pls lcd panel technology pricelist

Samsung, being the global leader in mobile displays that it is, was understandably a little unnerved by Apple"s IPS LCD-sporting iPhone 4, but now it"s back to the forefront with its brand spanking new Super PLS tech. PLS stands for Plane to Line Switching, which helps Samsung deliver some pretty spectacular viewing angles -- even better than the already stellar ones you"ll find on IPS panels -- while also improving screen brightness by a reported 10 percent. The target market for Super PLS displays will be smartphones and tablets, with a delicious WXGA resolution on offer for the top bidders. Mind you, Samsung also claims production costs are 15 percent lower than comparable IPS tech, meaning that the only thing standing between us and the next new hotness is time -- Sammy expects to begin mass production early next year. Oh, and it"s working on securing a set of 30 patents relating to Super PLS, so don"t go holding out hope for direct competitors from LG or anyone else anytime soon.

So, why is this important? A monitor’s panel technology is important because it affects what the monitor can do and for which uses it is best suited. Each of the monitor panel types listed above offer their own distinctive benefits and drawbacks.

Choosing which type of monitor panel type to buy will depend largely on your intended usage and personal preference. After all, gamers, graphic designers, and office workers all have different requirements. Specific types of displays are best suited for different usage scenarios.

The reason for this is because none of the different monitor panel types as they are today can be classified as “outstanding” for all of the attributes mentioned above.

Below we’ll take a look at how IPS, TN, and VA monitors affect screen performance and do some handy summaries of strengths, weaknesses, and best-case uses for each type of panel technology.

IPS monitors or “In-Plane Switching” monitors, leverage liquid crystals aligned in parallel to produce rich colors. IPS panels are defined by the shifting patterns of their liquid crystals. These monitors were designed to overcome the limitations of TN panels. The liquid crystal’s ability to shift horizontally creates better viewing angles.

IPS monitors continue to be the display technology of choice for users that want color accuracy and consistency. IPS monitors are really great when it comes to color performance and super-wide viewing angles. The expansive viewing angles provided by IPS monitors help to deliver outstanding color when being viewed from different angles. One major differentiator between IPS monitors and TN monitors is that colors on an IPS monitor won’t shift when being viewed at an angle as drastically as they do on a TN monitor.

IPS monitor variations include S-IPS, H-IPS, e-IPS and P-IPS, and PLS (Plane-to-Line Switching), the latter being the latest iteration. Since these variations are all quite similar, they are all collectively referred to as “IPS-type” panels. They all claim to deliver the major benefits associated with IPS monitors – great color and ultra-wide viewing angles.

In the past, response time and contrast were the initial weakness of IPS technology. Nowadays, however, IPS monitor response times have advanced to the point where they are even capable of satisfying gamers, thus resulting in a rising popularity in IPS monitors for gaming.

With regard to gaming, some criticisms IPS monitors include more visible motion blur coming as a result of slower response times, however the impact of motion blur will vary from user to user. In fact, mixed opinions about the “drawbacks” of IPS monitor for gaming can be found all across the web. Take this excerpt from one gaming technology writer for example: “As for pixel response, opinions vary. I personally think IPS panels are quick enough for almost all gaming. If your gaming life is absolutely and exclusively about hair-trigger shooters, OK, you’ll want the fastest response, lowest latency LCD monitor. And that means TN. For the rest of us, and certainly for those who place even a modicum of importance on the visual spectacle of games, I reckon IPS is clearly the best panel technology.” Read the full article here.

IPS monitors deliver ultra-wide 178-degree vertical and horizontal viewing angles. Graphic designers, CAD engineers, pro photographers, and video editors will benefit from using an IPS monitor. Many value the color benefits of IPS monitors and tech advances have improved IPS panel speed, contrast, and resolution. IPS monitors are more attractive than ever for general desktop work as well as many types of gaming. They’re even versatile enough to be used in different monitor styles, so if you’ve ever compared an ultrawide vs. dual monitor setup or considered the benefits of curved vs. flat monitors, chances are you’ve already come into contact with an IPS panel.

TN monitors, or “Twisted Nematic” monitors, are the oldest LCD panel types around. TN panels cost less than their IPS and VA counterparts and are a popular mainstream display technology for desktop and laptop displays.

Despite their lower perceived value, TN-based displays are the panel type preferred by competitive gamers. The reason for this is because TN panels can achieve a rapid response time and the fastest refresh rates on the market (like this 240Hz eSports monitor). To this effect, TN monitors are able to reduce blurring and screen tearing in fast-paced games when compared to an IPS or VA panel.

On the flip side, however, TN panel technology tends to be ill-suited for applications that benefit from wider viewing angles, higher contrast ratios, and better color accuracy. That being said, LED technology has helped shift the perspective and today’s LED-backlit TN models offer higher brightness along with better blacks and higher contrast ratios.

The greatest constraint of TN panel technology, however, is a narrower viewing angle as TN monitors experience more color shifting than other types of panels when being viewed at an angle.

Today’s maximum possible viewing angles are 178 degrees both horizontally and vertically (178º/178º), yet TN panels are limited to viewing angles of approximately 170 degrees horizontal and 160 degrees vertical (170º /160º).

