High refresh rate monitors are able to display dynamic action more smoothly than standard 60Hz monitors. Modern screens can run at up to 360Hz, but BOE, a Chinese electronics company, is working on increasing the speed to 500Hz. And he has a prototype to prove it.
Modern PC monitors typically use a thin-film transistor (TFT) array made from amorphous silicon, the same type of non-crystalline material used in products such as solar cells. According to a report discovered by Tom’s Hardware and Wccftech from the Chinese edition of Sina.com, BOE, whose business includes making smartphone and tablet displays for companies such as LG and Apple, is working to make it more efficient to replace silicon TFT active layer with oxide TFT, which allowed the company to create a prototype monitor capable of updating 1920×1080 pixels 500 times per second.
“Oxide semiconductor display technology has the advantages of high mobility, low off-state current, simple processing technology and large size, which can meet the dual needs of improving product quality in the future and reducing power consumption, and has become an inevitable trend in technology and market development. “, according to a Sina.com report based on Google’s Chinese-to-English translation.
The display manufacturer can reportedly use oxide TFT LCDs to combat bright spots, improve panel reliability, and reduce power consumption by as much as 15 percent. However, the Sina.com report lists various types of displays that BOE is working on, including a 13.3-inch 4K one, so it’s not clear if all of these features are carried over to the 500Hz prototype.
BOE hasn’t revealed plans for actually releasing a 500Hz monitor, so don’t rush to throw out the 360Hz panel just yet. But the company has shared a video claiming to show a 27-inch monitor at 500Hz and above. The monitor’s 1920×1080 resolution isn’t surprising, as the revolutionary refresh rate will be harder to achieve with extra pixels in, say, QHD or 4K resolution. Based on the video, the 500Hz monitor also uses 8-lane Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) and 8-bit color.
Again, it’s unclear if we’ll ever see a 1080p 500Hz monitor available for purchase. And we’ll need graphics cards with enough power (and affordability) to make it all worth it. It would also be interesting to see how much of a direct 500Hz difference would make a visual difference compared to today’s fastest monitors, which are already very impressive. Once you go from 60Hz to 144Hz, it’s hard to go back, and going to 360Hz makes for even more subtle improvements in fast-paced scenes and games.
If BOE brings its 500Hz panel to market, it won’t be the first time we’ve seen TFT oxide technology used in monitor design. For example, in 2011, Samsung used an oxide TFT-LCD to prototype a 4K monitor running at 240Hz, which the company is implementing this year with the Odyssey Neo G8 32-inch gaming monitor.
At this point, 500Hz is still out of reach, giving our eyes time to adjust to the possibility.