Curve matters at 49"? (KS8000 vs KS8500)

Which is better, considering both the price difference ($170) and the usability?

  • 49KS8500 (Curved)

    Votes: 8 57.1%

  • 49KS8000 (Flat)

    Votes: 6 42.9%
  • Total voters
    14
P

Panel

Gawd
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
518
Hey guys. I'm considering going the KS8000 route for a TV, but am torn apart between the standard version or the curved. At the price I'm getting, there's a $170 difference between the 2 versions. I intend to use this almost entirely as a monitor.

I've heard that at 49", such a massive size, a curve is necessary. Without it, you'll get a "bulge out" effect where the TV's center bulges out towards you and the corners seem to shrink away. In this sense, the curve wouldn't add immersion, it would just makes the screen appear normal.

Can any others who've used this TV as a monitor chime in and share their thoughts?

Thank you, and all input is appreciated.
 
Only thing I have noticed is that the curve is aesthetically pleasing.

You might want to see if they vary in Input lag. The LG C6 I got has lower input lag than the B6.

Other than that the difference is hardly noticable. I never saw a bulge.

Glare spreads across the curve a little more in a bright room though.

And by the way I'm keeping the OLED, it grew on me. Insane quality.
 
Yes, curve does matter. Trust me, 49" is BIG when its on your desk. At that size the horizontal gamma shift will be an issue. As you may know, VA panels look good when viewed straight on but on angle the gamma gets brighter and blacks elevate. When you sit close to a big screen you are viewing the left and right edges at an angle, which may make them look brighter than the center. The curve effectively reduces that, and yet is subtle enough to not cause any distortions to image.
 
Just because one person had a defective KS8000 doesn't mean they're all defective bud.... The flat version doesn't have a "bulge". Sounds ridiculous really.
 
MaZa said:
Yes, curve does matter. Trust me, 49" is BIG when its on your desk. At that size the horizontal gamma shift will be an issue. As you may know, VA panels look good when viewed straight on but on angle the gamma gets brighter and blacks elevate. When you sit close to a big screen you are viewing the left and right edges at an angle, which may make them look brighter than the center. The curve effectively reduces that, and yet is subtle enough to not cause any distortions to image.
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The curve on a KS8500 isn't big enough to make a big difference. It's a slight difference if any. I owned a 65KS8500 and sat a few feet from it when gaming. Never noticed the curve.

Like I've said before, if the curve was bigger like on the newest LG IPS panels, I'd say go for it. Paying almost $200 for a slight curve? Nah.
 
PCDC650 said:
Just because one person had a defective KS8000 doesn't mean they're all defective bud.... The flat version doesn't have a "bulge". Sounds ridiculous really.
Click to expand...
I don't recall anyone having an actual bulge (in their screen). It's more a matter of perception at close distances to a large flat surface. I have a curved 48" and am very glad I chose it over a flat model.
 
alaricljs said:
I don't recall anyone having an actual bulge (in their screen). It's more a matter of perception at close distances to a large flat surface. I have a curved 48" and am very glad I chose it over a flat model.
Click to expand...
That perception is like a reverse fish eye. Weird...I think the curved version looks cool from a design standpoint but it's not going to increase immersion.
 
PCDC650 said:
The curve on a KS8500 isn't big enough to make a big difference. It's a slight difference if any. I owned a 65KS8500 and sat a few feet from it when gaming. Never noticed the curve.

Like I've said before, if the curve was bigger like on the newest LG IPS panels, I'd say go for it. Paying almost $200 for a slight curve? Nah.
Click to expand...

And I say that the reason you dont notice it is a good thing, because in that case you are unlikely to see any geometry distortions. But the reason why I recommend a curve is not because of any immersion stuff but because it helps to fix the viewing angle problem inherent to VA panels, the subtle curve does make a difference. TS did say he intents to use it as monitor, which means he is probably going to sit quite close to it and thats where the poor horizontal viewing angles of a big screen VA panel start to show problems.

OLEDs however do not have such problems. If you want a curve or not with them is a matter of taste.
 
MaZa said:
And I say that the reason you dont notice it is a good thing, because in that case you are unlikely to see any geometry distortions. But the reason why I recommend a curve is not because of any immersion stuff but because it helps to fix the viewing angle problem inherent to VA panels, the subtle curve does make a difference. TS did say he intents to use it as monitor, which means he is probably going to sit quite close to it and thats where the poor horizontal viewing angles of a big screen VA panel start to show problems.

