Why Do LCD Monitors Have Limited View Angle?

[nanda gopal]

All the LCD monitors have very limited view angle. When one looks at the monitor even partly from a side of it, the Intensity and the Colors of the picture change very drastically. Why is it so? Is it just because that the Polarized panels are used for the monitors? Or the Liquid Crystals too have a role to play? Please explain the mechanism...

 

[rcgldr]

View angle depends on the LCD technology:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display#Active_matrix_technologies

An older, and probably out-dated article:

http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/lcd-panel-types.php

 

[nanda gopal]

I want to know the mechanism involved in the technology. The link that has been provided gives the information of just the different technologies available but no explanation of each of their technologies.

 

[sgb27]

The LC molecules must be controlled precisely to affect the light in exactly the right way. As you move off-axis the LC molecules are no longer in the same orientation relative to the light, so the affect is not the same as for perpendicular light. For LC modes like TN this causes a big problem as the LC has a very different effect on the light, but for other modes like VA the effect is much smaller so off-axis looks almost the same as on-axis. There are many methods to partially overcome this fundamental problem, some very complex and some simple.

 

[QuantumPion]

Think of the individual pixels as little shutters, like on venetian blinds. When looking straight on, when the shutter is open light is allowed through. But if looking at an off angle, the open shutter is still in the way and thus blocks some of the light. The colors shift because the different colored pixels have different shaped shutters.