The refresh rate of the screen - which is better? What is the frequency of the screen?

Among the key technical characteristics of computer displays and television monitors is the refresh rate. In what cases is this parameter allowed? When is it desirable to adjust manually? In what situations this kind of procedure does not make sense?

What is the screen frequency?

The computer monitor or the TV screen operates according to the sequence of frames. That is about the same as a film projector. The frame rate for the reproduction of the film is about 25-30. In the case of a PC monitor or a TV screen, this indicator should be higher, since the picture being built is much more complicated than the video on the film. The general rule is that the higher the frequency index, the sharper the image and the more pleasant it is to look at the screen.

Frequency and type of screen

There are several technological types of implementation of screens and monitors. The most modern - it's LCD, LCD and LED. Relatively obsolete are considered CRT. The frequency of updating the LCD TV or monitor screen (using the same technology) is determined in accordance with other principles than in the case of devices in which electron beam projectors are installed. In the case of an LCD display, the picture is drawn all over the screen at once.

If we are talking about CRT-displays - line by line. Therefore, if the refresh rate of the LCD TV screen and electron beam unit is the same, then the quality with high probability will differ in favor of the device of the first type. Moreover, if the corresponding figure is about 60 HZ (the number of display updates per second), then in the case of CRT-monitors flicker will be very noticeable.

Frequency setting for CRT displays

Therefore, we will pay special attention to tuning electron-beam displays. How to change the refresh rate of the CRT-type screen in Windows by the example of the XP version? Very simple. You need to enter the "Control Panel". Then select "Screen". After opening the corresponding window, you must find the "Parameters" tab. Then click "Advanced". There is likely to be a list of several options.

What is the refresh rate for the screen? For CRT monitors, the recommended value is 85 Hz. If this number is not in the list, it is most likely due to the fact that the factory driver of the video card is not installed on the PC. It must be downloaded on the Internet or searched on the discs that were attached to the PC when selling. You can also try to contact the service center to help with the driver.

CRT-displays: nuances

Note that in almost all operating systems, it is possible to change such a parameter as the refresh rate of the screen. Windows 7 as the most up-to-date and, it would seem, not requiring significant intervention in the user's settings, is no exception. In this version of the OS, the algorithm for setting the required parameters is practically the same. Through the "Control Panel" the desired refresh rate is set. What is the best operating system adapted to setting the appropriate settings? Almost all versions of Windows cope with the task equally. However, with regard to the latest versions of the OS (the same Windows 7), they may have some difficulties with drivers for obsolete devices. But they are solved - as a rule, any software of the appropriate type can be found on the Internet.

Also, when working in Windows 7, the algorithm for reaching the required settings is slightly different from the scenario in XP. You need to enter the "Control Panel", then click on "Screen", after - select the change its parameters. Then click Advanced Settings. Next, go to the "Monitor" tab, where we find the frequency settings.

Note also - when setting all versions of Windows in the appropriate settings, do not uncheck the box "Hide modes that the monitor does not use". The fact is that technologically the screen, of course, is capable of working with settings outside the recommended ones. But in practice this can create problems with the stability of the PC. Therefore, if the user asks how to change the refresh rate of the screen, if the desired parameter is not available, and the available values are lower than those desired for CRT screens, the first thing we recommend to him is to install the latest drivers on the video card.

Authorization factor

In some cases, the image quality on the CRT display depends on the resolution. At its higher values, there are simply more elements on the screen. And in the case, for example, with photos or videos, it is possible to view them in more detail. The optimal resolution parameters depend, first of all, on the screen size in inches. But, in principle, the user can experiment with setting different values. Note that you can change the resolution using the same algorithm as when changing the screen frequency - via "Control Panel" and "Screen".

Note also that if the resolution is too high, setting 85 Hz is not always possible. And this, by the way, is one of the possible reasons why the right figure may not be on the frequency list. Therefore, if the drivers are the freshest, and 85 HZ is not on the list, you can try to slightly reduce the resolution of the monitor.

Frequency of LCD displays

It should be noted, the frequency of updating the image on the LCD screen - in most cases, a parameter that does not have much significance. Simply because more or less modern monitors are already factory-set so that frequency adjustment is simply not required. Even if it is equal to 60 HZ, which can be critical for CRT displays, there will not be a noticeable flickering of the image due to the technological specifics we mentioned above. However, with regard to LCD displays, the other parameter is more important for them - the pixel refresh rate. In many cases, by the way, it is identified with the "frequency" of the screen - even among IT professionals. This, strictly speaking, is not entirely true. At least because the speed of updating pixels is expressed not in hertz, but in another unit - milliseconds. But if the term is used in the context of "frequency", no one, perhaps, will blame us for the lack of technical literacy. Therefore, we use the term "frequency" for LCD displays, we will understand it as "pixel refresh rate".