TN monitors are the least expensive panel technology, making them ideal for cost-conscious businesses and consumers. In addition, TN monitors enjoy unmatched popularity with competitive gamers and other users who seek rapid graphics display.

Vertical alignment (VA) panel technology was developed to improve upon the drawbacks of TN. Current VA-based monitors offer muchhigher contrast, better color reproduction, and wider viewing angles than TN panels. Variations you may see include P-MVA, S-MVA, and AMVA (Advanced MVA).

These high-end VA-type monitors rival IPS monitors as the best panel technology for professional-level color-critical applications. One of the standout features of VA technology is that it is particularly good at blocking light from the backlight when it’s not needed. This enables VA panels to display deeper blacks and static contrast ratios of up to several times higher than the other LCD technologies. The benefit of this is that VA monitors with high contrast ratios can deliver intense blacks and richer colors.

MVA and other recent VA technologies offer the highest static contrast ratios of any panel technology. This allows for an outstanding visual experience for movie enthusiasts and other users seeking depth of detail. Higher-end, feature-rich MVA displays offer the consistent, authentic color representation needed by graphic designers and other pro users.

There is another type of panel technology that differs from the monitor types discussed above and that is OLED or “Organic Light Emitting Diode” technology. OLEDs differ from LCDs because they use positively/negatively charged ions to light up every pixel individually, while LCDs use a backlight, which can create an unwanted glow. OLEDs avoid screen glow (and create darker blacks) by not using a backlight. One of the drawbacks of OLED technology is that it is usually pricier than any of the other types of technology explained.

When it comes to choosing the right LCD panel technology, there is no single right answer. Each of the three primary technologies offers distinct strengths and weaknesses. Looking at different features and specs helps you identify which monitor best fits your needs.

LCD or “Liquid Crystal Display” is a type of monitor panel that embraces thin layers of liquid crystals sandwiched between two layers of filters and electrodes.

While CRT monitors used to fire electrons against glass surfaces, LCD monitors operate using backlights and liquid crystals. The LCD panel is a flat sheet of material that contains layers of filters, glass, electrodes, liquid crystals, and a backlight. Polarized light (meaning only half of it shines through) is directed towards a rectangular grid of liquid crystals and beamed through.

Note: When searching for monitors you can be sure to come across the term “LED Panel” at some point or another. An LED panel is an LCD screen with an LED – (Light Emitting Diode) – backlight. LEDs provide a brighter light source while using much less energy. They also have the ability to produce white color, in addition to traditional RGB color, and are the panel type used in HDR monitors.

Early LCD panels used passive-matrix technology and were criticized for blurry imagery. The reason for this is because quick image changes require liquid crystals to change phase quickly and passive matrix technology was limited in terms of how quickly liquid crystals could change phase.

As a result, active-matrix technology was invented and transistors (TFTs) began being used to help liquid crystals retain their charge and change phase more quickly.

Thanks to active-matrix technology, LCD monitor panels were able to change images very quickly and the technology began being used by newer LCD panels.

Ultimately, budget and feature preferences will determine the best fit for each user. Among the available monitors of each panel type there will also be a range of price points and feature sets. Additionally, overall quality may vary among manufacturers due to factors related to a display’s components, manufacturing, and design.

Alternatively, if you’re into gaming and are in the market for TN panel these gaming monitor options may be along the lines of what you’re looking for.

While OLED panels produce true blacks and have an instantaneous pixel response time speed, you have to look out for image burn-in and retention. Moreover, OLED displays can’t get as bright as some high-end LED-backlit LCDs with IPS or VA panels.

IPS panels have a slower response time and lower contrast, which when combined with IPS glow and backlight bleed results in grayish blacks in comparison to that of OLED displays and an overall inferior viewing experience, but there’s no risk of burn-in.

With OLED prices steadily going down, you are probably wondering whether you should finally get one or stick with the old and trusted IPS technology. Here’s what you need to keep in mind when choosing between these panel types.

OLED TVs (and some monitors) use either LG’s 42″ – 97″ W-OLED panels or Samsung’s 55″ – 77″ QD-OLED panels – both of which have 4K UHD resolution and a 120Hz native refresh rate.

As far as OLED gaming monitors go, there is the LG 27GR95QE (27″ 1440p 240Hz), the LG 45GR95QE and Corsair Flex (45″ 3440×1440 240Hz) and the Dell AW3423DWF (34″ 3440×1440 165Hz). These are the most popular models, but other manufacturers offer/plan to release monitors based on the same panels too.

So, gamers who want a 27″ – 32″ 4K high refresh rate monitor, a 34″+ ultrawide, or a smaller ~24″ sized model with an OLED panel will have to wait until they (hopefully) become available at some point or opt for an IPS, TN or VA monitor instead.

As each pixel is self-emissive on an OLED display, you essentially get over 8 million dimming zones on a 4K panel, resulting in a much better image quality overall without any blooming.

