If you’ve ever looked at a 360Hz monitor and thought, “That’s not fast enough,”then here’s what to expect. While we’ve seen prototype monitors exceed 360Hz, the highest native refresh rate you’ll find on PC displays these days, it looks like AU Optronics (AUO) is working on panels that will be available at even faster 480Hz. Update frequency.
Of course, not many people will look at a screen that is updated with new information 360 times a second as a lag. But for very fast action—for example, in a competitive game where words and objects fly by instantly, or where a few milliseconds of delay can be the difference between winning or losing—more speed is not only interesting, but may be desirable not too far from that point.
As TFT Central spotted this week, AUO announced via a YouTube video that it’s working on a 24-inch PC monitor panel with a 480Hz refresh rate and sub-1ms response time (the brand didn’t go into details). And it’s aimed at gamers.
AUO, which sells panels to monitor makers including Acer, Asus and MSI, also unveiled a 16-inch 480Hz screen designed for laptops. Judging by the video, the response time is slightly higher here, with “1.xms”.
Unsurprisingly, both displays run at 1920×1080 pixels, sacrificing sharper images for speed. By comparison, a 24-inch 4K monitor has a pixel density of 183.58 pixels per inch (ppi), compared to 91.79 ppi offered by the 1080p alternative.
But 1080p is a marked improvement over the 480Hz refresh rate in 2017. As ComputerBase recalls, ZisWorks shared a 480Hz prototype at the time, but the resolution was a measly 960×540. For what it’s worth, BlurBusters did point to visible image quality improvements at the time, including a reduction in motion blur, even when compared to 240Hz. Since it’s a shorter jump from 360Hz to 480Hz, it would be interesting to see if we can spot a difference.
480Hz AUO panels are being developed with the more common resolution, but also with the decreasing type of LED LCD panels, TN (twisted nematic). TN monitors are known for being fast and generally less expensive than alternatives, but often have worse contrast than VA (Vertical Alignment) panels, and worse colors and viewing angles than IPS (In-Plane Switching).
480 Hz on the horizon
AUO released the above video to promote their presence at the Information Display Society’s “Display Week”conference in San Jose, California this week. In the announcement, AUO said it was “demonstrating next-generation application scenarios”of gaming displays at the show.
Because AUO is a panel supplier, it did not provide release dates for the monitors. AUO also appeared to be putting more emphasis on promoting some of its panel technologies at SID Week, based on its announcement detailing other innovations it says they will be showcasing in person at the conference.
Last summer, TFT Central also pointed to plans by AUO, as well as LG, to release 480Hz monitors. And considering we’ve recently seen a prototype 500Hz PC monitor, 480Hz doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
Of course, if a 480Hz monitor comes out anytime soon, it’s going to be a niche use case that requires a damn powerful system, including a top-end graphics card, the right content, and a pretty sharp eye to reap the full benefits.