Advice For An Architectural Visualization Artist

[Ski]

My 23" Apple Cinema is on its final death-rows. So as the title says, I'm in the Arch Viz industry (or hope to be) and I need some enlightenment in this area so I can be more self sufficient in terms of researching since I"ll be upgrading hopefully by the end of the year. I've been vicariously browsing this forum the past couple months the overall vibe I'm getting is to be a bit more patient so I'm in no rush. Admittedly however, I only have a surface knowledge of the technological aspects of monitors, so please correct me if I'm wrong on certain things.

My uses are pretty simple, I've since retired from gaming (yea yea blasphemy I know) to focus on my career in 3d visualization using 3ds Max/V-Ray and post production with After Effects and Photoshop, but it will also serve as my tv set for Netflix and Blu-Ray. Anyways, from what I've learned so far 4:4:4 chroma and minimum 60hz is becoming the minimum for the tv/monitor balance, I read somewhere on a different forum regarding the conspiracy about how companies directly don't put this on their tv sets because it would cut into the monitor market, I don't know but it was a interesting when I read that at the time.

I'm currently using a GTX 780 Ti and won't be upgrading anytime soon as my budget is limited to one or the other and I know I'lll have to take this into consideration on the limitations to future proofing which I'd like to do. I know this will effect me in terms of hdmi 2.0 and display port technology but I haven't done much research in that area till now so I'll need advice there as well. Also, I need a consensus between IPS vs TN and matte vs glossy because I keep reading so many conflicting anecdotal stories and it's confusing the hell out of me, but all that matters honestly is it doesn't impact the color accuracy, contrast ratio, brightness, and input I won't mind so much since I'm not gaming much anymore.

What I'll be looking for strictly though is the 32"-40" 4k resolution range since that will be the sweet spot for me in terms of real estate and improving my work efficiency. As much as I love having 2 monitors in front of me because how much it improves my overall work flow, I'd rather just have one large monitor. Also, curved displays... I have no basis for comparison since I've yet to test it for myself, so my question there is will it negative impact images or distort in any sort of way or will actually benefit it? I feel skeptical since it only increases the cost of the monitor and my assumption is it would make all of my images inaccurate. I've been reading up extensively on the Philips BDM4065UC and Seiki Pro SM40UNP and they seem to be setting the tone for what to expect this year from other manufacturers, even though they have their limitations from what I gathered so far.

I'm sure there's a litany of things I'm missing out on, so if you guys want to add anything else, by all means preach that bible to me. And if for whatever reason you guys suggest that I should stick to a monitor only simply because it's better for graphic design, please don't hesitate to enlighten me, and I'll consider it in my overall decision. I won't be back here till later this evening in case anyone wonders why I'm not responding, but I'll follow up with you guys as soon as I do.

Gracias.

 

[macguffin]

Take my observations with a grain of salt, since I'm not super well versed, but I do spend a lot of time doing 3D work, so I can kind of speak on that.

IPS is definitely the way to go for anything that needs color accuracy at the moment. TN panels generally have better contrast and "depth" but because of the way the panels work, you get a noticeable shift in color based on the angle you look at the screen. The two monitors you mentioned are VA panels. VA tries to split the difference. You get less lag and deeper blacks than IPS with VA, but there is still color shift.

I don't believe I have seen any 4k monitors offer more than 60hz. There's a few 144hz 1440p IPS monitors coming out this year, but in general, they haven't quite gotten big IPS screens refreshing past 60.

Curved screens in general are cool, but they do distort the image a bit and you could run into issues of lines looking good on your screen and skewed weird on someone with a flat panel. The general opinion seems to be curved is for movies and games, flat is for workin'.

I would suggest you think carefully about 4K.Unless you are talking a 40"+ screen, that resolution is very small in comparison to say 27" at 1440p or 23" at 1080p. That can be negated somewhat by UI scaling in Windows 8, but it's not perfect and Autodesk programs don't handle that well, or at all. So the menus and text will be super tiny. Photoshop has an experimental scaling feature for text, but I think that's just creative cloud and I don't know if After Effects has it at all. I too wanted 4k, but until the scaling issues are resolved, I think that if you want big screen space, 2 27" 16:9 or a 34" 21:9 at 1440p are the more logical options.

 

[geok1ng]

Here is a short list of displays with the same pixel density of ~110 PPI:

20" 1920x1080 ; 25" 2560x1080 ; 27" 2560x1440 ; 34" 3440x1440 ; 40" 3840x2160

PPI-wise 20"1080p 27"1440p and 40"2160p are equal.