The main advantage of IPS panels is that they can get much brighter, especially if they’re enhanced with a mini LED backlight. Some mini LED displays can reach over 2,000-nits of peak brightness for both small <10% window sizes and full-screen white windows, while OLED displays are usually limited to around 1,000-nits for small <5% window sizes and 150 to 250-nits for full-screen white windows.

1,000-nits is still enough to create punchy highlights under normal lighting conditions, but if you’re watching the screen in a particularly bright room, HDR content can appear underwhelming on OLED displays in comparison to mini LED LCDs.

Keep in mind that mini LED and FALD backlights aren’t exclusive to IPS technology. You can also find them paired with VA panels, which have a higher native contrast ratio for deeper blacks with less blooming, but not as wide viewing angles or as consistent colors as IPS.

LG’s W-OLED panels offer ~98% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, but they don’t have quite as wide color volume as Samsung’s QD-OLED panels as they can’t get as bright.

Another big advantage of OLED panels is the instantaneous pixel response time speed that ensures there’s no noticeable ghosting or overshoot behind fast-moving objects, regardless of the refresh rate.

With IPS displays, the response time performance varies from panel to panel. However, even the fastest IPS panel isn’t as quick as OLED, but as long as its pixels transitions can keep up with the refresh rate, gaming performance will be smooth.

However, because high refresh rates bring lower input lag, competitive and professional gamers will always aim for the fastest panel and there are IPS monitors with up to 390Hz! In 2023, we’ll also see the first 540Hz TN and 500Hz IPS panels!

Another advantage of OLED technology is that they look better when displaying a non-native resolution. So, if 4K is too demanding for your system, running a 4K OLED at 2560×1440 will look better than running the same resolution on a 4K IPS display.

Unlike LG’s W-OLED panels with a WBGR subpixel layout, QD-OLED doesn’t require white subpixels but relies on a blue self-luminescent layer that basically allows it to achieve higher brightness, wider color gamut and better burn-in resistance.

First, to be clear, there is no “best” panel type out of these, as all have their respective advantages and disadvantages over the others. The information here pertains to general characteristics, as even panels of the same panel type will have some variance in characteristics (power consumption, backlight bleed, etc.) depending on the luck of the draw. Manufacturer tuning can also impact display output, affording some differentiating leverage to manufacturers sourcing from panel suppliers (which is effectively all of them).

Nostalgia or riddance aside, there are still some valid reasons to use a CRT monitor. When compared to LCD panels, CRT monitors can have higher contrast ratio, very low response time (which leads to non-blurred pictures even with fast movement on screen), and very little input lag, although LCD input lag can be largely negated. The downsides of CRTs are apparent, though: they’re large, heavy, consume more power, produce flicker, can produce audible, high frequency noise (although age plays into whether one can hear them or not), produce slightly distorted images, and produce harmful electromagnetic waves (in the form of x-rays), which requires that toxic materials such as lead and barium must be used as shielding to prevent detrimental health effects. CRT monitors are also notoriously hazardous to repair, given their large, active electrical coils that can measure upwards of 50,000 volts of electricity.

CRT displays are sometimes still used in medical, simulation, military, and government fields that have embedded the displays into control panels and machinery.

CRT monitors have largely gone out of production, and are rarely sold new (finding a used CRT is fairly easy), but their advantages temporarily lent themselves to some special uses. In regards to gaming, CRT monitors have historically been advantageous to use when gaming competitively due to very little motion blur and very little input lag. That being said, these advantages have faded with the progressive march of TN panels.

TN panels now have low motion blur (especially with lightboost or a similar technology), offer high refresh rates, low response times (1ms GTG in many cases), and are more than adequate even in the world’s most competitive games.

Ultimately, for the vast majority of users, the disadvantages of CRTs aren’t worth their limited gains, especially when TN panels meant for gaming more than adequately satisfy the needs of even competitive gamers.

TN panels have many benefits over the previously popular CRT monitors: lower weight, lower cost to produce, lower power consumption, they’re much thinner, offer clearer pictures, have no realistically achievable resolution limits, offer flexibility in size and shape, and the ability to eliminate flicker.

That being said, TN panels weren"t and still aren’t perfect, and compared to the previously popular CRT monitors, they’ve suffered from limited viewing angles, uneven backlighting, worse motion blur, higher input lag, dead/stuck pixels, and poor display in sunlight.

To be clear, many of these issues have been improved upon, but due to the underlying science of LCD TN panels, cannot be completely resolved. In fact, many of these issues -- like uneven backlighting, motion blur, input lag, and dead/stuck pixels -- are inherent issues across all LCD panel types. Poor viewing angles become a more pressing issue with larger displays, since the viewing angle when viewed straight on increases towards the outside of the monitor, thus causing more color distortion. TN panels do have the advantages of lower response times and higher refresh rates than other panel types/CRTs. TN panels are generally from 60Hz to 144Hz, offering substantially greater fluidity of gameplay with higher frequencies.

TN panels provide a good compromise between CRTs and other LCD panels as their traditionally low response rates, input lag, and high refresh rate make them comparable to CRTs for accuracy; TN panels also have the advantages of offering sharper pictures, widescreen output, lower weight, smaller physical dimensions, and higher resolutions compared to CRTs.

