UW or 4K for PMDG planes

[flytrumpet767 68]

I know it's a million $ question, and also hardware related, but since I only fly PMDG planes I figured I would ask here. 

Soooo which is better, 4k TV/monitor, or 34" UW curved monitor. 

Thanks for the help 

[PMDG777 231]

30 minutes ago, flytrumpet767 said:

I know it's a million $ question, and also hardware related, but since I only fly PMDG planes I figured I would ask here. 

Soooo which is better, 4k TV/monitor, or 34" UW curved monitor. 

Thanks for the help 

What's better? A BMW or a Mercedes? It's really down to your preference. Although the curved screen is a bit of a gimmick not worth the extra money. The 34" Ultrawide will give you extra horizontal screen space (you'll see more VC left and right), but the 4K will mean you can lower the AA (possibly even switch it off). However keep in mind it takes some serious graphics power to run a 4K screen, not sure if a 1070 would do it without struggling slightly.

[downscc 1,327]

My 980Ti runs my 4K TV without sweating... and I would never give up my 4K. It's more like a Rolls and a Mercedes comparison.  Not sure what resolution that UW monitor has... comparing size to resolution is like apples and oranges, two different things.

[ErichB 3,642]

5 hours ago, downscc said:

My 980Ti runs my 4K TV without sweating... and I would never give up my 4K. It's more like a Rolls and a Mercedes comparison.  Not sure what resolution that UW monitor has... comparing size to resolution is like apples and oranges, two different things.

I'm with Dan on this one.  Same card and a 55' 4K TV.  Best visual flightsim experience I've ever had.

[flytrumpet767 68]

I went for this https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260239&_ga=2.30351743.1380899550.1499046894-1009765502.1488652716

I don't have space for a 55" unfortunately. From the videos that I've seen and the reviews I read, this sems to be a good compromise. Will allow to see most of what I need in the VC without having to move the POV. I'm coming from a 27" so that should be a noticeable difference. 

Thanks for the replies

[ErichB 3,642]

Over the years, my monitor sizes have gone from 19' (FS98 in 1998)  then 21 -- 27 -- 30 -- 40 -- 55.  Each upgrade was an amazing experience.   You will definitely see the difference. Have fun.

[FlyByWire 4]

I think this discussion is like the good old "VHS" and "Betamax" discussions back in the day. It's horses for courses. I'm certainly hankering after a 4k monitor (or TV if it's cheaper ) until such time as I've the resources / space for a few projection units.

I guess the 4k move is akin to moving from VHS to DVD to BluRay... each generation gets better and more realistic. But you do need the hardware to support it.

[Raven9000 272]

9 hours ago, downscc said:

My 980Ti runs my 4K TV without sweating... and I would never give up my 4K. It's more like a Rolls and a Mercedes comparison.  Not sure what resolution that UW monitor has... comparing size to resolution is like apples and oranges, two different things.

I don't think it's apples to oranges at all... if you have a 4k monitor that is 24", you can have all the sharpness you want, but you will still have a tiny window, and that is unrealistic.... I would rather have a huge 1080p than a small 4K....

Of course huge 4k would be the best... :)

[Raven9000 272]

13 hours ago, PMDG777 said:

What's better? A BMW or a Mercedes? It's really down to your preference. Although the curved screen is a bit of a gimmick not worth the extra money. The 34" Ultrawide will give you extra horizontal screen space (you'll see more VC left and right), but the 4K will mean you can lower the AA (possibly even switch it off). However keep in mind it takes some serious graphics power to run a 4K screen, not sure if a 1070 would do it without struggling slightly.

I don't think the curved screen is a gimmick at all... I have one and the immersion is definitely more than a flat monitor...

 

Regarding the "will give you extra horizontal space", that's extremely relative... If you talk about physical size, sure, if the UW is larger, but if not comparing size, or similar, the 4K one actually has more horizontal space, as the UW is 3440 while the 4K is 3840...

While horizontal it's not *that* much (~11-12%),  vertically you get much more real estate as well, since there yo get an extra 50% more!

