Response Time

An important parameter for TV devices is the so-called response time. In general, this value indicates the time it takes for a pixel to change its colour. It is usually measured as the change in colour value from either grey to grey or black to white, to black in milliseconds.

A short response time should not be underestimated

Switching latency is a decisive factor for motion handling and thus also for the reproduction of fast movements in films, series and especially video games. Values that are too low can cause trailing shadows or colour blurring – commonly known as ghosting – and thus have a negative impact on the viewing or gaming experience.

A good response time for TV devices is usually less than 10 milliseconds, although gaming monitors can also have response times of about one millisecond. In conjunction with this, the overdrive function provides faster switching times based on voltage overload. However, if the pixels change too quickly, undesirable artefacts can occur, which in turn are referred to as inverse ghosting.

First and foremost, a fast response time depends on the screen technology, in other words the panel type. OLED TVs, for example, usually have lower values than LCD TVs with IPS and VA panels. Higher resolutions and refresh rates can increase the response time requirements because more pixels need to be updated faster.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Motion display more fluid	Inverse ghosting possible
Reduces motion blur respectively ghosting	Higher costs for OLED technology
Improved image clarity	Technology dependency
Better gaming experience	Adjustable response time not possible on all TVs