Still, compared to other LCD panels, TN panels suffer from poor viewing angles and worse color reproduction. Ultimately, for most gamers playing somewhat competitively to very competitively, TN panels are a good choice, but for those looking for a prettier and improved color experience, another panel type may be worth considering.

IPS (In-Plane Switching) was created to address the shortcomings of TN panels. IPS panels seek to solve TN panels’ issues of poor color reproduction and viewing angles. In this regard, IPS panels have largely succeed. Not only do they offer a higher contrast ratio (superior blacks), high color accuracy (which leads to IPS panels also generally looking less “washed out”), but IPS panels also have very little color shift when changing the viewing angles.

The tradeoff to this is that IPS panels have slower response times, higher production costs, higher power consumption, and lower possible refresh rates. IPS panels have traditionally been 60Hz, although, as with all monitors, they can be overclocked (results will vary). There have been improvements to IPS panels over the years, and slightly different revisions in the form of E-IPS and H-IPS, but ultimately the differences between these versions are inconsequential to gamers and those not involved in graphic design as a job.

Due to their worse response rates and lower possible refresh rates, IPS panels are generally considered to be worse for competitive gameplay and used more often when color is important, such as graphic design. For gamers who don’t play competitively and prefer breathtaking strolls in Skyrim instead of sweeping scrubs in CS:GO, an IPS panel should be a consideration for the next monitor.

PLS (Plane to Line Switching) are quite similar to IPS panels, so much so that they have the same advantages and disadvantages, with a couple extra minor advantages. PLS is produced by Samsung, who claims that compared to IPS panels, PLS panels have better viewing angles, a 10% increase in brightness, 15% decrease in production costs, increased image quality, and allow for flexible panels. Samsung’s PLS panels have been known to overclock well in monitors such as the QNIX 2710 in particular. Overall, PLS is basically Samsung’s version of IPS, as it is very similar in functionality (and even name). AHVA is also very similar to IPS and PLS, and differentiation between them is rare, although it should not be confused with the next panel type.

VA (Vertical Alignment) panels offer a solid medium between TN and IPS panels. VA was created to combine the advantages of IPS and TN panels, and largely did, although they did so with some compromise. That seems to be a theme in the world of monitors.

Compared to IPS panels, VA panels have the advantage of higher possible refresh rates. Although most are currently 60Hz, there are a few that are above 60Hz. VA has more advantages over TN panels than IPS, with better color reproduction, higher maximum brightness, and better viewing angles. VA panels do have the best contrast ratios of all panel types mentioned, but they also have the worst response times of the monitor technologies covered here. This causes blurring in fast-moving pictures and is disadvantageous to gaming.

For the use of gaming, VA is not the greatest option due to generally higher response time in comparison to other panel types; this slower response causes more motion blur, effectively eliminating its deployment for fast-moving titles. For a general work monitor, VA panels provide high contrast ratios, brightness, refresh rates, good color reproduction, and good viewing angles.

TN panels are another good choice for competitive gamers, as they support higher refresh rates, low response times, decent input lag, and high resolutions. Their bad viewing angles, color reproduction, and slight blurring compared to CRT monitors (due to higher response times) are all disadvantages, ones which cannot be easily fixed.

IPS panels solve the issues of TN panels, with better color reproduction and viewing angles, but do so at the cost of refresh rate and response time. IPS panels are especially useful for those not wanting to play too competitively, but want a beautiful/immersive visual experience. PLS and AHVA are similar enough to IPS to usually not be differentiated.

VA panels provide a good middle ground with better-than-IPS refresh rates and contrast levels, but have worse viewing angles and color production, although generally still better than TN. Response times are VA’s largest downfall, though, being slower than IPS and its variants and TN.

What’s best for you will depend on all of these items. For those wanting to play at a competitive level and who favor FPS or racing games, TN panels are best. Those wanting a more impressive and immersive experience may want an IPS (or similar variant, such as PLS), especially if working on artistic endeavors. Finally, those wanting a general monitor for work might consider a VA panel, although due to their higher response times, they won’t be good for gaming.

PLS-POLE takes the pain out of finite element analysis. An H-Frame in PLS-POLE is input as a collection of macro elements like poles, cross-arms and braces. These elements are selected from a library where you enter the properties of macro elements like a pole"s top and base diameter, wall thickness and shape (round, 16 sided…). PLS-POLE automatically breaks your macro elements down into many cable, truss and beam elements. In just a few minutes with PLS-POLE you can build structures that would take days to model in a traditional finite element program.

2-Part insulator going into compression A special version of our SAPS finite element analysis engine powers PLS-POLE. We designed SAPS specifically for solving complicated transmission line and guyed communication structure problems that other finite element programs couldn"t. For nearly 30 years of production use SAPS has proven to have one of the best nonlinear cable elements available anywhere.

PLS-POLE is capable of performing both linear and nonlinear analyses. Nonlinear analysis allows you to see P-Delta effects, to detect instabilities, and to perform accurate buckling checks. PLS-POLE models guys, cables and 2-part insulators as 3-d cable elements. This sophisticated analysis works even when elements have large displacements as is the case with the 2-part insulator pictured to the right.

