Only in Tokyo, Part 10: shelves and shelves of VA and IPS!

Earlier on, we were telling you about the Screens section and how in Japan now, the first aspect of the spec that's given is what panel technology the screen is using. Out of curiosity, we counted the screens. The second surprise was that there are as many VA and IPS screens as TN ones.

Out of 55 22-inch screens and above, 26, or 47%, were not TN but rather IPS or VA panels.


Some readers have already remarked on this, if you look down our product survey of 23-inch screens and up, out of the 52 monitors there, only 12 are not TNs. That's 22%. And the proportions here are higher than on the open market - we systematically request unusual models for testing.

In Japan, you mostly get Mitsubishis. Screens which aren't on sale in Europe... and which are expensive. No miracles here either then. If there are more non TN panels over here, they aren't any more affordable than elsewhere. Check out the photo (and these aren't the most expensive), their prices vary from 54,800 to 90,000 yen, or £380 to £625. Even if you take off your 10% loyalty card rebate, the prices are comparable to what you pay elsewhere. In Britain, you can even find the Samsung F2380M at under £200...

And for those consumers who don't know anything about panel technologies, there's an explanation on this sign:


Got that? Me neither. One of the store employees kindly explained: the pink column is for video usage, the grey for photos. According to them, then, IPS screens aren't good for video and TNs are atrocious for photos, while VA screens excel in everything. Well... an over simplification perhaps... If I stay here any longer, I'll be recycling myself as a shop sign maker.

> Only in Tokyo, Part 9: Energy saving right back at you!



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