OLEDs however do not have such problems. If you want a curve or not with them is a matter of taste.
Click to expand...
The slight curve won't fix the geometry distortions of a large 49" VA panel. He'll be able to notice the distortion with our without a slight curve. OP will have to sit about 3 feet away unless he wants to get dizzy or go blind so the viewing angles shouldn't be much of an issue. Besides, he'll really only notice color deviations when displaying dark images and even then, I wouldn't say it's bad.

I'm not against curved displays. They look cool from a design standpoint but I would only recommend them if you are sitting really close to them (less than 2 feet away) or if it's a bigger curve like the newest LG IPS panels.
 
PCDC650 said:
Just because one person had a defective KS8000 doesn't mean they're all defective bud.... The flat version doesn't have a "bulge". Sounds ridiculous really.
Click to expand...
it wasn't defective. it was a viewing effect on a flat panel from close distance
it wasn't extreme, but a little noticeable
other people confirmed it on other forums

Anyway, i had both versions and the Curved is definitely better for a PC display
 
StormClaw said:
it wasn't defective. it was a viewing effect on a flat panel from close distance
it wasn't extreme, but a little noticeable
other people confirmed it on other forums

Anyway, i had both versions and the Curved is definitely better for a PC display
Click to expand...
Which forum did people confirm it on because I saw you post @ AVSForums and nobody claimed to see the same effect as you. Not saying you are crazy but I'm sure not many people see the same affect as you.

Glad you like the curve. I didn't notice much of a difference myself other than a distorted image.
 
Vote's precisely at 4/4. I think I may have to drive to a store and see both screens in the flesh. I'm leaning more towards just continuing with my plan of buying the X800D and then flipping it when the KS8500's price goes down again before the release of the 2017 flagships (QLED).
 
Panel said:
Vote's precisely at 4/4. I think I may have to drive to a store and see both screens in the flesh. I'm leaning more towards just continuing with my plan of buying the X800D and then flipping it when the KS8500's price goes down again before the release of the 2017 flagships (QLED).
Click to expand...
Very hard to sell TV's close to what you paid unless you got it at a big discount. Go with the Samsung EPP sale.
 
is the extra $200 worth the difference between loving your display and hating it's guts every minute?
i had both on my desk, and the curved experience is miles better.

Part of me wants him to buy the flat version so that I can later laugh and say "hahaha, I told you so!" when he feels miserable behind it.
 
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Panel said:
Vote's precisely at 4/4. I think I may have to drive to a store and see both screens in the flesh. I'm leaning more towards just continuing with my plan of buying the X800D and then flipping it when the KS8500's price goes down again before the release of the 2017 flagships (QLED).
Click to expand...

PCDC650 said:
Very hard to sell TV's close to what you paid unless you got it at a big discount. Go with the Samsung EPP sale.
Click to expand...
PCDC is right. I bought my 48" JS9000 for $1300 in July 2015. Only got $775 when I sold it after buying my 49" KS8500.
 
StormClaw said:
is the extra $200 worth the difference between loving your display and hating it's guts every minute?
i had both on my desk, and the curved experience is miles better.

Part of me wants him to buy the flat version so that I can later laugh and say "hahaha, I told you so!" when he feels miserable behind it.
Click to expand...
Evil, aren't ya? :D

But I'm leaning towards going with something cheaper until the KS8500 comes way down in price, or the QLEDs come out. I'm trying to see if there are any good prices on the KU6300/6290 that so many members have been using. If not, I'll default back to the 43X800D plan (found one close by for $525, used though).
 
Commander Shepard said:
PCDC is right. I bought my 48" JS9000 for $1300 in July 2015. Only got $775 when I sold it after buying my 49" KS8500.
Click to expand...
This is why the cheaper options (mentioned in my previous post) are a bit more attractive at the moment. I can buy them and practically throw away the cash in 10 months or so. Heck, I might even keep em' and build a 3x43" setup.
 
Curve is awesome for (mostly) single user displays: PCs, man cave/bedroom tvs etc. There is no downside as long as the primary viewing is in the focal point, plenty of upside. For den/living/big rooms aka couch tvs, stick to flat. Going to replace my 65" 9500 curved this year :(
 
I will admit when I purchased my curved model the flat version was similarly priced.
 
My opinion on curved panels is that curve only benefits the user if you are sitting 5 foot or less away. Once you get farther back I think flat is better. That's just how I feel about curved TV/Monitors. It comes down to personal preference really.
 
Skott said:
My opinion on curved panels is that curve only benefits the user if you are sitting 5 foot or less away. Once you get farther back I think flat is better. That's just how I feel about curved TV/Monitors. It comes down to personal preference really.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, I definitely will be sitting less than 5 feet away. :(
 
Well, if it helps I doubt you would be unsatisfied with the flat as long as it works properly.
 
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