Once PLS-POLE has calculated the forces and moments experienced in the different pieces of your structure it compares them against code capacities. The results of these checks can be displayed in text reports, spreadsheets or color-coded graphics.

Either ASCE/SEI 48-11 (previously ASCE manual 72) or other international standards can be used to check steel poles and tubular steel elements. Wood poles are checked against their ultimate stress and the fiber stress can be reduced with height according to ANSI O5.1 (2002, 2008, 2015, 2017). PLS-POLE detects wood pole buckling by your choice of exact nonlinear analysis, the Gere and Carter method, the REA method or a user programmable method. Concrete poles are checked against a moment capacity diagram. The PLS-POLE manual describes how these checks are implemented and lists the assumptions made.

Text summary of allowable spans for different heights and classes of wood poles In addition to these code checks PLS-POLE can calculate pairs of allowable wind and weight spans for a specified value of their ratio, or better yet, determine entire interaction diagrams between the allowable wind and weight spans. Optimum spotting performed with these interaction diagrams will result in a more economical solution than traditional spotting where a single wind and weight span pair is used.

PLS-POLE makes extensive use of 3-d graphics to help you visualize your structure. We draw all elements as accurately as possible and let you view the structure from any direction making modeling mistakes immediately apparent. If you see a mistake you simply click on it to edit the problem element.

Just as important as the graphical feedback are the many sanity checks PLS-POLE makes on your input data. In the course of reviewing thousands of problematic structure models we have identified many common modeling errors. PLS-POLE automatically detects these errors and flags questionable input to save you time.

PLS-POLE provides a well defined XML output file and hooks that enable pre and post-processors to be connected to the program making it the ideal engine of your custom pole process.

PLS-POLE can read files from our CPOLE, CFRAME, SPOLE, SFRAME, WPOLE, WFRAME and G-MAST programs. We recognize the investment our clients have in structure models created in these programs and have made backwards compatibility a high priority. If you are a user of these earlier programs please see the PLS-POLE page on our web site for a more detailed list of improvements made in PLS-POLE.

PLS-POLE structures used in PLS-CADD Users of our PLS-CADD line design program can use PLS-POLE to prepare allowable wind and weight span or interaction diagram files for optimum spotting. They can also take PLS-POLE structures and spot them in a line. PLS-CADD can calculate the loading on a structure at a particular location and display the results of a PLS-POLE check with those loads.

PLS-POLE results are presented in a combination of graphical views, spreadsheet views and text reports. All of this information can easily be exported to other programs. Graphical results can be saved in DXF files compatible with most CAD systems. Spreadsheet results may be pasted into spreadsheet programs, exported to ODBC compliant databases or saved to an XML file. Text results can be customized by the user and saved to files or pasted into word processing programs.

PLS-POLE provides all of the capabilities a structural engineer requires to design transmission, substation or communications structures. It does so using a simple easy to use graphical interface that rests upon our time tested finite element engine. Regardless of whether you want to model a simple wood pole or a guyed steel X-Frame; PLS-POLE can handle the job simply, reliably and efficiently.

At the heart of PLS-CADD is a sophisticated three-dimensional engineering model. This model includes the terrain, the structures and all the wires. The model can be viewed in a number of different ways: profile views, plan views, plan & profile sheets, 3-D views, staking lists... The PLS-CADD model is much more than just a picture or CAD drawing since PLS-CADD understands the relationship between these elements. When you drag a structure off the current alignment PLS-CADD will generate new profiles and update all affected structure and wire positions. The effects of this structure move will be instantly visible in all views including the plan & profile sheet view. In PLS-CADD you concentrate on designing your line instead of wasting your time drafting.

PLS-CADD easily adapts to the wide range of technologies used for line surveys including total station instruments, airborne lasers and photogrammetry. It accepts survey data in both the plan and the profile coordinate systems. Survey data can be keyed in, can be digitized using the built in heads-up digitizer, or can be electronically imported from a survey data file. PLS-CADD has a customizable data import routine that can read a wide range of survey data formats.

Superposition of planimetric maps and aerial photographs can be used to better visualize the area around your line. When sufficient data are available PLS-CADD can give you an even better perspective using contour lines, color renderings and even draped aerial photographs.

PLS-CADD’s engineering functions are very flexible and are easily adapted to conform to your standards. You start by defining the combinations of wind, ice, temperature and safety factors you wish to use. Next, you tell the program which combinations to use for loading trees, for insulator swing checks, for clearance checks, wire tension checks... PLS-CADD will check things your way. You can work in either imperial or metric units and can even switch back and forth between these unit systems. The fact that over 125 countries use PLS-CADD is a testament to its adaptability to a wide range of standards.

PLS-CADD supports both automatic and manual spotting. With manual spotting you use the mouse to add, delete, edit or move a structure. In automatic spotting the program spots structures for you to obtain the lowest cost design possible subject to your constraints. Automatic spotting often results in designs as much as 10% lower in cost than human generated designs. PLS-CADD gives you the best of both the automatic and the manual spotting worlds: cost and time savings while still maintaining control.

