Comparison AOC AGON AG274QG 27 " black vs Dell Alienware AW2721D 27 "

— Monitor. In this case, we mean monitors designed mainly for classic use — as a screen for a personal computer. Their functionality can be quite diverse — from entry-level screens with 1-2 inputs for connection to multifunctional models with built-in speakers, TV tuners, remote controls, etc. The same applies to the diagonal. Most traditional monitors are in the 22-30" range (these sizes are currently considered optimal for screens whose distance is determined by the width of the desktop), but there are also large-format devices whose diagonal can exceed 32".

— Portable monitor. A separate caste of monitors designed to connect to laptops. They are distinguished by small diagonal sizes, not exceeding 18", a thin format and the absence of a stand, as a result of which they look like tablets.

— Game monitor. Monitors considered optimal for gaming. These are not necessarily devices specially designed for this application (although there are some); however, all gaming monitors have a number of features that gamers will surely appreciate. Firstly, the resolution (see below) in such models is not lower than Full HD. Secondly, the matrices have a low response time — less than 5 ms, which allows high-quality display of dynamic scenes; and the frame rate often reaches 120 Hz or even more (although there are quite modest values). Thirdly, devices of this type often have special gaming (see below...) and similar features — in particular, most gaming monitors are compatible with FreeSync and/or G-Sync technologies (see "Features").

— LCD panel. One of the key features that distinguish LCD panels from conventional monitors is the wide variety of connectors: in addition to video outputs, it includes auxiliary ports such as LAN or RS-232 (see "Connectors (Optional)"). It is also believed that the LCD panel must be hung on the wall without fail, but this has its own specifics. Many devices of this type are really made only for wall installation, and some models can be combined into a video wall that broadcasts one image to several screens. But besides this, there are solutions equipped with stands and allowing desktop use (and sometimes even originally designed for it). At the same time, the first variety, "purely wall-mounted", can have almost any diagonal — including modest 21 – 22 "; but the dimensions of "desktop" panels start at 32", moreover, they most often have advanced matrices like IPS. Anyway, such screens are used mainly in rather specific areas. So, wall mounting is convenient for organizing information boards at stations, airports, shopping centers, for use at exhibition stands, conference rooms, etc. Desktop models are useful for those for whom large size and high image quality are of key importance . Also among them there are many devices with touch screens, which further expands the user experience.

— Plasma panel. These types of devices are similar in many ways to the LCD panels described above, but they also have some key differences. The main one is the technology used for the screen: instead of a liquid crystal matrix, plasma panels use cells filled with a special gas and covered with a luminous substance — a phosphor. This technology provides very high image quality, with deep colour reproduction and contrast. At the same time, it is not easy to create a small plasma cell, which is why the pixels on this type of screens have more stringent restrictions on the minimum size. As a result, plasma panels, in principle, are never small — 42 "is considered almost the minimum size for such a screen. In addition, the reverse side of the described advantages is also a slightly shorter service life and higher cost than LCD matrices. As a result," plasma" has not received much distribution, such devices are bought mainly not for "public", but for personal use — for example, as a home theater screen or as equipment for an advanced gamer.

— Video wall. Models designed to build video walls. Such a wall is an array of numerous closely arranged screens that can work in concert and produce a large overall image; each screen is responsible for its own fragment of the picture. Such designs are used, in particular, at concerts and other public events, where there are no longer enough separate screens. The main feature of monitors for video walls is a very thin frame — due to this, the boundaries between the segments are almost invisible, and the image is perceived as a whole.

— Information display. Narrow-purpose equipment, assuming a stationary method of installation. Such displays are mounted on the wall, built into special niches or openings. They are intended to work as digital signage, broadcast advertising materials, play various video content. Individual instances of information displays can support touch control, have a pre-installed Smart operating system and other "smart" features. As a rule, specialized proprietary software is used to control the operation of such equipment.

Dynamic contrast provided by the monitor screen.

Dynamic contrast refers to the difference between the brightest white at maximum backlight intensity and the deepest black at minimum backlight. In this way, this indicator differs from static contrast, which is indicated with a constant backlight level (see above). Dynamic contrast ratio can be expressed in very impressive numbers (in some models — more than 100,000,000: 1). However, in fact, these figures are poorly correlated with what the viewer sees: it is almost impossible to achieve such a difference within one frame. Therefore, dynamic contrast is most often more of an advertising than a practically significant indicator, it is often indicated precisely in order to impress an inexperienced buyer. At the same time, we note that there are "smart" backlight technologies that allow you to change its brightness in certain areas of the screen and achieve a higher contrast in one frame than the claimed static one; these technologies are found mostly in premium monitors.

