Flat vs Curved Screen for MSFS 2020

[hychewright 46]

Just wondering how many of you simmer's have switched from the flat screen to the curved screen? I've read where some have and wouldn't go back to the flat screen and some regretted going to the curve screen and they returned it. I'm sure it is a matter of opinion. Are there any benefits or any dramatic changes? Just wondering?  

[orchestra_nl 923]

11 minutes ago, hychewright said:

Just wondering how many of you simmer's have switched from the flat screen to the curved screen? I've read where some have and wouldn't go back to the flat screen and some regretted going to the curve screen and they returned it. I'm sure it is a matter of opinion. Are there any benefits or any dramatic changes? Just wondering?  

Usually those curved screens are only avaible for ultrawide models. Likely the major reason is that the edges of these ultrawide ultrawide screens would otherwise be viewed at too big an angle and cause things like colour shifts. Making these screens curved solves that problem somewhat, allowing you to view the edges at more direct angles.

The curvature is not enough to give you a "wrap around" view.

 

[YukonPete 585]

51 minutes ago, hychewright said:

Just wondering how many of you simmer's have switched from the flat screen to the curved screen? I've read where some have and wouldn't go back to the flat screen and some regretted going to the curve screen and they returned it. I'm sure it is a matter of opinion. Are there any benefits or any dramatic changes? Just wondering?  

I use a 60" curved Samsung 4K TV as my monitor. Better price then buying a monitor and it works fantastic. Ive only used a TV as a monitor for the last 8 years. Will never waste money on a small monitor again!

Edited August 15, 2022 by YukonPete

[Fielder 3,644]

The human eye produces a curved image. The radius of the normal eye's curved image matches the 1000 curved monitor screens. 1500 screens have less curvature, a 1800 screens even less.

There is a rule of thumb that the curvature number is approximately the maximum limit in millimeters the viewer can be from the screen and still see a good image. Thus a mild curve screen looks good up to 1800 mm away (70 inches) and a 1000 screen 39 inches. A flat screen would have a very large curvature number and look good from very long distances.

The advantage in first person shooter games is to sit close to a 1000 screen and you will not have to move your eyes or head to still have a great view of things happening at the edges (where enemies might  be doing something).

Despite what some youtube reviewers say, a curved image screen can produce a more natural looking image. Both the human eye and a curved screen produce distortion because of curvature. But a curved  screen's distortion at a proper viewing distance can match the human eye's distortion perfectly, and therefore it seems more 'right'. Because your brain already has always been compensating for curvature distortion all the time with everything that you see in life.

 

 

 

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

I just tried a ton of different monitors and TV's.

If you are going 16:9 and want curved, stick to 1800r curve or higher (1800r to 3000r), 1500r is too extreme IMO for 16:9 unless you are ONLY doing gaming and no browsing.

If you don't care about 120+ hz or how pretty the menu is, the Dell S3221QS would be my pick, though it needs calibrated or at least hand tuned to clean the grayscale a bit. It is 16:9, true 4k, and has an 1800r curve and goes for under $400. You can also Google "1800r curved 4k monitor", or look at Amazon, though a lot of Amazon listings didn't publish the curve ratio, it's almost always on the MFR site listed in the spec sheet.

If you want the most features but are willing to deal with a more extreme curve (hence you are mainly using the PC for gaming), then the Gigabyte M32UC is the best under $600 (144hz, true 4k, but 1500r).

If you want to just settle on a flat screen, you get better contrast and bang for buck by buying a 43" 4k TV instead, there are numerous options under $500 and some under $300 (like TCL which is what I'm using). I ended up going with a TV and returned all the monitors.

They quit making curved TV's for the most part, though there might be a couple models leftover.
As far as curved monitors go, they do make plenty of 16:9 curved monitors, over 1/4 of all 16:9 monitors sold are curved right now.
That said, LG and Samsung don't make many (any?) curved anymore in 16:9, but all the other brands still do.