PLS-CADD has built in sag-tension routines. You can quickly display your line in 3-d for any weather condition complete with insulator swings and wire blowout. Clearances from wires to ground or between phases can also be calculated under any weather conditions. Loading trees, stringing charts, galloping ellipses, IEEE Std. 738 and Cigre Brochure 207 thermal ratings, and offset clipping results are all easily accessed.

PLS-CADD goes beyond ordinary sag-tension programs. Running ACSR conductors at high temperature can cause the aluminum strands to go into compression. Most sag-tension programs do not model this effect and thus underestimate the sags. PLS-CADD can model your line both with and without the compression effect so you can see how severe it is.

Like most line design programs, PLS-CADD uses ruling span approximations in its sag-tension calculations. Unlike these other programs, PLS-CADD can work together with our SAPS multi-span finite element sag-tension program when the ruling span isn"t appropriate. When used in this manner PLS-CADD bypasses its built in sag-tension routine and uses SAPS instead. This allows modeling of broken conductors, unbalanced ice, marker balls, and flexible structure scenarios that are incompatible with ruling span approximations. It also allows fixing the length of wire in each span to see the impact of moving structures, inserting structures or cutting out wire in an existing line.

PLS-CADD provides several methods for modeling structures. The simplest is the wind & weight span method for which you need only enter values of allowable wind & weight spans, allowable suspension insulator swing angles and the coordinates of the wire attachment points. A far more powerful method of modeling structures is available when using our structure programs. These programs construct a finite element model from some basic input quantities such as pole height, pole class, cross-arm size and guy placement. When such a structure is checked PLS-CADD not only tells you if the structure is adequate but it also displays a color-coded picture showing which parts of the structure are most highly stressed. You have complete flexibility in changing tensions, conductors and loading agendas and can see the results of these changes on structure usage in seconds. Guyed structures, frames and even lattice towers are all easily accommodated. This method is ideal for upgrade studies of existing lines and is far more powerful and accurate than any other alternative.

PLS-CADD features a powerful material subsystem for cost estimation and material list generation. Parts data such as stock-number, part description, cost and custom user defined columns can be entered directly into PLS-CADD. Next, assemblies can be created from parts and/or other assemblies. Alternatively, PLS-CADD can extract parts information from an existing company database. All ODBC compliant databases such as Oracle, Access and DB2 are supported and PLS-CADD is easily configured to access existing database schemas.

Parts and assemblies are tied to structures enabling PLS-CADD to estimate the cost of structures or your entire line. A number of different material and staking list reports are available and can be easily exported to spreadsheets or ODBC databases for use in asset management or work order systems.

PLS-CADD totally automates plan & profile sheet drafting. Your plan & profile sheets are updated real-time as you make changes to your design. With a few keystrokes these sheets can be plotted to a Windows compatible printer/plotter or they can be imported into your CAD system. Planimetric drawings, aerial photographs, custom drawing borders, title blocks and company logos are all automatically integrated into these drawings. Once again, PLS-CADD adapts to your standards giving you full control over page size, page layout, text size, scales and many other sheet parameters. Customers typically report that PLS-CADD reduces their drafting time by over 95%.

PLS-CADD addresses the reality that terrain modeling, engineering, spotting, and drafting are not disjoint processes but are all interrelated. By integrating all these functions into a single environment PLS-CADD streamlines the design process. The result is simplicity, flexibility and efficiency not attainable when using a collection of programs from different vendors. PLS-CADD’s engineering features are unsurpassed giving you the state-of-the-art in sag-tension, structural analysis and automatic spotting. From distribution wood poles all the way to 500 kV or higher guyed frames and lattice towers, PLS-CADD has the power and flexibility to do it all. Proven in over 1600 organizations in more than 125 countries, PLS-CADD is the worldwide standard in line design.

Samsung came up with its unique 18:5:9 AMOLED display for the Galaxy S8. LG picked up its old trusted IPS LCD unit for the G6’s display. These display units have been familiar to the usual Indian smartphone buyer. Honor, on the other hand, has just unveiled the new Honor 8 Pro for the Indian market that ships with an LTPS LCD display. This has led to wonder how exactly is this technology different from the existing ones and what benefits does it give Honor to craft its flagship smartphone with. Well, let’s find out.

The LCD technology brought in the era of thin displays to screens, making the smartphone possible in the current world. LCD displays are power efficient and work on the principle of blocking light. The liquid crystal in the display unit uses some kind of a backlight, generally a LED backlight or a reflector, to make the picture visible to the viewer. There are two kinds of LCD units – passive matrix LCD that requires more power and the superior active matrix LCD unit, known to people as Thin Film Transistor (TFT) that draws less power.

The early LCD technology couldn’t maintain the colour for wide angle viewing, which led to the development of the In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCD panel. IPS panel arranges and switches the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules of standard LCD display between the glass substrates. This helps it to enhance viewing angles and improve colour reproduction as well. IPS LCD technology is responsible for accelerating the growth of the smartphone market and is the go-to display technology for prominent manufacturers.

