4 ms·

I feel like 32" at a high PPI is hitting the point of perfection in a display. The 32" size gives a generous amount of space for multiple programs to be visibl

by wbond 10y ago

I feel like 32" at a high PPI is hitting the point of perfection in a display. The 32" size gives a generous amount of space for multiple programs to be visible on the screen at once, without being too large for normal desk usage. Trying to use something like a 47" inch TV results in lots of head movement to scan the entire screen. For anyone who has used a high PPI screen, the smoothness of text and geometric shapes is beautiful. Before this the two compromises were a 32" 4K, which is a normal PPI screen, or a 27" 5K, which doesn't have the same real estate for 4-up viewing. Alas, $5k is clearly a steep price filtering out all but the largest hardware budgets. Considering the price of the 32" 4K Dell dropped by 50% over a few years, hopefully these will be sub-$2k by 2019.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
michaelbuckbee 10y ago
I use a 49" 4K tv as a monitor and you're right. Oddly since I'm using a standing desk it's really helpful (and natural) to lean a bit to see upper left and right areas of the screen. That being said the overall experience is fantastic and a serious productivity boost. I'm on the lookout now for a 55" or larger 4K with a curved screen as I think that would help on both fronts.
- laurieg 10y ago
  How do you find the brightness an pixel arrangement using a 4k tv? I have been eyeing up a 43 inch tv as a monitor for a while.
  - lrizzo 10y ago
    Of all the problems you can have with this setting, brightness is not one of them. I have been using 4k 40" tvs and monitors with OSX and FreeBSD/linux for over 2 years now and overall I am quite happy with the choice. I wouldn't go much above 40", as it would involve too much head movement (while sitting at least, I find myself comfortably using only 2/3 of the height). One annoying problem especially with older or low end TVs was definitely lag. Even after disabling all "picture enhancements" and setting the equivalent of gaming mode, many TVs in 2014-2015 had high lag, from the 120ms that even Samsung/LG were showing, up to the 300+ms of Seiki and Haier and other no-name TVs. That makes the monitor unusable even for text editing. From personal experience, 2016 Samsung at least are much better, but better try them before buying. Next comes viewing angle and color -- cheap panels have a limited vertical viewing angle, and sometimes even limited color depth. Then you have to fight with OS and applications. For some combinations of OSX and TVs, I had the OS applying non-removable overscan after identifying the screen as a TV. OSX also does antialiasing which results in blurred characters with small fonts in terminals. I haven't found a good bitmapped font to use. Apps also have problems, e.g. chrome on OSX does not refresh well the bottom bar when you move windows between the 4k and the retina screen. Or, some video players fail to go full screen on 4k.
- phkahler 10y ago
  >> I'm on the lookout now for a 55" or larger 4K with a curved screen as I think that would help on both fronts. Check out the LG OLED55C6P. As the name indicates 55" old Curved. Go to the store and sit right in front of it as though it's on your desk. I really want that at home and at work. Oh, and there's a 65CP6 as well...
bluedino 10y ago
27" is as big as I find usable.
- StavrosK 10y ago
  24" here. A friend gave me a Dell U2711b (and I had an LG 27") and I have to turn my head too much. I got a Dell P2416 and it's the perfect size for me.
  - jacobolus 10y ago
    Try pushing the larger display slightly further away until it covers the same field of view as the smaller display. Getting the display to 4+ feet away from your face will noticeably reduce eye strain. You don’t need your eyes to converge as much, and you don’t need to focus as close, leaving your muscles closer to their relaxed position. For work where you’re constantly changing your gaze from near to far (esp. e.g. working outside) or taking frequent breaks to walk around so your eye muscles are flexing back and forth, it’s not as big a deal, but if you’re in a relatively static position focusing close all day long, the extra distance is nice. (Actually, both those Dell displays you mentioned are pretty low resolution. If you get a chance, try some of the 200+ ppi ones. Makes a huge difference even for text/code.)
    - StavrosK 10y ago
      That needs a really deep desk, although I think I'm already at around 4 ft. About the PPI, I don't know, I'm already having framerate problems with Ubuntu with QHD, doubling the pixels sounds like I'm going to have a terrible time. Not to mention my eyes, good as they are, are probably not going to be able to resolve the difference between 130 ppi and 200ppi.
      - dpark 10y ago
        > probably not going to be able to resolve the difference between 130 ppi and 200ppi. Probably not if you actually have your monitor 4 feet away.
emu 10y ago
I'm a happy owner of a Dell UP2715K 27" 5k monitor, which is around 220ppi. At 2x scaling, I find it to be a very pleasant pixel density for working with code; text looks gorgeous. My only complaint is I wish the monitor was a touch larger. I would be very interested in a 32" 8k display when the price drops a little bit; 4k 32" displays just don't have a high enough pixel density for my taste.
- lobster_johnson 10y ago
  Looks like a MacBook Pro 2015 or earlier can drive the 5K at full resolution at 60Hz by using both Thunderbolt ports? If so, that's pretty good.
  - _ph_ 10y ago
    Yes, it can. A colleague of mine is driving his 5k Dell Display with the MB Pro.
  - emu 10y ago
    Yes. I use the Dell display with a 2015 Macbook Pro, using dual Displayport cables. It works pretty well. I think you need the model with the AMD M370X GPU to drive an external 5k display. I also use the Dell 5k monitor with a PC with a Geforce 980 GPU; it works surprisingly well in Windows 10. (You can even play some games at 5k ---- Civilization VI is really pretty at 5k!) Linux support is woefully bad, however. I guess this will change as these HiDPI configurations become more common.