1800r to me is the absolute max curve I can stand, but 2200r to 2500r is the best (but they don't make many), and 3000r is also good.
1500r is ok for GAMING ONLY, but anything more is ridiculous and creates too much distortion from the curvature.

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

There is a some benefit to 1800r, but 1500r I couldn't get used to, hence it was a negative benefit. I'd rather have a flat screen than 1500r, but YMMV.
I would love a 43" in 1800r to 2500r, but I couldn't find one in 16:9, there are some older curved TV's like that probably. I may have to buy an older curved TV eventually and sell the TCL I am using.

Optimally, the perfect display for Flight Sim gaming would be an 18:9 (2:1) aspect ratio with an 1800r to 2500r curvate, but the numskull MFR's don't know what they are doing. Cinemascope ratios (2.3 - 2.4+) are too extreme to me, maybe if you have young eyes you can adjust, but in general.

It's a sad thing they don't make 2:1 aspect monitors, and I know this is best because I tested numerous aspects on a projector which has variable aspect ability.

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[hychewright 46]

20 minutes ago, Fielder said:

The human eye produces a curved image. The radius of the normal eye's curved image matches the 1000 curved monitor screens. 1500 screens have less curvature, a 1800 screens even less.

There is a rule of thumb that the curvature number is approximately the maximum limit in millimeters the viewer can be from the screen and still see a good image. Thus a mild curve screen looks good up to 1800 mm away (70 inches) and a 1000 screen 39 inches. A flat screen would have a very large curvature number and look good from very long distances.

The advantage in first person shooter games is to sit close to a 1000 screen and you will not have to move your eyes or head to still have a great view of things happening at the edges (where enemies might  be doing something).

Despite what some youtube reviewers say, a curved image screen can produce a more natural looking image. Both the human eye and a curved screen produce distortion because of curvature. But a curved  screen's distortion at a proper viewing distance can match the human eye's distortion perfectly, and therefore it seems more 'right'. Because your brain already has always been compensating for curvature distortion all the time with everything that you see in life.

 

 

 

Very very informative Fielder..........I learned something today!

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

That is the theory of it, but my brain would not get used to a 1500r no matter what.

There is a hole in the theory, as with most theories, and the hole is that the curvature is based on your peripheral vision which is out of focus anyhow. I think the theory has merit, but not applied as a linear extrapolated number, so I think the theory has limitations in that respect.

In the end, it's all a matter of personal preference, but 1000r to 1500r will never look right to me no matter how big or what ratio I am using.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[hychewright 46]

19 minutes ago, Alpine Scenery said:

I just tried a ton of different monitors and TV's.

If you are going 16:9 and want curved, stick to 1800r curve or higher (1800r to 3000r), 1500r is too extreme IMO for 16:9 unless you are ONLY doing gaming and no browsing.

If you don't care about 120+ hz or how pretty the menu is, the Dell S3221QS would be my pick, though it needs calibrated or at least hand tuned to clean the grayscale a bit. It is 16:9, true 4k, and has an 1800r curve and goes for under $400. You can also Google "1800r curved 4k monitor", or look at Amazon, though a lot of Amazon listings didn't publish the curve ratio, it's almost always on the MFR site listed in the spec sheet.

If you want the most features but are willing to deal with a more extreme curve (hence you are mainly using the PC for gaming), then the Gigabyte M32UC is the best under $600 (144hz, true 4k, but 1500r).

If you want to just settle on a flat screen, you get better contrast and bang for buck by buying a 43" 4k TV instead, there are numerous options under $500 and some under $300 (like TCL which is what I'm using). I ended up going with a TV and returned all the monitors.

They quit making curved TV's for the most part, though there might be a couple models leftover.
As far as curved monitors go, they do make plenty of 16:9 curved monitors, over 1/4 of all 16:9 monitors sold are curved right now.
That said, LG and Samsung don't make many (any?) curved anymore in 16:9, but all the other brands still do.