The standard LCD display uses amorphous Silicon as the liquid for the display unit as it can be assembled into complex high-current driver circuits. This though restricts the display resolution and adds to overall device temperatures. Therefore, development of the technology led to replacing the amorphous Silicon with Polycrystalline Silicon, which boosted the screen resolution and maintains low temperatures. The larger and more uniform grains of polysilicon allow faster electron movement, resulting in higher resolution and higher refresh rates. It also was found to be cheaper to manufacture due to lower cost of certain key substrates. Therefore, the Low-Temperature PolySilicon (LTPS) LCD screen helps provide larger pixel densities, lower power consumption that standard LCD and controlled temperature ranges.

The AMOLED display technology is in a completely different league. It doesn’t bother with any liquid mechanism or complex grid structures. The panel uses an array of tiny LEDs placed on TFT modules. These LEDs have an organic construction that directly emits light and minimises its loss by eradicating certain filters. Since LEDs are physically different units, they can be asked to switch on and off as per the requirement of the display to form a picture. This is known as the Active Matrix system. Hence, an Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) display can produce deeper blacks by switching off individual LED pixels, resulting in high contrast pictures.

The honest answer is that it depends on the requirement of the user. If you want accurate colours from your display while wanting it to retain its vibrancy for a longer period of time, then any of the two LCD screens are the ideal choice. LTPS LCD display can provide higher picture resolution but deteriorates faster than standard IPS LCD display over time.

An AMOLED display will provide high contrast pictures any time but it too has the tendency to deteriorate faster than LCD panels. Therefore, if you are after greater picture quality, choose LTPS LCD or else settle for AMOLED for a vivid contrast picture experience.

When it comes to choosing the right panel type of your LCD monitor, the options are seemingly endless. We’ve discussed the differences between AMOLED and LCD displays as well as the different types of touchscreen monitors that are commonly used for various devices and their benefits. Now it’s time to learn about the different features and specifications of PLS and IPS panels so you can decide which one is the most suitable choice for your specific personal or professional applications.

PLS stands for plane to line switching. Also referred to as Super PLS Panel, this technology boasts superior technological advancements such as a multitude of brightness setting options, crystal-clear image quality, and adjustable viewing angles without breaking the bank.

IPS stands for in-plane switching. It’s one of the most commonly used monitors for LCD displays and it consists of two glass panels that hold a layer of liquid crystals in between them. The liquid crystals become animated and perform predetermined actions such as moving in a specific direction or displaying certain colours when they’re charged with an electric current. These actions result in the high-quality images that appear on your television, laptop, or smartphone screen.

Both LCD monitor panel types have their advantages and disadvantages for various types of applications. Finding out how they work will help you determine which one is the best choice for your needs.

As mentioned, IPS LCD monitors contain hundreds of liquid crystals that are situated between two glass sheets in a parallel formation. As electric currents run through the liquid crystals when the screen is turned on, they become animated and move in different directions and backlighting passes through them. This is what produces the crystal-clear and instantaneous images you see on the screen. The excellent viewing angles are the result of the horizontal movements of the liquid crystals inside the panel.

PLS panels for LCD monitors have been on the market for over a decade and have proven to be a worthy adversary for their IPS predecessors. Although the technology is the same for the most part, IPS does offer some minor improvements. The main difference is that IPS panels offer more optimized liquid molecular alignment, which makes for a slightly better viewing experience. Hence, PLS screens offer 15% more brightness than IPS panel types.

From an aesthetic and logistical standpoint, PLS panel types are also thinner than IPS due to the fact that the glass sheets that hold the liquid crystals in place are positioned much lower in the screen configuration.

When it comes to comparing and contrasting the differences between IPS and PLS LCD monitor panel types, the competition is pretty stiff. Both monitors are fairly similar with the exception that PLS is meant to be an improvement on the previous technology. Here are the key factors that should be considered when deciding which one is the best monitor panel for LCD industrial displays.

PLS monitors offer superior viewing angles when compared to IPS displays. Unlike IPS displays, PLS monitors don’t have any noticeable colour distortions and they have significantly lower production costs.

Unfortunately, PLS and IPS monitors both have a fairly slow response time (the amount of time it takes for liquid crystals to shift from one colour or shade to another). For this reason, neither one is the ideal choice for gaming purposes, but they’re both suitable for graphic design projects that focus more on colour distribution and accuracy than response time.

PLS panel types have been proven to have superior colour distribution and accuracy compared to IPS panel types. PLS displays have a far more expansive colour gamut that’s ideal for users who require the most natural-looking images and colour options.

Backlight bleed occurs when the lights from the back of the screen leak through the edges, which results in uneven lighting or glow. This is a fairly common shortcoming of IPS screens when the brightness is adjusted to a particularly high level and can make for a poor viewing experience. PLS panel types don’t have this problem and offer even lighting regardless of the brightness settings.

The answer is inconclusive. Both IPS and PLS monitor types certainly have their advantages. Although PLS is slightly better in terms of backlighting and faster response times, the margins for improvement are fairly tight. It really just depends on what your preferences are as well as the applications that the monitors are being used for.

Nauticomp Inc.is one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of sophisticated state-of-the-art LCD displays and monitors in North America. Contact us to learn about our various products or to place an order.