So, what is the best screen refresh rate in LCD monitors? The most important thing is to ensure the optimum correspondence of this parameter to the frame rate generated by the video card of the computer. That is, if, for example, this chip will produce a picture with a frequency of 60 hertz, and the LCD monitor will not have a sufficient speed of updating the pixels (which can be considered an indicator of about 30-40 milliseconds), then the image on the screen will seem "floating" . The smaller the corresponding parameter on the display, the better. Ideally, it does not exceed 15 milliseconds. As a rule, the question of how to increase the frequency of updating the LCD screen type is not worth it. In turn, the speed of updating pixels - an option in most cases, the factory. Change it at home is problematic. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to it directly when buying a screen.

Technological aspect

Almost similar patterns are also characteristic for other digital devices that use an LCD display. That is, for example, the refresh rate of the laptop screen - the parameter is as "closed" for correction, as in the case of monitors for a PC.

The possible difference in the quality of the image on the liquid crystal display in very rare cases depends on the set frequency values. Almost always, the key factor is the level of technologies that predetermine, mainly, the speed of updating pixels. Less important is the frequency of the screen refresh. What is the best technology for constructing a picture from the point of view of "pixelization" and color rendering for a particular monitor model? First of all, the brand producer determines it. Screens of obsolete types, of course, can "give out" not quite a quality image. But as for modern products, as a rule, there are no significant problems with them. Also note that in addition to the "frequency" factor, the quality of the picture is affected by a large number of other parameters that are typical for PC and laptop screens. This resolution, the type of matrix, the characteristics of the video card.

LCD Screen Frequency

What are the features of the functioning of displays on LCD TVs? As for the key regularities - they are, in principle, the same as on computer screens. That is, on most modern television displays, the refresh rate is sufficient to prevent the image from jumping. As for the pixel refresh rate - as a rule, brands-manufacturers of TVs try to optimize everything for the characteristics of the screen. Therefore, there are no special problems associated with the "floating" picture on modern TV.

However, the refresh rate of the TV screen is an option characterized by a number of features. What, for example? Again, we note some duality in the use of technical terms. The fact is that there is, as such, the refresh rate of the screen image - the same principles apply to it as for the corresponding types of computer monitors. There is, in turn, another parameter, the frame rate of the video sequence, which is typical for TVs.

Regarding the second characteristic - you can draw a direct analogy with the film. This parameter characterizes how many frames per second passes through the screen space. In most modern LCD TVs it is 50 HZ. Obviously, this is more than enough to produce films - there's a frame rate, as we said above, usually within 30 units per second.

Thus, the refresh rate of the TV screen is an important parameter, but, as in the case of computers, an additional correction, usually not requiring, and not subject to it by default. Similarly - with the frame rate of the video. This parameter is also typically factory.

TV: matrix characteristics

It can also be noted that the technical specifications of the TV include a number of additional parameters. Such as, for example, the response time of the matrix. How do LCD displays work? On the crystal, which is the "grain" of the overall picture on the display, an electrical impulse enters, resulting in the pixel lighting up. However, due to technological features, it does not immediately go out. Therefore, on the screen, even after a new frame is displayed on it, the previous picture may not remain for a fraction of a second. As a result, the image, just as it does on PC screens, may seem "floating." But it is worth noting - modern models of LCD TVs, as a rule, are equipped with hardware components capable of correcting such display behavior. In addition, the response of the matrix on the TV screens, which are now produced, is usually minimal. That is, in the case of LCD TVs, the question of how to increase the refresh rate of the screen is almost not worth it. Actually, the opportunities for adjusting the corresponding parameter for TV owners in most cases are absent.

Frequency of PC and TV displays: conclusions

So, we learned what the screen refresh rate is, which is better for CRT-monitors, in which the corresponding parameter in some cases requires manual adjustment in the Windows settings. What conclusions can we draw about the studied features of displays of different types?

The equivalent screen refresh rate in the CRT monitor and LCD virtually does not mean anything in terms of image quality comparison. At least because the principles of the construction of the picture in each case are different. The second reason is that on liquid crystal displays the frequency is rather a secondary factor of image quality. More important is another parameter - the speed of updating pixels.

The quality of the image, as in the case with LCD screens of computers, and relative to CRT-displays, is largely determined by the characteristics of the video card. In this case it often happens that the corresponding type of microchip technologically lags behind the monitor. That is, for example, the display has a minimum pixel update rate, and the video card can not fully exploit this resource. In practice, this can be expressed in the fact that when you start computer games with a high video frequency, some elements of the picture will not be clearly drawn. Although, again, we note - this kind of problems are quite rare today. As for the films, the objective reasons for the quality of the video sequence to depend on the frequency (and in most cases - the speed of updating the pixels) can not be, simply because movies are usually a video stream of up to 30 frames. Similarly - with LCD TVs, especially in modern versions. They have an optimal screen refresh rate. What is the best model coping with the optimal reproduction of the video - the question, in response to which it is legitimate to pay attention, first of all, to the level of technologies used by the brand. Frequency - the aspect in this case is secondary.