32 inch 4K monitor choices and questions...

T

tchalikias

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 12, 2016
Messages
103
My dual 26" LG IPS setup (1920x1200) is closing in on 9 years of continuous use now... The CCFL backlights of both monitors have faded considerably and have produced an uneveness on the screens.

So I'm thinking of getting a new display, larger than 26-28", at 4K resolution.

One of my main concerns with LCD displays has always been backlight bleed & grey uniformity. Most of the IPS 4k reviews I read, as well as owners' comments, point to a typical panel lottery, where one needs to have his monitor exchanged two or three times until they get an acceptable specimen.

While searching, I came across a Philips monitor that appears to be a EU model only: the 3275UP. It uses the popular AH-IPS 31.5" LG panel, and it comes around 1000 euros.

I can't seem to find a review anywhere. Has anyone had experience with this monitor?

What else would you recommend at 32"? The Eizo EV3237 looks really good, it's very expensive of course, but all of the reviews praise its great color and backlight uniformity.

Also, does anyone know whether these 31.5" panels are plagued with the dreaded IPS image retention issue prevalent on larger LG panels?
 
One that does not seem to be mentioned much is the Acer XB321HK. Its 32" 4k IPS at 60hz with G-sync.
I just bought it last month and use it for gaming primarily. Colors have been great and with G-sync it has made gaming quite nice. I did have to play the panel lottery but got lucky(?) and received a perfect 2nd one. The first one had a pinch point on the left hand side of the screen that was causing serious backlight bleed. New one has been perfect for me with 0 dead pixels and no backlight bleed that I can find. Just the normal IPS glow.

Not sure on the IPS image retention issue on the 31.5"/32", just thought that was on the 40" screens.
 
The Acer does look pretty good, but most owners apparently complain of excessive IPS glow (inherent in the technology, been using IPS monitors since 2004, I don't mind) AND excessive backlight bleeding (in 2016, that's a deal-breaker for me). I wouldn't mind playing the lottery, if I could easily return the monitor - however its not sold here in Greece and I'd have to get it from Amazon, and shipping monitors back and forth doesn't sound too enticing (two years ago I swapped 5 or 6 TVs from a local electronics store until I found one without perceivable flaws, go figure). Also, for 1000 euros, its entering Eizo territory...
 
I compared the Acer XB321HK to the HP Spectre 32 in a Microcenter the other day. The HP Spectre looked much better than the Acer, and was way cheaper. I'm thinking about getting one soon. Sure gsync would be nice but for an extra $400 I just don't think its worth it, especially when the picture isn't as good.

Another good option is the BenQ 3201, I haven't seen it but its supposed to be very nice. The BenQ has freesync and lower input lag than the HP Spectre, but has a matte screen which won't look as good.

These are the only 3 32" UHD monitors I would consider at this point in time, they all use the same AU Optronics 32" panel.
 
The matte coating on the BL3201PT is far less severe than what most of us would consider "matte" coating to be. It is closer to borderline semi-glossy.

I can still see the outline of my reflection off the screen quite clearly on it, compared to PG278Q which I can barely seem a muddled reflection, let alone the outline.

My only complaint about that monitor is that:

1. It only supports HDMI 1.4a, so you need to use DP for 4k60hz

2. It occasionally does colour flickers, and AFAIU it happens across all monitors using this particular panel. The flickers occur maybe once in 20 minutes or so, if that (it sometimes only occurs once an hour). It's an imperfection, but I don't consider it a deal breaker, especially considering that the alternatives were at least $300 more expensive, and it came with a free colour calibrator, which my Swift makes good use of.
 
The HP looks very good, but I don't think its sold in Europe at the time. Is the color flicker an issue with this monitor as well?
 
tchalikias said:
Also, does anyone know whether these 31.5" panels are plagued with the dreaded IPS image retention issue prevalent on larger LG panels?
Click to expand...

Image retention/permanence is a problem with all displays if you keep a static image on them long enough. Solution, don't keep a static image on them for hours/days on end.