South Korean panel maker Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. that develops and manufactures display panels, have announced this week their intention to cease LCD panel production by the end of 2020. The company runs two LCD production lines at factories in South Korea and two LCD-only factories in China.

This would would mark the departure of one of the key panel providers from LCD desktop monitors as well as from the LCD TV space. Samsung currently make a range of LCD panels for monitors, primarily based on their SVA (VA-type) and PLS (IPS-type) technologies. Many of which (e.g. 49″ ultrawide) are fairly niche segments at this time for them. Much of this article is focused on the TV market and there is not much clarity on what this might mean for the desktop monitor market at this time.

Samsung Display will instead reportedly re-focus their production line on other technologies such as Quantum Dot, AMOLED and OLED reports say. Existing Samsung QLED-branded TV’s currently use LCD panels behind a Quantum Dot layer, with the “QLED” term being largely a marketing gimmick which makes them sound and read like “OLED”. Samsung dropped out of actual OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) production in 2015 leaving that segment to manufacturers like LG.Display who are the sold producer of OLED panels for TV’s at the moment.

Samsung had already suspended one of its two LCD production lines in South Korea in October 2019 amid falling demand for LCD panels and LCD panel prices declining worldwide as Chinese competitors ramp up production. LCD prices have plunged in recent years as Chinese makers, backed by generous state subsidies, aggressively expanded production capacity. Sluggish demand for large TV sets amid a global economic slowdown and the U.S.-China trade war has also weighed on prices.

Samsung will invest 13.1 trillion won (~$10.72 billion) in facilities and research to upgrade a production line, as it contends with oversupply amid weak global demand for smartphones and TVs. The investment for the next five years will be focused on converting one of its South Korean LCD lines into a facility to mass produce more advanced “quantum dot” screens. Samsung has not yet decided on the future operation of its factories in China.

In the meantime the production of the first iteration of new QD displays will begin in 2021, but will be QD-enabled OLED, which uses organic material as the light source and QD material as a film. It will be more similar to Samsung’s own AMOLED used for mobile phones and LG’s OLED TVs and will mark the company’s return to the OLED segment. It’s unclear how these new panels would be branded when they hit the market in TV’s, but it seems likely the term “QLED” would need to be changed given that is currently used for LCD+QD panels. “QD-OLED” seems a likely candidate.

It is expected that commercial products using the new panels will likely enter the market in 2022. The arrival of new OLED TV panel options from Samsung Display would mean competition for LG.Display of course, and provide alternative options for large TV manufacturers.

Digitimes reported earlier this week that Samsung Display reportedly plans to shut down four of its LCD panel production lines ahead of schedule as early as Q3 2020. Citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as a driver for this earlier closure due to reduced demand on TV’s due to major sporting events like the Olympics being postponed, as well causing downward pressure on panel prices. Digitimes reports that ” Samsung Display also plans to keep production at its 8.5G LCD fab in Suzhou, China in the meantime, while overhauling its L7-2 fab for production of POLED panels and its L8 fab for QD-OLED panels”

Digitimes goes on to report that “The Korean panel maker is also looking to halt the operations of the Suzhou 8.5G line by the third quarter of 2022 and is currently in talks to sell the LCD panel plant to Chinese panel makers, said the sources, adding that the completion of a deal will mark Samsung Display ‘s exit from the LCD TV panel market. “ – which actually implies someproduction would continue until Q3 2022, although some lines will end earlier in Q3 2020.

“We will supply ordered LCDs to our customers by the end of this year without any issues,” the company said in a statement. Although Samsung Display says that it will be able to continue supplying its existing LCD panel orders until the end of the year, there are questions about what Samsung Electronics, the largest TV manufacturer in the world, will use in its LCD TVs going forward. They have stated that for now nothing changes and they do not expect supply issues to affect their current “QLED branded” TV line up.

One alternative is that Samsung buys its LCD panels from suppliers like TCL-owned CSOT and AUO, which already supply panels for Samsung TVs. Last year The Elec reported that Samsung could close all its South Korean LCD production lines, and make up the difference with panels bought from Chinese manufacturers like CSOT, which Samsung Display has invested in.

Most of the reports about this change at Samsung Display are focused on the TV market, where OLED is already a commonly used technology. There are still questions around what this might mean for the desktop monitor market. We have yet to see any small/medium sized OLED panels of any notable mention in this segment, and it’s uncertain whether Samsung’s re-focus on QD-OLED and future QD technologies would extend to this space. It’s possible that they would begin to develop QD-OLED panels in smaller sizes to replace their current desktop monitor LCD panel line-up. Although it’s equally possible they would just move away from this segment and leave it to other providers like AUO, Innolux and new players like Panda for instance.

Samsung Display’s cross-town rival LG Display Co Ltd said earlier this year in January that it will halt domestic production in South Korea of LCD TV panels by the end of 2020. LG Display operates two LCD TV production sites, one in South Korea and another in China.

“We will be wrapping up our LCD TV production in South Korea by end of this year and focusing on our LCD TV production in China,”CEO Jeong Ho-young said at the annual CES trade show in Las Vegas. While terminating domestic LCD TV production, LG Display aims to shift its focus to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology in China.

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