LCDs with 480 Hz Refresh Rate Incoming

AUO
(Image credit: AUO)

Displays with a 360 Hz refresh rate and a 2.8 ms frame time are the best gaming monitors with high refresh rates you can get today. But that will soon change. Two leading makers of LCD panels are developing display panels that feature a 480 Hz refresh rate and a 2.1 ms frame time (as well as lower overall latency). These panels will be ready sometimes in 2022, so actual displays will arrive in 2023. 

Both AU Optronics and LG Display are working on LCD panels with a 480 Hz refresh rate, according to two reports by TFTCentral (12). LG Display is reportedly working on multiple 480 Hz panels with the first one being a 24.5-inch with a 1080p (1920x1080) resolution. The unit is projected to be ready for mass production sometime in Q4 2022, so if everything goes well, the commercial displays based on the panel will be available in the first half of 2023. AU Optronics is also developing a 1080p panel with a 480 Hz refresh rate and aims to start mass production in 2022, but there are no further details.  

Not a lot of information is available about AUO's and LG Display's 480 Hz panels now, which is not particularly surprising given that they are so far out. Today's ultra-high-performance 360Hz displays use a TN panel, though the brand new 390 Hz LCDs use AUO's AHVA (IPS-like) panels. 

To handle a panel with an extremely wide variable refresh rate range — think about 30Hz ~ 480Hz — a very high-performance display controller logic will be needed. This set of chips (or one highly integrated chip) will have to include a very high-performance image processing unit, an appropriate overdrive processor, a very fast TCON (timing controller), and a general-purpose processor that will manage operation of the said units. 

For example, modern 360Hz G-Sync displays use logic specifically designed by Nvidia. In fact, the logic behind high-end displays is just as important as the panel and the backlighting, which is why development of expensive monitors takes so long.  

These 480 Hz panels are designed for monitors aimed at professional gamers who want maximum performance to maximize their potential in various eSports competitions. The market of such displays is rather small, yet lucrative. Furthermore, such high-end displays serve the same purpose as other halo products — they promote the manufacturer's brand.

Anton Shilov
Freelance News Writer

Anton Shilov is a Freelance News Writer at Tom’s Hardware US. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

  • Phaaze88
    Get the popcorn!
    Reply
  • escksu
    Why not 500 or 1000Hz??
    Reply
  • watzupken
    I rather they improve monitor panel by moving on to mini LED or OLED. How many people actually will find 240Hz and faster refresh rate useful in their day to day, or even gaming use? While higher refresh rate is obviously better, but this is similar to the case of manufacturers chasing a higher number which makes no meaningful improvement for at least 95% of the population.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    watzupken said:
    I rather they improve monitor panel by moving on to mini LED or OLED. How many people actually will find 240Hz and faster refresh rate useful in their day to day, or even gaming use? While higher refresh rate is obviously better, but this is similar to the case of manufacturers chasing a higher number which makes no meaningful improvement for at least 95% of the population.
    about only type of games that WANT the max rate possible are shooting games.

    and thats likely aminority as most who play them wont care about that high of frame rate.
    Reply
  • escksu
    hotaru251 said:
    about only type of games that WANT the max rate possible are shooting games.

    and thats likely aminority as most who play them wont care about that high of frame rate.

    Not all shooters though, only a very small handful like counter-strike. Most of the AAA shooters can't even hit 200fps at 1080p, let alone 480.
    Reply
  • Kamen Rider Blade
    Seriously, an extra 20 Hz to make a nice even 500 Hz please!
    Reply
  • Friesiansam
    OK for willie waving but, otherwise, pointless pushing the refresh rate so high.
    Reply
  • Pollopesca
    I honestly can’t see much of a difference between 120hz & 240hz. I would imagine the perceived impact would be diminished further beyond that. Then again my eyes might just be sh1t. ¯\(ツ)
    Reply
  • hotaru.hino
    escksu said:
    Why not 500 or 1000Hz??
    480 Hz lines up nicely with two out of the three most widely used base frame rates in media: 24 FPS (for film) and 30 FPS (for 60Hz based countries). 600 Hz would be the minimum refresh rate to include 25 FPS.

    Friesiansam said:
    OK for willie waving but, otherwise, pointless pushing the refresh rate so high.
    I would see it handy for black frame insertion techniques in minimizing motion blur without the loss in brightness. But then again I don't know how well this works at higher refresh rates.
    Reply
  • BryanFRitt
    "Seriously, an extra 20 Hz to make a nice even 500 Hz please!"

    PAL is 50 half frames per second
    500 = 5010 = 2 ^ 2 * 5 ^ 3
    @500Hz, There's no nice integer multiple for NTSC 60fps, 60*(8+1/3) = 500

    NTSC is 60 half frames per second
    480 = 608 = 2 ^ 5 * 3 * 5
    @480Hz, There's no nice integer multiple for PAL 50fps, 50*(9+3/5) = 480

    Multiples of 600Hz are nice integer multiples of 50fps, 60fps, 24fps, etc ...
    600 = 50 * 12 = 60 * 10 = 24 * 25 = 2 ^ 3 * 3 * 5 ^ 2
    Reply