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Hardware

Laptop Screens-HPA Vs. TFT, DSTN, et al 13

Posted by Cliff from the comparing-the-hardware dept.
cmdrheath asks: "My company is looking to purchase a new laptop for the boss to use, and while I know that TFT beats DSTN out every time, (better color, visible from more directions, etc.) I am curious as to where this new HPA technology fits into the picture. Has anyone on Slashdot had any sort of experience with HPA screens? How do they look? Should we still try to go with TFT?"
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Laptop Screens-HPA vs. TFT, DSTN, et al. More

Laptop Screens-HPA vs. TFT, DSTN, et al.

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  • Isn't a google search a much better way to find information like this? If you want product reviews, go look for them... if you want to ask a question that requires thought and experience, ask slashdot. This question is certainly not thought provoking....

  • Re:why here? (Score:3)

    by grammar nazi ( 197303 ) on Tuesday July 25, 2000 @08:56AM (#906619) Journal
    The grammar nazi agrees with chowda.

    From my first google search, I found this [hardwarebible.com]. From that page I found out that HPA stands for and googled for it: High.Performance.Addressing

    Why the dots between the words? Because this way google knows to only find pages where the words are connected. Anyway this search lead to a very nice definition at our friendly Webopedia [internet.com] site:

    Short for High-Performance Addressing, an passive-matrix display technology the provides better response rates and contrast than conventional LCD displays. Although HPA displays aren't quite as crisp or fast as active-matrix (TFT) displays, they're considerably less expensive to produce. Consequently, HPA is being used by a number of computer manufacturers for their low-end notebook computers.
    This was nice, but other pages [hedus.com] even compared HPA with other other types of LCDs.

    Like your computer, google is a tool. Use it wisely.

  • Thanks for the agreement, grammar nazi... while I have you here, I'd like to ask your opinion of the three period punctuation I use frequently... I find I use it every where now... I dont think I can stop...
  • HPA isn't THAT new, they were in production when I was selling computers for the campus store earlier this year and last year. HPA is better than dual-scan, but not by much. Get TFT, anything else is going to be difficult to read in many lighting conditions.
  • Ugh? The double period interupt gave me problems for.. Whenever I would change thoughts and didn't..

    Sometimes I would even begin the next thought with..
    ..if the interupt was related to the first sentence.

    Don't think of it as good grammar, think of it as creativity! Go with the triple-puncuations..
    .. and don't forget to use apostrophes for the word don't..

  • Thank you grammer nazi! Your service to the slashdot community does not go unnoticed....
  • DTSN has a lower power consupmtion than TFT screens. having a trim 486DX (66 or 100) laptop with a DTSN screen can give you descent computing power with better than average battery life.

    A wealthy eccentric who marches to the beat of a different drum. But you may call me "Noodle Noggin."
  • I meant DSTN. :-)

    A wealthy eccentric who marches to the beat of a different drum. But you may call me "Noodle Noggin."
  • This article [techweb.com] is far more interesting - the future looks cheap for thin film displays!
  • I own a Laptop which has a 14" TFT screen. Before I brought my laptop, I had done some research on those 13" HPA Laptops. But I didn't like them.

    I don't recall IBM made HPA screen laptops, but I'm pretty sure Acer and Compaq do.

    No matter HPA, TFT or others... lightings are always the problem. I chose the TFT screen because I did not need to switch the brightness to high level like the HPA needed. Even during the bright environment or under sunlight, I could still use the lowest possible brightness and contrast, and pictures and text still displayed clearly on screen.

    At the same time, most TFT screens allow higher refresh rate than HPA screens. (Mostly depends on what video card it come with or their designs.) And I felt that most TFT show sharper colours than HPA or others.

    I compared the Sony, IBM, Compaq and Acer in the warehouse and I could tell that IBM and Sony's TFT looks better. However, I was not able to test the Dell laptop. I really wanted to see their 15.4" TFT.

    Here is an LCD Definition article [sceptre.com] from Sceptre.com and it said HPA is "...a Passive-Matrix Display technology the provides better response rates and contrast than conventional LCD displays. Although HPA displays aren't quite as crisp or fast as Active-Matrix (TFT) displays, they're considerably less expensive to produce. Consequently, HPA is being used by a number of computer manufacturers for their entry level or value notebook computers."

    One way of testing laptop displays is to put the laptop on the office table, has a office table lamp right at the back of the screen. I am sure you will see the different between HPA and TFT.

    Hope this help.

  • I have a theory about three-period syndrome - it's similar to tag questions in conversation (tag expressions are things like "...don't you think so?", "...aren't they?", etc.). Their role is to soften the impact of a particular statement.
    In normal speech, tag questions are used more often by women than men, and it's generally accepted that this is a sign of social pressure on women to make less direct statements. I think a similar pressure applies in on-line conversation; if you make statements that are too explicit (no, I don't mean sexually explicit) or direct, you'll get flamed for it. For example, if I say something like "QuakeIII sucks!", somebody's likely to flame me to a black crisp - but if say something like "QuakeIII leaves a lot to be desired...", there is a definite mitigation of emphasis (above and beyond what could be expected from the different expressions used.) The three periods indicate that the reader should "fill in the gaps" themselves, something which generally causes readers to interpret the statement in a way that tends towards their own way of thinking, which makes the statement seem less agreeable to almost everybody.

    Of course, that's only my opinion... ;)

  • I've used and seen a large number of displays, beginning with the first 8.4 STN displays in the first hafo of the '90.

    One thing you can be sure of, is that the final quality of the screen depend a lot on the manufacturer also: last year I've seen DSTN from Toshiba look better that TFT used on Compaq (Acer) laptop.

    Regarding HPA, I have one of these now. It's far worse that the previous Toshiba DSTN I had (in contrast, color quality and angle of view) but I can watch movies (anime :) on it, while on the Toshiba display this was impossible.
    If your chief will mainly use the laptop monitor, and stare at it for long periods, then buy a TFT. If he'll be able to work with a CRT, buy a good DSTN. I'd recommend HPA only for cheap multimedia enabled PC, and obviously only if you can't afford TFT.

    BTW, to our general director we just bought a Toshiba Portege that has a screen that's awesome.

    Ciao,
    Rob!

    Disclaimer:
    I don't work for Toshiba, but I do like their products a lot :)
  • Well, depends on the size of laptop you want. I have a Thinkpad A20p with about a 4 hour battery life. Better than my old Toshiba with a DSTN screen (3 hrs). That's because it has a much bigger battery.

    Of course, my TP is about an inch wider and deeper, although it's actually thinner.

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