The colour depth supported by the monitor.

This parameter characterizes the number of shades that the screen can display. And here it is worth recalling that the image in modern monitors is based on 3 basic colours — red, green, blue (RGB scheme). And the number of bits is indicated not for the entire screen, but for each base colour. For example, 6 bits (the minimum colour depth for modern monitors) means that the screen is capable of producing 2 ^ 6, that is, 64 shades of red, green and blue; the total number of shades will be 64 * 64 * 64 = 262,144 (0.26 million). An 8-bit colour depth (256 shades for each base colour) already gives a total of 16.7 million colours; and the most advanced modern monitors support 10-bit colour, allowing you to work with more than a billion shades.

Screens with support for FRC technology are worth a special mention; nowadays, you can find models marked " 6 bit + FRC " and " 8 bit + FRC ". This technology was developed to improve picture quality in situations where the incoming video signal has a greater colour depth than the screen, such as when 10-bit video is fed to an 8-bit matrix. If such a screen supports FRC, the picture on it will be noticeably better than on a regular 8-bit monitor (although somewhat worse than on a full-fledged 10-bit monitor, but “8 bit + FRC” screens are much...cheaper).

High colour depth is important primarily for professional graphics and other tasks that require high colour fidelity. On the other hand, such features significantly affect the cost of the monitor. In addition, it is worth remembering that the quality of colour reproduction depends not only on the colour depth, but also on other parameters — in particular, colour gamut (see below).

The colour gamut of the monitor is based on the NTSC colour model.

Any colour gamut is indicated as a percentage, however, not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the monitor's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.

Specifically, NTSC is one of the first colour models created back in 1953 with the advent of colour television. It is not used in the production of modern monitors, but is often used to describe and compare them. NTSC covers a wider range of colours than sRGB, which is standard in computer technology: for example, coverage of only 85% in NTSC gives about 110% in sRGB. So the colour gamut for this model is usually given for advertising purposes — as a confirmation of the high class of the monitor; a very good indicator in such cases is considered to be 75% or more.

Monitor colour gamut Rec. 709 or sRGB.

Any colour gamut is indicated as a percentage, however, not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the monitor's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.

Nowadays, sRGB is actually the standard color model adopted for computer technology; This is what is used in the development and production of most video cards. For television, the Rec. standard, similar in parameters, is used. 709. In terms of the range of colors, these models are identical, and the percentage of coverage for them is the same. In the most advanced monitors it can reach or even exceed 100%; These are the values that are considered necessary for high-end screens, incl. professional.

Monitor colour gamut based on the Adobe RGB colour model.

Any colour gamut is indicated as a percentage, however, not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the monitor's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.

Specifically, the Adobe RGB colour model was originally developed for use in printing; the range of colours covered by it corresponds to the capabilities of professional printing equipment. Accordingly, support for this model and its extensive colour gamut are important, first of all, if the monitor is used in the design and layout of high-quality printed products. In the most advanced screens, this figure can be 99% or even more. At the same time, we note that Adobe RGB is wider than the popular sRGB, and the percentage figures for this model are smaller: for example, 99% in RGB often gives only about 87% in Adobe RGB.

Colour gamut of the monitor according to the DCI P3 colour model.

Any colour gamut is indicated as a percentage, however, not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the monitor's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.

DCI P3 is a professional colour model used primarily in digital cinemas. It is noticeably more extensive than the standard sRGB, which gives better and more accurate colours. Accordingly, the percentage values are smaller — for example, 115% of sRGB coverage corresponds to approximately 90% of DCI P3 coverage; in the most advanced modern monitors, coverage according to this standard is 98 – 100%. At the same time, DCI-P3 support is not cheap, and therefore it is found mainly in high-end monitors for professional and gaming purposes.

The screen is 90° rotatable on a stand, from landscape (horizontal) to portrait (vertical). The vertical orientation of the screen ( portrait mode) can be useful, for example, when working with large documents made in portrait orientation.

The presence of the monitor's own built-in speakers. Such models, in fact, combine a screen and speakers, which can save the user from having to purchase separate acoustics. And for models with a TV tuner (see above), this function is almost mandatory. However note that the power of such speakers and the quality of their sound are relatively low, so such a system is hardly suitable for demanding listeners. Nevertheless, built-in acoustics usually sound at least as good as inexpensive external speakers, and take up much less space.