Now, there are LG monitors/TVs with really bad retention (minutes are enough)....but that is an LG problem, not a general one with IPS.

chenw said:
The matte coating on the BL3201PT is far less severe than what most of us would consider "matte" coating to be. It is closer to borderline semi-glossy.

I can still see the outline of my reflection off the screen quite clearly on it, compared to PG278Q which I can barely seem a muddled reflection, let alone the outline.

My only complaint about that monitor is that:

1. It only supports HDMI 1.4a, so you need to use DP for 4k60hz

2. It occasionally does colour flickers, and AFAIU it happens across all monitors using this particular panel. The flickers occur maybe once in 20 minutes or so, if that (it sometimes only occurs once an hour). It's an imperfection, but I don't consider it a deal breaker, especially considering that the alternatives were at least $300 more expensive, and it came with a free colour calibrator, which my Swift makes good use of.
Click to expand...

Strange, my 3201PT doesn't flicker, knock on wood. Otherwise it is the best bang for the buck in the size class in 4K IPS, at least in US pricing. But as you point out, the AG coating is really light as such things go.
 
I know that image retention is not a general IPS problem. I've been using IPS monitors exclusively since 2004, and only one of them developed some burn in (actual burn in, never went away) from the Windows XP taskbar, after around 10 years of almost 24/7 use.

However, it seems that sometime after 2011-12, LG's higher resolution IPS panels have become more sensitive to this issue. Take for example the Thinkpad X220 fiasco - one of the first laptops with an optional 12,5" IPS screen (LG panel). Every owner complained of image persistence after a few minutes (myself included). A new part was released by LG, but the problem never went away. Lenovo even posted a technical bulletin pertaining to this on their knowledge base: LCD image persistence (ghosting) - ThinkPad X220, X220i, X220 Tablet, X220i Tablet - Lenovo Support (GR) (an interesting read)

Now I keep reading about LG tvs and monitors (and other brands' monitors using LG panels, like the Dell 43", the Philips 43" 4k, Sony TVs etc.) that come with a pixel orbiter feature in the OSD, something that brings to mind the glory days of plasma (which forced me to watch TV for a few years with the image zoomed in so as to avoid any static logos etc.)! Obviously this is a known design limitation with LG panels, and the effect described in Lenovo's document must be getting worse on larger screens with high pixel density.

However, for me, on my main PC, which is on pretty much 24/7 and on which I work daily, image persistence after a few minutes would be unacceptable, especially for graphics work. The truth is most of us work in front of our pcs for many hours on end, and static elements on the screen are unavoidable.
 
My search continues. I very recently spent some time with a 21:9 3440x1440 LG panel (one of the older ones with 3800R curvature). I was pleasantly surprised. If someone made a 5k 21:9, I'd get it in a heartbeat, even if its just 60hz.

Are there any news regarding the newer LG & AOU panels that we heard about in January? I'm referring to the 37" LG 3840x1600 2:4:1 and the AOU 35" 3440x1440 144Hz ones.
 
I am waiting until the Asus PA329Q is in local stores. Amazon says it has it, but all the normal places like B&H and newegg indicate it hasnt been released yet. It's not for gaming, but it has 100% Adobe RGB gamut for my photo editing. I dont know this website, but they put out a very positive review of the PA329Q
 
The PA329Q is available at a few local stores here, however what scares me is the backlight uniformity issues noted in the kitguru review. Without backlight uniformity compensation on (which locks you out of brightness adjustment and probably reduces contrast) the uniformity looks pretty bad, especially for a 'professional grade' monitor. We need new panels... :/
 
tchalikias said:
The PA329Q is available at a few local stores here, however what scares me is the backlight uniformity issues noted in the kitguru review. Without backlight uniformity compensation on (which locks you out of brightness adjustment and probably reduces contrast) the uniformity looks pretty bad, especially for a 'professional grade' monitor. We need new panels... :/
Click to expand...
Yes that is a concern. I wonder if you get locked into whatever darkness/contrast/gamma settings you had when you start the uniformity setting, or does it just boot you out completely from any settings you are using and into a single designated overall setting. Of course, requiring special hardware to get the proper uniformity does worry me because it appears to be another thing to break, but it does apparently do its job. I would like to see more in depth reveiws.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top