Monitor Glossary

A

Adaptive Sync

A technology that synchronizes the monitor's refresh rate with the GPU's frame output to eliminate screen tearing and reduce stuttering. Includes NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync, and VESA Adaptive-Sync standards.

Anti-Glare (AG) Coating

A matte coating applied to monitor screens to reduce reflections from ambient light. Reduces eye strain but can slightly reduce image sharpness compared to glossy screens.

Aspect Ratio

The proportional relationship between a display's width and height. Common ratios include 16:9 (standard widescreen), 21:9 (ultrawide), 32:9 (super ultrawide), and 16:10 (productivity).

B

Backlight

The light source behind an LCD panel that illuminates the image. Types include edge-lit LED (cheaper), direct-lit LED (uniform), full-array local dimming (FALD), and Mini-LED (premium).

Backlight Bleed

Light leakage around the edges or corners of an LCD screen, visible when displaying dark content. Caused by uneven pressure on the panel or poor manufacturing. Not to be confused with IPS glow.

Bit Depth

The number of bits used to represent color per channel. 8-bit = 16.7 million colors, 10-bit = 1.07 billion colors. Higher bit depth provides smoother gradients and better HDR performance.

Black Level

How dark a monitor can display black. Measured in cd/m2 (nits). Lower is better. OLED achieves 0 nits (perfect black), LCD typically 0.1-0.5 nits, with VA panels producing the deepest blacks among LCD types.

Brightness (Luminance)

The intensity of light emitted by the display, measured in cd/m2 or nits. SDR monitors typically have 250-400 nits, while HDR displays range from 400 to 2000+ nits for highlights.

Burn-In

Permanent image retention where static elements become visible even when displaying other content. Primarily a concern with OLED and plasma displays. Modern OLEDs have mitigation features like pixel shifting.

C

Chroma Subsampling

A compression technique that reduces color data (4:2:2, 4:2:0) while maintaining brightness resolution (4:4:4 is full color). Used when bandwidth is limited. Can cause color fringing on text.

Color Accuracy (Delta E)

How closely displayed colors match the intended colors, measured as Delta E (dE). dE < 1 is imperceptible, dE < 2 is good for professional work, dE < 3 is acceptable for general use.

Color Gamut

The range of colors a display can reproduce. Common standards: sRGB (standard), DCI-P3 (digital cinema/HDR), Adobe RGB (print), Rec. 2020 (ultra HD broadcast). Expressed as percentage coverage.

Color Temperature

The warmth or coolness of white, measured in Kelvin (K). 6500K (D65) is the standard for most content. Lower values appear warmer/yellow, higher values appear cooler/blue.

Contrast Ratio

The ratio between the brightest white and darkest black a display can produce (e.g., 1000:1). Higher is better. IPS/TN: ~1000:1, VA: 3000-5000:1, OLED: infinite. Dynamic contrast ratios are marketing inflated.

Curved Display

A monitor with a concave curve, measured in radius (e.g., 1000R, 1800R). Lower numbers = more curve. Designed to reduce edge distortion and create more immersive viewing on ultrawide monitors.

D

Dead Pixel

A pixel that remains permanently off (black). Cannot be fixed. Different from stuck pixels (colored) which can sometimes be repaired. Most manufacturers have pixel policies allowing 3-5 defects before warranty replacement.

DisplayPort (DP)

A digital display interface standard. DP 1.4 supports 4K@120Hz or 8K@60Hz with DSC. DP 2.0/2.1 supports 4K@240Hz, 8K@85Hz. Preferred for PC gaming due to higher bandwidth than HDMI.

Dithering

A technique to simulate colors a panel cannot natively display by rapidly alternating between nearby colors. 8-bit+FRC panels use dithering to display 10-bit color. Can cause visible noise in gradients.

DSC (Display Stream Compression)

A visually lossless compression standard that allows higher resolutions and refresh rates over limited bandwidth connections. Enables 4K@144Hz over HDMI 2.1 and 8K over DisplayPort 1.4.

F

FALD (Full Array Local Dimming)

A backlighting system with multiple dimming zones across the entire panel. Each zone can dim independently to improve contrast. More zones = better HDR performance. Mini-LED uses thousands of zones.

Flicker-Free

A monitor that uses DC (direct current) dimming instead of PWM (pulse width modulation). PWM can cause eye strain and headaches for sensitive users by rapidly turning the backlight on/off.

FreeSync

AMD's adaptive sync technology based on VESA Adaptive-Sync. Available in FreeSync, FreeSync Premium (LFC + low input lag), and FreeSync Premium Pro (HDR). Works with AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.

FRC (Frame Rate Control)

A form of temporal dithering used by 6-bit or 8-bit panels to display higher color depths. A 6-bit+FRC panel simulates 8-bit color; 8-bit+FRC simulates 10-bit. Not as good as native bit depth.

