Computer

They create a screen with two LCD panels and the result is BRUTAL!

One of the biggest advantages of OLED displays over LCDs is color contrast, this is because it can represent color luminance much better in each pixel. Instead, the other type of screen requires a front panel that will influence the ability to render colors depending on the backlight panel behind it. What happens if two LCD panels are used at the same time to form a monitor?

Who would have thought that the solution to the LCD panel problem was to be found in a solution as simple as gluing two panels on top of each other? Well, this experiment, which at first may seem counterintuitive, results in a screen that is less spectacular. The problem? It is not for sale and if you want one you will have to build it yourself.

A monitor with two LCD panels?

The idea is not ours, but comes from the YouTube user DIY Perks which has taken two conventional LCD screens and stripped them apart to create a monster with two LCD panels. You can see the process and the explanation in the language of Albion in the video below these lines and it must be said that it is an exercise that is less interesting from a technical point of view.

Obviously, they have had to disassemble all the components and create a new structure that has resulted in a monitor that is not exactly fine, mostly due to the need to install fans to keep the entire experiment cool. In addition, it has been necessary to use an HDMI Splitter to duplicate the signal so that both panels receive the same information from the graphics card.

The most interesting thing about the video, from our point of view, is to see how two LCD panels block each other due to the polarization of light. The solution? Simple, the use of depolarization films between both panels, but since they are difficult to find in the project, they have chosen to use tracing paper to polarize the light. This in turn has caused a reduction of the backlight and has forced the use of a new backlight for the experiment.

Okay, but what does it look like?

We must start from the fact that the ideal experiment would be for one of the panels to transmit the luminance of each pixel in grayscale and the other the chrominance. However, in this case we are talking about both panels literally displaying the same information and both influencing each other. However, the image quality achieved is much higher than a conventional LCD. Not only because of the image contrast that is gained with the double monitor, but the colors end up being much more vibrant, which is an advantage that OLEDs usually have, but if we take into account the cost and size of obtaining the same result with liquid crystal display,

Two LCD panels Image Quality

With everything that can be seen in the experiment, it is understandable why the industry has not opted for this solution, and we cannot forget important points such as energy consumption and heat generated. Also, that despite the fact that the result is better with two LCD panels than with one, it does not reach the level of an OLED monitor and extreme calibration is required between the two panels so that the color representation is adequate.

The other problem is that the image buffer does not usually separate chrominance and luminance into two differentiated values. Instead, a generalized value is given for each pixel. After all, a single screen is used and not one on top of the other, if this were done then the result of using a configuration of this type would be much better than using an OLED panel.

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