1800r to me is the absolute max curve I can stand, but 2200r to 2500r is the best (but they don't make many), and 3000r is also good.
1500r is ok for GAMING ONLY, but anything more is ridiculous and creates too much distortion from the curvature.

 

Great reply! I have never calibrated any of my flat screens......just used it right out of the box. Right now I'm using a 32" Samsung flat and it's real nice.  How do you go about calibrating a monitor.......I may get even a better picture with mine if I calibrated it....lol

[hychewright 46]

9 minutes ago, Alpine Scenery said:

There is a some benefit to 1800r, but 1500r I couldn't get used to, hence it was a negative benefit. I'd rather have a flat screen than 1500r, but YMMV.
I would love a 43" in 1800r to 2500r, but I couldn't find one in 16:9, there are some older curved TV's like that probably. I may have to buy an older curved TV eventually and sell the TCL I am using.

Optimally, the perfect display for gaming would be an 18:9 (2:1) aspect ratio with an 1800r to 2500r curvate, but the numskull MFR's don't know what they are doing.
Cinemascope ratios (2.3 - 2.4+) are too extreme to me, maybe if you have young eyes you can adjust, but in general.

It's a sad thing they don't make 2:1 aspect monitors, and I know this is best because I tested numerous aspects on a projector which has variable aspect ability.

 

I agree completely  on this post!

[Alpine Scenery 1,609]

6 minutes ago, hychewright said:

Great reply! I have never calibrated any of my flat screens......just used it right out of the box. Right now I'm using a 32" Samsung flat and it's real nice.  How do you go about calibrating a monitor.......I may get even a better picture with mine if I calibrated it....lol

A used Spyder 4 or used Spyder 5 from Ebay is the cheapest way. I have a C6 colorimeter which is higher end and more accurate, but much more expensive. The main thing about calibrating is getting the gamma correct, the color doesn't matter as much in games, but you do want a neutral slightly blue bias for web browsing.

I first calibrate to a neutral grayscale then make sure blue is slightly stronger, hence I prefer a slightly cooler image because if you use a pure D65 image with web browsing, the whites won't POP as much and will look dirtier. Our eyes tend to naturally see a slight red or green in grayscale, and blue is harder to see, so a grayscale with a slight blue tends to be the best for PC usage.

For gaming, calibration isn't as important and IMO as long as the color isn't way off, the gamma is what matters for gaming.
If you are just doing only gaming or movies, just calibrate to neutral.

There are many free software apps you can use for calibration, I am using an old version of Calman 5 (but it is discontinued), and the newer versions have rip-off pricing.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Alpine Scenery

[Fielder 3,644]

Most (but not all) curved monitors are VA pixeled and flat screens IPS. IPS has less motion ghosting and thus in some way looks sharper. But VA produces more high contrast  blackness. So did the old cathode ray tube monitors of long ago, they also had wonderful deep contrast. 

A lineup of monitors at an electronic chainstore will show the differences between VA and IPS. 

I like VA images more. Not everybody does. Some people won't buy a curved monitor because they are usually not IPS and therefore not as sharp during movement. Or like me, they avoid flat screens to get the better deep rich contrasty colors of VA and put up with a little bit of blur.

[Fielder 3,644]

The Samsung Odessey G7 is a curved VA screen without the ghosting problems other VA screens always have (including the G5). G7 pretty much has it all. The downside is the high price :(. 

[Fielder 3,644]

Odessey G7 is the LC32G75TQSNXZA.

https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/best/by-usage/gaming

https://www.rtings.com/monitor

[Bob Scott 7,715]

I have both flat and curved screens, and TBH, I can't find it within myself to form a preference one way or the other for flight sim use. 

Other factors matter more to me--pixel size/density, brightness, contrast, glare reduction, native refresh rate, G-Sync etc.