will also

be different because you'll have color

shifting on the sides like i said before

so washed out colors you'll have slight

a slight color shifting uh you and

you'll have also a brightness shifting

so if you're looking uh in the middle of

the monitor the brightness will be very

very good but if you start looking at

the sides of the monitors the brightness

will seem to be different and that is

due to the viewing angles not being as

good as the ips one so if you have a va

panel or a va monitor let's say 27

inches 16.9 you are mostly okay because

the length of the monitor is different

is way shorter but if you have an ultra

wide one this is an issue because with

such a big length uh you'll have the

brightness the brightness shifting so in

the middle it will be one brightness if

you start looking at the sides the

brightness will be different and

different and different and different so

at least for me it annoys me a bit

having that brightness shifting okay you

won't notice much uh in lighter colors

but if once you go to darker scenarios

uh you'll actually notice the brightness

shifting and those darker scenarios take

us to the third reason why you shouldn't

get a va panel the third reason is black

smearing if you don't know what black

smearing is black smearing is kind of a

ghosting as we had in older monitors

it's kind of a ghosting but only uh

shifting from like darker colors to

lighter colors and this is due to the

pixel response being too slow shifting

from darker colors to lighter colors and

this is a problem presented in all va

panels not only just this one all va

panels and that is due to the pixel

response being too slow going from

darker colors to lighter colors or vice

versa okay so the pixel response will be

too slow in those darker colors and will

cause ghosting but we don't call it

ghosting we call it black smearing

because ghosting is when that happens in

all of the colors in all the spectre

okay uh and for va panels the lighter

colors are completely fine in most cases

if the overdrive settings of the monitor

are okay

but

they will be really really bad in the

dark scenarios it's just a given if you

go for a va panel you'll have black

smearing you can watch these examples

where you can clearly see the black

smearing for example on this net under

on the left that it gets blurry as i

move my camera in pubg okay so this is

black smearing it won't happen with an

ips panel okay or this even harder

scenario of black smearing

on hellblade when you have a white

symbol in the middle of the screen and

you are actually moving the camera

in darker scenes so the black smearing

is apparent the symbol gets blurry and

that is due to the black smearing it

wouldn't happen in an ips panel so yeah

basically if you're looking for a

monitor to upgrade to

uh and it has a va panel there are only

there are only a few monitors uh

worldwide that do not have the black

smearing okay they do not have the black

smearing due to very very good overdrive

settings and good va panels like for

example the samsung other cg7 monitors

which are 16.9 and not 21.9 are one of

the few that have almost no black

smearing due once again to very good

overdrive settings okay so

almost all if not all the other va

monitors or all the other va panels will

have black smearing and that takes away

the point of having a panel with higher

refresh rate so why would i want 100

hertz like here uh if i actually have

motion blur aka black smearing in the

fast-paced scene so i want a higher

refresh rate monitor so i can clearly

see the fast-paced scenes

but how could i see the the the

fast-paced scenes if it has black

smearing you see what uh what i'm going

to so it's

it's it's like a counter of what you

want you get high refresh rate but at

the same time you get black smearing so

it makes no sense upgrading because of

that at least to a va panel so if you

want the best gaming experience get the

higher end ips panel okay

now if your panels are not just bad

things they also have good things like

for example the cons the contrast ratio

while a good ips panel may reach like

1200 to 1 contrast ratio we have on the

the va panels we have like

2500 and above it can reach like 500 to

1 contrast ratio which is incredibly

higher than any ips for example when i

watch anime i watch anime and it is 16.9

so i have black bars on both sides both

the left side and right side those black

bars i can easily notice that the color

is not like

really really black in my main ips

monitor and it is a really top-notch ips

monitor and i can notice they are like

dark dark blue and not

and not black due to the low contrast

ratio while using my va panel

those black parts on the side those

black bars are actually black and they

are cheaper to do with the same earth so

uh for example for the same value you

can get 100 hertz here of if you want an

ips panel sorry it will be like 75 hertz

or maybe 60 hertz for the same value so

so yeah va panels are cheap but they

have black smearing they have brightness

shifting they have poor viewing angles

and due to that they have also uh washed

out colors

in the in the sides so

i personally

wouldn't take it and that's why i'm

returning this va monitor and i'll keep

my main ips one and the previous ips one

that i that i have will be here okay

so that's all for this video don't

forget it like subscribe and share this

video hope this video helped you in some

way

um

i know it's it's hard to trust a

stranger on the internet of course but

believe me

even the color distribution is way way

better with uh with an ips panel and

over for overall usage the ips panel is

the way to go okay if you want something

cheaper with higher refresh rate well

maybe va but apart from that ips is the

way to go thanks a lot and see you in

the next video

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