Modern dual-mode monitor models are becoming one of the most important trends in the gaming industry because they are trying to solve a problem that has been following monitors for years – the choice between high resolution and ultra high refresh rate displays.
Traditionally, high-resolution monitors offer a better display of details, but have difficulty reaching extremely high refresh rates, while gaming monitors with very high refresh rates often sacrifice resolution for display speed.
Dual-mode monitors try to combine the best of both worlds, through dynamic switching between different operating modes.
How dual-mode monitors manage to double the refresh rate
The basic problem of every monitor is the limitation of data transfer bandwidth. The higher the resolution and refresh rate, the more data needs to be transferred between the graphics card and the screen itself. Therefore, increasing one value usually limits the other. Dual-mode monitors solve this problem by reducing the resolution when the user activates the ultra-high refresh rate mode.
For example, the monitor can work in 4K 160 Hz mode or in 1080p 320 Hz mode.
In this way, a large part of the necessary bandwidth is released, which can then be used for a much higher refresh rate. The most important technology in dual-mode monitors is the so-called “pixel merging” function, that is, the merging of pixels.
In ultra-high refresh rate display mode, the monitor’s electronics practically combine multiple physical pixels into one logical pixel. With a 4K panel, four physical pixels can function as one unified pixel with an identical signal.
This reduces the number of actively processed pixels by as much as 75%, which dramatically relieves image processing and data transfer. The result is the possibility of a huge increase in the refresh rate value without the need for a completely new panel.
Dual controllers allow for instant mode switching
Modern dual-mode monitors also use special dual control electronics. Inside the monitor there are two separate image processing logics: one optimized for high resolution and the other for ultra high refresh rate.
Thanks to this, the monitor can switch operating modes almost instantly without a black screen, pauses or long image loading. It is interesting that the current technology still does not use the full available bandwidth.
In the example of switching from 4K 160 Hz to 1080p 320 Hz, the resolution decreases four times, while the refresh rate only doubles. That’s why some manufacturers are already experimenting with a three- and four-fold increase in the refresh rate of future monitors.
The monitor industry currently sees the dual-mode approach as one of the most important directions of development, as it enables simultaneous satisfaction of the needs of professional work and extreme gaming on one device.