Hi all,

 

My birthday is in a bit (I'll be what...25?) and was thinking about having my kids surprise me (SURRRPRISE!!) with a 4K TV. I've been doing some shopping and prices at Best Buy seem to be all over the map.  I'm looking at something around 45-50" and, yeah, if I can even figure out if they're capable of 30Hz, I'll do that.  So, does price matter?  Brand?  Anything to stay away from or lean toward.  Cheaper are less painful if they go out.  More expensive brands might last longer...maybe.  Thoughts?

Hi all,

 

My birthday is in a bit (I'll be what...25?) and was thinking about having my kids surprise me (SURRRPRISE!!) with a 4K TV. I've been doing some shopping and prices at Best Buy seem to be all over the map.  I'm looking at something around 45-50" and, yeah, if I can even figure out if they're capable of 30Hz, I'll do that.  So, does price matter?  Brand?  Anything to stay away from or lean toward.  Cheaper are less painful if they go out.  More expensive brands might last longer...maybe.  Thoughts?

 

For the money, it is hard to beat Vizio today. They have gone from a lower tier manufacturer to one of the best, and still at a reasonable price. 

I'd go for a 55'' if the budget allows.

 

Most 4k TVs these days are 60hz and above so adjustments in Nvidia Control Panel will be necessary to set 30hz. I have a Samsung 65'' UHD running P3D and love it. The picture quality is amazing and whilst the size of the TV at unboxing seemed ridiculous, once in play the size is dwarfed by the immersion. 

 

 

 

Im

 

 

I'd go for a 55'' if the budget allows.



Most 4k TVs these days are 60hz and above so adjustments in Nvidia Control Panel will be necessary to set 30hz. I have a Samsung 65'' UHD running P3D and love it. The picture quality is amazing and whilst the size of the TV at unboxing seemed ridiculous, once in play the size is dwarfed by the immersion.

 

Does any TV work at 30Hz?  I mean, they all will work at 60Hz, I'm assuming.  In terms of 55".  I tried one once and thought it was too big at the time so went with a 46".  I dunno.  I've been running my zoom factor at 1.0 so I wonder if that could be why.

How close will you be sitting to it?

I've got a 43" Vizio and it works great for gaming, FS, and also for normal desktop applications.  It's on my desk and about 3 feet from my eyes.  I would not go any larger than 43" if you plan on using the monitor for normal desktop applications.  Even at 43", it's a bit like sitting in the front row in a movie theater.  Any larger is probably overkill.

 

Also, I would highly recommend getting Display Fusion.  Makes the large monitor much more useful by splitting it into virtual monitors.  Instead of one huge monitor, you essentially get multiple monitors with zero bezel between them. For example, I have mine set up as two 1,920 x 2,160 monitors for normal desktop applications, which is awesome for web browsing, word processing, etc.  You get separate task bars for each virtual monitor, you can maximize windows to each virtual monitor, etc.  Then it switches to full screen for FS and other games.

 

https://www.displayfusion.com/

I've got a 43" Vizio and it works great for gaming, FS, and also for normal desktop applications. It's on my desk and about 3 feet from my eyes. I would not go any larger than 43" if you plan on using the monitor for normal desktop applications. Even at 43", it's a bit like sitting in the front row in a movie theater. Any larger is probably overkill.

 

Also, I would highly recommend getting Display Fusion.

 

Maybe.  I ask myself if I should cut back from 1x zoom...maybe 90.  The only thing is, I want the real world to be displayed pretty true to life...no fisheye effect.  So, I guess it depends on instrument sizes.  At 46" they seem good.  But maybe I was just overwhelmed at the time by a 55" (going up from a 42"...it's a lot more real estate.

 

Desktop fusion does look nice for keeping two groups of apps up.

I wonder which screen size would fit 1:1 the real dimensions of an average cockpit front view (Cessna, Piper, warbirds etc.). Anybody has an idea ? I use very little zoom out (-.8 to 1) depending of the aircraft.

Hi, Iceman2. We echo your sentiments on perceived size, as you take it out of the box. We have the Samsung 65" curved, with its sound bar. Before a decision was made as to where it was to be set up, the stand was used as we pondered to select which wall to mount it on. Now its on a wall that attracts no direct sunlight. Being a large room it does look relatively small now after a few months with it!

 

How are you connecting your computer to it? Although we have a network of computers and other devices linked to it by wifi, do you use HDMI, wifi or Bluetooth, etc with the computer you have your sim on?

 

I use a desktop that does not have the HDMI cable slots that one will find on a laptop. Although the desktop supports HDMI (using it on an HP 23") with the standard HDMI or VGA monitor cables.

 

Not being a computer geek, what is the importance of Hz and how do I verify that the Computer/Monitor/TV are compatible?

 

Thanks in advance.

Samsung 4k 65" curved running all sims and games at 60hz and 444 color via hdmi. I looked at them all and Samsung had the best color and brightness of any of them.

 

I sit 5 feet from mine and sometimes move closer for full immersion. With 4k there is no reason to sit 8 or more feet back because at that distance you loose the advantage of 4k.

Paul, are you using desktop or laptop with an HDMI cable? My desktop does not have the same HDMI sockets as the Samsung.

Desktop home brew pc. I think you can get adapters for almost any hdmi input or output source.

Guy post some pics of your 4K TV simming setups! I would love to see it from your POV! I have an Curved LG 34'' 3440X1440 rez display and I love it! I can't imagine a 4K TV tho, I would love to see some of your sims. 

Samsung 4k 65" curved running all sims and games at 60hz and 444 color via hdmi. I looked at them all and Samsung had the best color and brightness of any of them.

 

 

Woh.  I am trying to imagine that.  What zoom level do you use?  I could imagine 75% and seeing most of the inside of a 777 cockpit.  Also, do you think curved matters that much?

I would say so for sure! I sit no more than 2.5-3 feet away from my monitor and the curve make it feel like the monitor is wrapping around your eyes. It also makes the edges of the screen the same distance away from your eyes as the center and everything just feels like its wrapping around you. Flying in a dim or dark room, with a dusk / dawm / night approach I FEEL inside the cockpit.