Refresh Rate vs. Pixel Response Time

[Bulldog17]

This is a widely discussed topic, but I still don't "get it."

An LCD monitor typically has a refresh rate of 60Hz, which means that the image is re-drawn every 16.67 ms.

So what is the point when a monitor manufacturer advertises a pixel response time of, say, 8ms or 5ms or less, when the screen can't refresh that quickly anyway?

I would be grateful if someone could finally get this through my thick skull.

 

[jaguarskx]

Refresh rate of 60Hz means the video card transfer data to the monitor every 16.67ms for the monitor to display on screen.

Response time is the time it take the pixel to change colors once the signal is received from the video card (every 16.67ms). The higher the response time, the longer it takes and the more likely it is you will see ghosting.

Input lag is the time between when the signal is received from the video, passes through the internal electronics of the monitor and the pixels begins to change colors.

 

[Bulldog17]

This is a widely discussed topic, but I still don't "get it."

An LCD monitor typically has a refresh rate of 60Hz, which means that the image is re-drawn every 16.67 ms.

So what is the point when a monitor manufacturer advertises a pixel response time of, say, 8ms or 5ms or less, when the screen can't refresh that quickly anyway?

I would be grateful if someone could finally get this through my thick skull.

TA DA. I finally figured it out.

Once an LCD monitor gets a new image to display, the pixels get called into action. Sure, the pixels have 16.67 seconds to respond before the next image comes in, but that's not the point.

A pixel response time of 8 ms, for example, doesn't mean that all pixels respond at the same instant, 8 ms after receiving the information for a new image. No sir. Some pixels take less than 8 ms to respond while others take longer, with the average being 8 ms.

The image on the display is in transition until all the pixels finally adjust to their new states, and this transition is what causes the smearing, ghosting or blurring. The faster the average pixel response, the less time the image is in transition and therefore, the less smearing/ghosting/blurring there is.

So pixel response time is about how quickly the monitor can make the transition from one image to the next, once it receives the information for the new image.

I'm pretty sure that's right, but if it's not I'll be grateful to know.