G

Gamma

A curve that defines the relationship between input signal and displayed brightness. Standard gamma is 2.2 for SDR content. Higher gamma = darker midtones. Affects perceived contrast and shadow detail.

Ghosting

A visual artifact where a trail or shadow follows moving objects due to slow pixel response times. More visible on VA panels. Can be reduced with overdrive settings, but too much causes inverse ghosting.

G-Sync

NVIDIA's adaptive sync technology. Available as G-Sync Ultimate (HDR, 1000+ nits), G-Sync (certified hardware module), and G-Sync Compatible (software support for FreeSync monitors).

GTG (Gray-to-Gray)

A response time measurement for transition between gray shades. More realistic than black-to-white but still often measured at fastest overdrive settings. Real-world performance typically 2-3x slower than specs.

H

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Technology that expands the range of brightness and colors a display can show. Requires bright highlights, deep blacks, and wide color gamut. Standards: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG.

HDR Tiers (VESA DisplayHDR)

VESA certification levels: HDR400 (entry, minimal impact), HDR500/600 (basic local dimming), HDR1000 (good HDR), HDR1400+ (excellent HDR). Also True Black for OLED. Higher numbers = better HDR.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)

Common video/audio interface. HDMI 2.0: 4K@60Hz, HDMI 2.1: 4K@120Hz, 8K@60Hz with VRR, ALLM, eARC. Required for console gaming on PS5/Xbox Series X at full capability.

Hz (Hertz)

The unit measuring refresh rate - how many times per second the display updates its image. 60Hz = 60 updates/second. Higher Hz = smoother motion. Gaming monitors range from 144Hz to 500Hz.

I

Input Lag

The delay between an input action (mouse click, key press) and the display showing the result. Measured in milliseconds. Under 10ms is excellent for gaming. Not the same as response time.

IPS (In-Plane Switching)

An LCD panel type known for excellent color accuracy and wide viewing angles (178 degrees). Typical contrast around 1000:1. Can suffer from IPS glow. Variants include Nano IPS, Fast IPS, and AH-IPS.

IPS Glow

A silvery/purple glow visible in corners of IPS panels when viewing dark content. Changes with viewing angle (unlike backlight bleed). Inherent to IPS technology and cannot be fixed, only minimized by adjusting brightness.

L

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

A display technology using liquid crystals modulated by electric fields to control light passage from a backlight. Types include TN, IPS, and VA panels. Cannot produce true black (requires backlight).

LFC (Low Framerate Compensation)

A feature that multiplies frames when the frame rate drops below a monitor's VRR range. If minimum is 48Hz and game runs at 30fps, it displays each frame twice (60Hz) to stay in VRR range.

Local Dimming

A feature that dims or brightens sections of the backlight independently to improve contrast. Edge-lit has few zones (poor), FALD has more zones (good), Mini-LED has thousands of zones (excellent).

M

Mini-LED

A backlighting technology using thousands of tiny LEDs for local dimming. Provides LCD panels with OLED-like contrast while avoiding burn-in. Apple Pro Display XDR uses 576 zones; high-end monitors have 1000+.

Motion Blur Reduction (MBR)

A feature that strobes the backlight in sync with the refresh rate to reduce motion blur. Brand names: ULMB (NVIDIA), ELMB (ASUS), DyAc (BenQ). Often cannot be used with adaptive sync.

MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time)

A response time measurement that factors in pixel persistence (how long a pixel holds its color). Often lower than GTG specs. 1ms MPRT is common on gaming monitors and more perceptually relevant than GTG.

N

Nano IPS

LG's IPS technology using nano particles (quantum dots) to enhance color. Offers wider color gamut (98% DCI-P3), faster response times, and improved contrast compared to standard IPS.

Nits

A unit of luminance (cd/m2). Standard monitors: 250-350 nits. HDR monitors: 400-2000+ nits. OLED monitors often have lower sustained brightness but excellent peak brightness for small highlights.

Native Resolution

The physical pixel count of a display (e.g., 1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160). Content looks sharpest at native resolution. Running at non-native resolutions causes scaling blur on LCD panels.

O

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)

A display technology where each pixel produces its own light. Offers perfect blacks, infinite contrast, instant response times, and wide viewing angles. Susceptible to burn-in with static content.

Overdrive

A feature that applies extra voltage to speed up pixel transitions. Reduces ghosting but too much causes inverse ghosting (coronas). Usually has Off, Normal, and Fast/Extreme modes. Normal is typically optimal.

Overshoot (Inverse Ghosting)

A visual artifact where pixels transition too fast, causing a bright halo or corona around moving objects. Caused by aggressive overdrive settings. Fix by reducing overdrive to Normal or Off.

