Curved TV's , are they any good ?

[s8n]

hi members , i am looking to get a new TV and im wondering what the Curved TV's are like and benefits ?


also wondering what gaming is like on them


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T48 ... 20&ie=UTF8


chat soon

[Xyga]

I don't like those for one particular thing: reflections are annoying on any type of display already, but deformed reflections are so unnatural it's distracting to a ridiculous amount.
So really dark room useage only, which sucks.
Or the coating better be quite matte, which sucks for clarity - not a good tradeoff.

Also I actually see the bloody curve and I don't like it. It might be okay in a theatre, but not at home imho.
What's the point ? Sticking your nose on the screen and try to cover your whole field of vision ? maybe it's nice for simulators, dunno. Not for me.

In my eyes curved display should be a niche, not half the damned range offer of any brand.

[broken harbour]

Its just feature creep so that manufacturers can get you into a new TV. 3D didn't convert people en masse, 4K isn't exactly setting the world on fire yet, so.... curved! Maybe that will get the masses to dump their 5 year old televisions for something new!

The curve is weird, unless you sitting dead center with your television it distorts the picture, so unless you watch TV alone exclusively the image will be distorted.

Then again if you're the sort that buys one of these things I suspect you don't have friends.

[s8n]

good info guys , so it seems its a gimmick ............. ill focus on Flat from here on

[Hoagtech]

Yea I had a choice and after seeing my friends Samsung JU I decided against it and bought a flat model. I didn't like it but the picture looked gorgeous.

[s8n]

what do you guys think of this ?.................its on sale atm


http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/j6200


the brightness concerns me tho im interested what you think , maybe i should head down and check it out based on your opinions. Although the below which isnt available here in Australia the brightness is amazing ignore that its a curved TV.


http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/ju7500


maybe i should wait and see what 2016 brings ?

[Xyga]

I'd wait for 2016.

Those Samsungs are not bad but less competent displays than the Sonys, in the entry (1080p) ranges even the W600B and R510C are better than the J6200.

The best non-curved Samsung apparently is a USD $800 4K, the JS7000, not bad but like all Samsungs it's got a flickering backlight, a shame for the price.

And really 4K is overkill for anything video games unless you're going to play on a beast PC, because 4K = another layer of scaling = frequent issues with 720p and 1080p sources (don't even mention 480p lol).

PS: be careful with Rtings, they're useful but lack experience in judging TV's. Also in 2015 they clearly showed a huge Samsung bias.

[s8n]

thanks for all info Xyga , ill wait and see what happens next year.................


btw what other sites are reputable for TV reviews ?

[Xyga]

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/ is better but the reviews are scarce. The product names/numbers are slightly different since it's in the UK but that doesn't make the reviews any less valid.
http://www.avforums.com/homecinema/revi ... evisions.3 another brit website.
http://www.prad.de/ do mostly monitors but also some TV sets from time to time. It's in German so read the figures and use google translate for the essential portions.
http://flatpanelshd.com/ have some decent reviews too.
http://www.cnet.com/topics/tvs/ CNET might not be the best but they have their eye on some important details like differences between models etc.

I'm certainly missing some other good ones, anyway those all have their strenghts and weaknesses, you just need to browse and read.

Not saying Rtings are useless, but their ratings and opinions are flawed, like when it comes to motion performance they'll give a high mark to a set with PWM (flickering) backlight and only testing that moving logo, or just give completely suggestive marks to scaling performance based on a random picture that can't show any useful pattern, or their lag testing which is just a single Leo Bodnar figure from the middle bar regardless of anything like resolution and some other aspects that can have an influence on the measurements, and they don't give the actual figure enough importance (a set w/ 50ms lag or more can still get a very high mark in gaming performance...WTF!!?).
They also put Amazon links for all sizes of a same series set while forgetting to notify that they have reviewed only one size model and the others might have varying parts and performance.

From Rtings take what is good: their motion test reveals some of the smearing, overshoot and actual type of backlighting used (those showing afterimages are the PWM/flickery ones), the lag figure even if it might not tell everything (consider it's actually a bit lower in practice), frequency and color space compatibility, judder, etc etc.
But be careful with the marks they give and their opinions, when they say 'a great gaming tv' -> don't give a fuck about it.
A decent gaming TV has no more than about 33ms of lag (2 frames) to beging, and its motion performance must be decent and flicker-free.

(Don't trust those saying PWM flicker by default is okay, because flicker is only good when it's done on purpose, with an actual motion compensation feature in the TV's options. If you're a gamer, you don't want a TV with PWM flickering period).

[s8n]

fantastic Xyga you went to a lot of trouble with your reply much appreciated , Thread bookmarked

[Xyga]

You're welcome but in the end all I'm saying is there isn't much to see right now, 2015 is not the best year for TV's, except maybe if you have A LOT of money (some high-end Sony or the recent OLED sets from LG/Pana are fantastic).

Oh almost forgot http://www.displaylag.com/display-database/
if you sort like this:
- Year: 2014, 2015 (2014 for potential old stock)
- Resolution: 1080p (and/or) 4K
- Display: HDTV
You will see a selection of sets tested for lag with the Leo Bodnar device, mostly sets available in the USA I believe.
Can be useful to compare information with the other websites.

[Sid]

s8n, I get the impression that this is to be a living room tv that doubles as a gaming one, but you haven't actually stated that.

For one person, fixed position viewing, a curve can actually deliver on the plus side. People get great results using large 21:9 curved monitors at close range in sim racing rigs for example.

Again though, I get the sense that it doesn't apply here. Though the fact that the curve is indeed a gimmick all the more means that those after one or more for an appropriate application may want to be careful not to let the opportunity pass.

[s8n]

hi Sid , actually its for my bedroom i spend most my time there. If i watch a movie i turn my Plasma slightly toward my bed and back if im playing a game , i plan on a 48" or 50" i believe a 55" will be too big and show artifacts in movies which will be annoying ..........atm i have a 46" Plasma.


btw when do you guys think Sony will be releasing their 2016 range ? month................

[Xyga]

Sony usually begin to show some new models in January, not everything that will be released for the year, but probably enough to give an idea of what the 'new series designation' will be.
The problem is the reviews are always slow to come...

[tacoguy64]

I've seen someone with a curved TV being used as a monitor and it looked pretty amazing. They were playing the new star wars game, pc version of course with everything set to ultra. I think they might be kinda cool for FPS games. Especially if you sit a bit close. Though outside of FPS games and racing games I don't think curve monitors would be all that great.