Check the TFT central review of the Philips 4k. This monitor uses a new VA panel with almost no horizontal gamma shift and much less vertical gamma shift than previous VA offers. And that with 4000:1 calibrated contrast, 4-5 times more than IPS competitors. It is currently in a class of its own right now, since its pixels transition times are faster than IPS, without using overdrive. But not all is good news, since the pixels are not square, and there may be a 1.8% horizontal stretching, which could be not optimal for and Architectural artist

There is no information on the Seiki yet, so i will pass that option.

If the 40" Philips is out for its non-square pixels, so are 4k monitors all but the 32" IGZO based ones.

Among teh alternatives, i rule out the 25" 2560x1080 and the 34" 2440x1440. Superwidescreen is not suitable for this usage scenario.

That leave us with the 20' 1080p, which are too small and the 27" 1440p, which are a dime a dozen.

Unless you fell adventurous and wanna try the new generation of 24" 1440p. 2 of these are available in Europe and Australia today, from ASUS and Acer

Another 24"1440p is waited in America soon, the Benq BL2420PT, with VESA mounting holes and a pivoting stand. THAT would be THE monitor for you.

 

[Ski]

Take my observations with a grain of salt, since I'm not super well versed, but I do spend a lot of time doing 3D work, so I can kind of speak on that.

I'm diggin' your confidence already .

IPS is definitely the way to go for anything that needs color accuracy at the moment. TN panels generally have better contrast and "depth" but because of the way the panels work, you get a noticeable shift in color based on the angle you look at the screen. The two monitors you mentioned are VA panels. VA tries to split the difference. You get less lag and deeper blacks than IPS with VA, but there is still color shift.

Know of any 32-40" IPS displays off the top of your head?

I don't believe I have seen any 4k monitors offer more than 60hz. There's a few 144hz 1440p IPS monitors coming out this year, but in general, they haven't quite gotten big IPS screens refreshing past 60.

Like I said, the refresh rate beyond 60hz isn't an issue to me. And trust me I know what 30hz feels like, it's just like pouring tobasco on an open wound and spraying it with Windex, except on your eyeballs.

Curved screens in general are cool, but they do distort the image a bit and you could run into issues of lines looking good on your screen and skewed weird on someone with a flat panel. The general opinion seems to be curved is for movies and games, flat is for workin'.

Curved for impressing the sluts. Flat for business time. Got it.

I would suggest you think carefully about 4K.Unless you are talking a 40"+ screen, that resolution is very small in comparison to say 27" at 1440p or 23" at 1080p. That can be negated somewhat by UI scaling in Windows 8, but it's not perfect and Autodesk programs don't handle that well, or at all. So the menus and text will be super tiny. Photoshop has an experimental scaling feature for text, but I think that's just creative cloud and I don't know if After Effects has it at all. I too wanted 4k, but until the scaling issues are resolved, I think that if you want big screen space, 2 27" 16:9 or a 34" 21:9 at 1440p are the more logical options.

I'm constantly rendering projects at 5k+ resolution all the time, so 4k is an absolute must for me. Because my job relies on absolute detail and I'm a self deprecating perfectionist, I can tell the difference when it comes to pixel density. And when it comes to smaller text and icons that's exactly what I want, I'm all about minimalism my friend it's the way of the bushido. But I must admit, I've yet to actually test out a 4k monitor myself so I can only speculate on what to expect really.

I wouldn't be very practical if I was going for 40 inches no duo now would i .

 

[Ski]

...since its pixels transition times are faster than IPS, without using overdrive.

I understood everything except that part, elaborate for me my brother.

There is no information on the Seiki yet, so i will pass that option.

Yea I'm extremely curious to read the reviews when it debuts officially.

If the 40" Philips is out for its non-square pixels, so are 4k monitors all but the 32" IGZO based ones.

Yea, that's a bummer.

Among teh alternatives, i rule out the 25" 2560x1080 and the 34" 2440x1440. Superwidescreen is not suitable for this usage scenario... That leave us with the 20' 1080p, which are too small and the 27" 1440p, which are a dime a dozen.

4k is the future my friend, it's the only way I can vicariously navigate the treacherous waters of the internet.

Another 24"1440p is waited in America soon, the Benq BL2420PT, with VESA mounting holes and a pivoting stand. THAT would be THE monitor for you.

I'll keep an eye out on those bad boys, thanks. Oh and I don't own a VISA btw, too many overdraft fees.

 

[geok1ng]

i wish you luck on your search for a monitor.

 

[wirk]

... I"ll be upgrading hopefully by the end of the year. ...

Then don't waste time on this now and return back in 6 months at earliest since the area is in huge jump right now. 4K is still in its nascency, it will mature during this time. Besides, 5K may become more widespread and diversified, new connectors and graphics cards will be cropping.