Dot Pitch/Pixel Size

Dot pitch is the distance between phosphor dots (sub-pixels) or between TFT LCD cells of the same color on a display screen. A smaller number generally means that the image on the screen is sharper, as there are more dots in any given area.

A computer monitor with a smaller dot pitch is usually better, but this is not always true because of the methods used to measure it. There are many methods of measurement as well as differing pixel geometries on the screen and differing screen resolutions when judging image quality on the display.

Most of the time, dot pitch is measured on the diagonal, this gives the most accurate representation of dot pitch of the display. Later some companies introduced a horizontal dot pitch measurement. By measuring only the horizontal dot pitch and not the vertical, cheap, low-quality displays can appear to have a smaller dot pitch.

For example, a display with a 0.28mm (diagonal) dot pitch has a horizontal pitch of 0.24 or 0.25mm depending on some monitor construction variables, a good quality 0.26mm (diagonal) display has a horizontal pitch of 0.22mm.

Be careful not to get the two different measurements confused as that 0.26mm dot pitch monitor may have more dots per millimeter than the 0.24mm dot pitch display.

Contrast and Brightness

Contrast is the ability for the monitor to vary brightness between the foreground and the backgound. It is expressed in a ratio ( i.e. 500:1). Typically the higher the ratio, the better the image quality will be as the display will be able to show bright colors next to dark without washing out the black or dulling the colors. Display brightness is expressed in candela (cd) and is defined formally as:

Phew, what this means to us it that the greater this number, the brighter the display is capable of being. However, you must watch the power consumption of the unit. A display that has a very high brightness level will consume more power than others with a lower vaue. The old adage, "a light that burns twice as bright lasts half as long" sort of applies here. So a trade off between brightness and power consumption is something to watch.

Viewing Angle

CRT monitors are viewable from almost any angle. That is to say if your view is not blocked by the curve of the screen or the surrounding plastic frame. TFT LCD’s have a narrow focus and therefore can only be viewed from inside a certain arc of angles. As the technology improves, this arc is being improved. This should not have any affect on the primary user of the PC, as they should sit facing the display. But if you like to have bystanders watching you achieve the ultimate score on puzzle bobble or you are trying to show off to your girlfriend your best trick in Tony Hawk’s pro skater, then you may have some issues (and they also might not be able to see the monitor

What To Look For When Buying

Next, be sure to select a screen that has a native resolution that meets your needs. That is to say, if your system can only play games at 800x600 then buying a 2048x1536 monster display won’t give you any advantage and will almost certainly do more to hinder your game playing and your enjoyment of it.

Check the dot pitch measurement and make sure you are comparing like-for-like if you are looking at more than one display, especially from different manufacturers.

High contrast and high brightness, but low power consumption is a very good combination because this will give you impressive visuals and your display will hopefully last longer.

Other, smaller, concerns (like the price) I will leave to personal preference. A TFT LCD that satisfies all of these criteria will hopefully do justice to your game visuals and give you the gaming experience that you desire.

By Willson Peterson

Related Articles