by wbond 10y ago

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

michaelbuckbee 10y ago

I use a 49" 4K tv as a monitor and you're right. Oddly since I'm using a standing desk it's really helpful (and natural) to lean a bit to see upper left and right areas of the screen. That being said the overall experience is fantastic and a serious productivity boost. I'm on the lookout now for a 55" or larger 4K with a curved screen as I think that would help on both fronts.

laurieg 10y ago
How do you find the brightness an pixel arrangement using a 4k tv? I have been eyeing up a 43 inch tv as a monitor for a while.
- lrizzo 10y ago
  Of all the problems you can have with this setting, brightness is not one of them. I have been using 4k 40" tvs and monitors with OSX and FreeBSD/linux for over 2 years now and overall I am quite happy with the choice. I wouldn't go much above 40", as it would involve too much head movement (while sitting at least, I find myself comfortably using only 2/3 of the height). One annoying problem especially with older or low end TVs was definitely lag. Even after disabling all "picture enhancements" and setting the equivalent of gaming mode, many TVs in 2014-2015 had high lag, from the 120ms that even Samsung/LG were showing, up to the 300+ms of Seiki and Haier and other no-name TVs. That makes the monitor unusable even for text editing. From personal experience, 2016 Samsung at least are much better, but better try them before buying. Next comes viewing angle and color -- cheap panels have a limited vertical viewing angle, and sometimes even limited color depth. Then you have to fight with OS and applications. For some combinations of OSX and TVs, I had the OS applying non-removable overscan after identifying the screen as a TV. OSX also does antialiasing which results in blurred characters with small fonts in terminals. I haven't found a good bitmapped font to use. Apps also have problems, e.g. chrome on OSX does not refresh well the bottom bar when you move windows between the 4k and the retina screen. Or, some video players fail to go full screen on 4k.
phkahler 10y ago
>> I'm on the lookout now for a 55" or larger 4K with a curved screen as I think that would help on both fronts. Check out the LG OLED55C6P. As the name indicates 55" old Curved. Go to the store and sit right in front of it as though it's on your desk. I really want that at home and at work. Oh, and there's a 65CP6 as well...

bluedino 10y ago

27" is as big as I find usable.

StavrosK 10y ago
24" here. A friend gave me a Dell U2711b (and I had an LG 27") and I have to turn my head too much. I got a Dell P2416 and it's the perfect size for me.
- jacobolus 10y ago
  Try pushing the larger display slightly further away until it covers the same field of view as the smaller display. Getting the display to 4+ feet away from your face will noticeably reduce eye strain. You don’t need your eyes to converge as much, and you don’t need to focus as close, leaving your muscles closer to their relaxed position. For work where you’re constantly changing your gaze from near to far (esp. e.g. working outside) or taking frequent breaks to walk around so your eye muscles are flexing back and forth, it’s not as big a deal, but if you’re in a relatively static position focusing close all day long, the extra distance is nice. (Actually, both those Dell displays you mentioned are pretty low resolution. If you get a chance, try some of the 200+ ppi ones. Makes a huge difference even for text/code.)
  - StavrosK 10y ago
    That needs a really deep desk, although I think I'm already at around 4 ft. About the PPI, I don't know, I'm already having framerate problems with Ubuntu with QHD, doubling the pixels sounds like I'm going to have a terrible time. Not to mention my eyes, good as they are, are probably not going to be able to resolve the difference between 130 ppi and 200ppi.
    - dpark 10y ago
      > probably not going to be able to resolve the difference between 130 ppi and 200ppi. Probably not if you actually have your monitor 4 feet away.

emu 10y ago

I'm a happy owner of a Dell UP2715K 27" 5k monitor, which is around 220ppi. At 2x scaling, I find it to be a very pleasant pixel density for working with code; text looks gorgeous. My only complaint is I wish the monitor was a touch larger. I would be very interested in a 32" 8k display when the price drops a little bit; 4k 32" displays just don't have a high enough pixel density for my taste.

lobster_johnson 10y ago
Looks like a MacBook Pro 2015 or earlier can drive the 5K at full resolution at 60Hz by using both Thunderbolt ports? If so, that's pretty good.
- _ph_ 10y ago
  Yes, it can. A colleague of mine is driving his 5k Dell Display with the MB Pro.
- emu 10y ago
  Yes. I use the Dell display with a 2015 Macbook Pro, using dual Displayport cables. It works pretty well. I think you need the model with the AMD M370X GPU to drive an external 5k display. I also use the Dell 5k monitor with a PC with a Geforce 980 GPU; it works surprisingly well in Windows 10. (You can even play some games at 5k ---- Civilization VI is really pretty at 5k!) Linux support is woefully bad, however. I guess this will change as these HiDPI configurations become more common.