 

I currently have the Dell 34" UW, but I think whenever I get the chance I might jump onto a large 4K one...

[PMDG777 231]

14 minutes ago, Raven9000 said:

I don't think the curved screen is a gimmick at all... I have one and the immersion is definitely more than a flat monitor...

 

Regarding the "will give you extra horizontal space", that's extremely relative... If you talk about physical size, sure, if the UW is larger, but if not comparing size, or similar, the 4K one actually has more horizontal space, as the UW is 3440 while the 4K is 3840...

While horizontal it's not *that* much (~11-12%),  vertically you get much more real estate as well, since there yo get an extra 50% more!

 

I currently have the Dell 34" UW, but I think whenever I get the chance I might jump onto a large 4K one...

Yes but to make use of the extra screen real estate on the 4K monitor, you will be more zoomed out. The aspect ratio on the UW allows you to get more of the view left and right with the same vertical view, with 4K you'd need to zoom out.

[ErichB 3,642]

31 minutes ago, Raven9000 said:

I don't think the curved screen is a gimmick at all... I have one and the immersion is definitely more than a flat monitor...

 

Carlos, can you explain what you mean.  Reason I'm asking is because i was interested in a curved screen too but the extra spend didn't seem reasonable.   I know a sense of 'immersion' is a relative concept but interested to hear why you think so i your case.

[Bob Scott 7,720]

I find large curved screens a bit problematic with large aircraft panels, personally, because I often line myself up on the left side rather than centering myself on the monitor, just as I would be positioned in front of a real side-by-side panel.  On a 55" display, the panel is ~85% life-sized.  Considering that the panel in front of you on the real jet is flat, why would a curved display make it more realistic??

Also, the focus of the curve on most curved TV screens is intended for much longer viewing distances, so any intended effect is largely lost when sitting only 1m back from the TV.  UW displays may be curved with a shorter focus, but my issue above--viewing from an off-center position--still remains.

Regards

 

[downscc 1,327]

Excuse the off topic post but I am old enough to remember Cinerama, the 60's big innovation that introduced us to a wrap around screen, well about 120 deg of it in my recollection. It was implemented with three curved screens, each about 40 deg and the technology was combining three special cameras mounted together to synchronize the photography.  I think this was the same Canadian company that later brought us IMax.  The experience was memorable, and it was exciting as long as it was things like being aboard a helicopter flying through the Grand Canyon but it proved less successful at actual movies with actors and plots.  The big flat screen that IMax brought us, on the other hand, has proved to be a market success and when I went to see Gravity a few years ago it had to be on an IMax screen.

[Raven9000 272]

8 hours ago, ErichB said:

Carlos, can you explain what you mean.  Reason I'm asking is because i was interested in a curved screen too but the extra spend didn't seem reasonable.   I know a sense of 'immersion' is a relative concept but interested to hear why you think so i your case.

Well, not too much to explain, I just feel the slight curvature make me feel more "in there" than when I was using a flat screen.

[Raven9000 272]

9 hours ago, PMDG777 said:

Yes but to make use of the extra screen real estate on the 4K monitor, you will be more zoomed out. The aspect ratio on the UW allows you to get more of the view left and right with the same vertical view, with 4K you'd need to zoom out.

Hmmm I don't think that's true... Maybe your reasoning is since one is 16:9 and the other is 21:9, then if you have both monitor of the same height then yes the 21:9 is wider and you have more horizontal view.

 

However, when I mentioned larger size  what I mean is, if you have 2 such monitors but of equal *width*, then the 4K will definitely give you more real estate, and you won't really have to be zoomed out (on the contrary, since in the same space the UW fill up the image with 3440 pixels, and you have 3840 on the 4K, you would actually have more pixels left or you could even zoom *in* some more)

To simply the math, let-s use a quick common between 21 & 16 which is their product, 336.  If you have two monitors of 336 "units" of width, then the UW one will be 144 units high while the 4K will be 189 units high. Larger view in every way