P

Panel Lottery

The variability in quality between individual units of the same monitor model. Issues include dead pixels, excessive backlight bleed, uniformity problems, or poor gamma calibration. Some users exchange multiple units.

Pixel Density (PPI)

Pixels per inch - how tightly packed the pixels are. Higher PPI = sharper image. 24" 1080p = 92 PPI, 27" 1440p = 109 PPI, 27" 4K = 163 PPI. Above 110 PPI is generally considered "retina" quality at normal viewing distance.

PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)

A dimming method that rapidly turns the backlight on/off to control brightness. Can cause eye strain or headaches in sensitive users. Flicker-free monitors use DC dimming instead. Higher PWM frequency (above 1000Hz) is less noticeable.

Q

QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED)

A display technology combining OLED's per-pixel lighting with quantum dots for color. Samsung's tech used in high-end monitors. Offers wider color gamut (over 100% DCI-P3), higher brightness than W-OLED, with OLED contrast.

Quantum Dots

Nanoscale semiconductor crystals that emit specific colors when illuminated. Used in QLED TVs and some monitors to enhance color gamut. Not to be confused with OLED - quantum dot displays still use LCD backlighting.

R

Refresh Rate

How many times per second a monitor updates its display, measured in Hz. 60Hz is standard, 144Hz is gaming standard, 240Hz+ is competitive gaming. Higher refresh rates provide smoother motion but require powerful GPUs.

Resolution

The number of pixels displayed. Common resolutions: 1080p (1920x1080), 1440p/2K (2560x1440), 4K/UHD (3840x2160), 5K (5120x2880). Higher resolution = more detail but requires more GPU power.

Response Time

How quickly a pixel can change from one color to another, measured in milliseconds. Lower is better for reducing ghosting. Specifications usually show best-case scenarios; real-world performance varies.

RGB Range (Full vs Limited)

Full RGB uses values 0-255, Limited RGB uses 16-235. Using wrong setting causes washed out or crushed colors. PCs use Full RGB, consoles/TVs typically use Limited. Ensure GPU and monitor settings match.

S

Screen Tearing

A visual artifact where portions of multiple frames are displayed at once, creating horizontal "cuts" in the image. Caused by GPU and monitor being out of sync. Fixed by VSync or adaptive sync (G-Sync/FreeSync).

sRGB

The standard color space for consumer content, web, and most video games. Most monitors cover 95-100% sRGB. Monitors with wider gamuts (DCI-P3) should have an sRGB mode to prevent oversaturation.

Stuck Pixel

A pixel that stays lit in one color (red, green, blue, or white) regardless of displayed content. Unlike dead pixels (permanently off), stuck pixels can sometimes be fixed with pixel-cycling tools or gentle pressure.

T

TN (Twisted Nematic)

The oldest LCD panel type. Offers fastest response times (1ms) and lowest input lag, making it popular for competitive gaming. Drawbacks: poor viewing angles and color accuracy. Being phased out in favor of fast IPS.

Tone Mapping

The process of mapping HDR content to a display's capabilities. A 1000-nit HDR video on a 400-nit monitor requires tone mapping to compress the brightness range while preserving details.

U

Uniformity

How consistent brightness and color are across the entire screen. Poor uniformity shows as darker/brighter spots or color tinting on parts of the screen. Common on edge-lit displays and larger panels.

Ultrawide

Monitors with aspect ratios wider than 16:9. Most common are 21:9 (2560x1080, 3440x1440) and 32:9 super ultrawide (5120x1440). Popular for productivity and immersive gaming. Not all games support ultrawide properly.

V

VA (Vertical Alignment)

An LCD panel type offering the best contrast (3000:1 - 5000:1) among LCD technologies. Good colors and viewing angles. Drawback: slower response times causing black smearing in dark scenes. Great for movies and immersive gaming.

VESA Mount

A standard mounting pattern for attaching monitors to stands or arms. Common sizes: 75x75mm, 100x100mm, 200x200mm. Allows use of third-party monitor arms for better ergonomics and desk space.

Viewing Angle

The angle at which you can view the screen before image quality degrades significantly. IPS: 178/178 degrees (excellent), VA: 178/178 degrees (good), TN: 170/160 degrees (poor with color shift).

VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)

A general term for technologies that dynamically adjust monitor refresh rate to match GPU output. Includes G-Sync, FreeSync, and HDMI 2.1 VRR. Eliminates screen tearing without the input lag of traditional VSync.

VSync (Vertical Sync)

A setting that synchronizes frame output to the monitor's refresh rate, eliminating screen tearing. Drawback: adds input lag and can cause stuttering if frame rate drops below refresh rate. Adaptive sync is preferred.