is 55" 4k too big for monitor?

M

mkrohn

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I'm really tempted by the X850d

Sony X850D Review (XBR55X850D, XBR65X850D, XBR75X850D, XBR85X850D)

I write code all day and have started putting money aside for a big 4k tv as a monitor. I think 49" is probably the sweet spot for size/workspace. I'm used to multiple dell ultrasharp 24" 1080p screens.

Amazon's no interest for 24 months thing is really tempting me to just do it. list: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_...474493535&bbn=10328543011&sort=price-asc-rank

I'm presently working on my masters degree and am about 1 year away from a massive pay bump. I also have a really good retention bonus coming in December. Should I go higher end than I was planning on? I have cash set aside for hoping black friday brings something great.

So the real question; 43" vs 49" vs 55" for a CODE monkey. Obviously the bigger the screen the further away from my face it will be. A 55" I'm thinking could be put a nice distance from my face. My home office is also my bedroom so a big TV in there wouldn't be terrible. I have a 46" presently that just seems too small at times.
 
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The main reason for a big, low ppi screen is to accommodate multiple viewers. For a solo display, why would you need it?
 
Luke M said:
The main reason for a big, low ppi screen is to accommodate multiple viewers. For a solo display, why would you need it?
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need? When is need really a thing?

Low PPI? bro I said I'm using 24" 1080p ultrasharps which are 91.79 PPI

I'm used to 91.79 PPI
The 55" is 84.19 PPI <-- for "kickin back more"
the 49" is 94.5 PPI <-- more DPI and about right. I'm presently sprawled across 4 1080p 24" screens. for to properly use all of those pixels without borders its about this size.
 
Those numbers are slightly off.
23.8" 2k - 92.5
48.5" - 90.8
54.5" - 80.8

I wouldn't even consider 55 unless you're planning to wall mount it. Otherwise it would be such a space hog.
 
It depends on your use case... but I'd say way too big. I cannot go past 40", it's already big enough. Anything else is just too much light on my face.
 
mkrohn I think you need to take a pic of your current monitor setup and explain to them that you want something bigger. I think they don't quite comprehend what you're saying. I figured that you wanted something larger when you said that the 46" is too small.
 
XBR49X700D would be a good choice. The 850D has better motion (120Hz) and is thinner since it's edge-lit, not really important for a monitor for coding IMO.
 
I would say yes, 55'' is too big, and stick to less than or equal to 40''. I would also suggest not getting a TV, or at the least avoiding a VA panel, because your eyes will complain trying to read text on the screen for extended periods of time. At first I tried the XBR43X800D and had problems with eye strain. I quickly returned it, and switched to the HP Spectre 32 and notice a huge difference in clarity and a drop in discomfort. Just want to add that I too write code all day, if that adds any value to my input.
 
That would depend on how big your desk is and how far away you're planning on sitting.

Of critical importance though, you need one that doesn't have a PWM backlight. You'll want to turn the brightness way down without flicker.

For text and coding work, I try to set my screens so they're no brighter than a piece of white paper sitting on my desk.
 
I'm running a 55" Samsung KS8500 as a monitor, and had the X850D before... I'll be honest about the X850D, if you're thinking of using it ONLY in a very bright room or are sitting to the side of it (meaning you need the wide angle view of an IPS screen) then yeah go for it. Most people who buy screens for monitors are sitting directly in front of them. Otherwise avoid at all costs. (It does have a matte screen which is nice again for situations where something will produce reflective glare on a screen, like facing a window, etc.) It doesn't get very bright, but is bright enough.

The X850D... doesn't even really produce blacks that are black. The blacks are grey colored. If you watch any types of blurays or movies that are 21:9 it may matter to you. I sure a hell bugged the crap out of me.

Another thing. Many people see that it can do 120Hz input at 1080p. This is true, but you get these weird diagonal scanning artifacts that show up every second. They're like 1-2" lines that just scan through the pictures diagonally. Basically made that mode pointless for me. Rtings.com confirms this. It wasn't because I had bad cables or anything.

My KS8500 is good, but it's not without its quirks either. (for my purposes I'm 110% happy with it, but you MUST install ReClock or use the sync video to refresh rate or adjust refresh rate to video frame rate options in various video players like Kodi/XBMC, etc. to get video to play nicely through a PC without 3:2 pulldown stutter. Only happens with PCs, all other inputs like PS4 bluray playback, etc. have no weird stutter.) Of course, beyond the KS8500 or KS8000 there are many great choices out there. (many of them cost more though.)

The Sony X850D didn't last a week on my desk. I was hoping to get an X850C when I was out looking for TVs back then, but discovered they were discontinued. I proceeded to order a Vizio P at first, but then I saw how only about 1/2 the people on AVSforums who posted in the 2016 Vizio P series owners thread were 100% happy. (Many had to return their TVs 3-4 times to get a good one.) I then ended up being suckered by the curved screen of the KS8500 when I saw it at Best Buy. LMAO.

To answer your question of 55" being too big or not. At 4K I found the PPI to be acceptable. However I'm close to 40 years old now, so my eyes aren't what they used to be. Also, I don't mind moving my eyes to the corners of the screen to check stat meters, etc. while gaming and some people do. I would not however go larger than 55" unless you're sitting at least 4-5 feet away. Right now I'm at about 30-36" away from my screen and it's great for web surfing, gaming and watching movies, etc.
 
Luke M said:
Those numbers are slightly off.
23.8" 2k - 92.5
48.5" - 90.8
54.5" - 80.8

I wouldn't even consider 55 unless you're planning to wall mount it. Otherwise it would be such a space hog.
Click to expand...
Wall mounting is a part of the plan. I have one of those cheetah mounts waiting for it where I can adjust it like 2ft off the wall and in any direction/angle.

I plan to have it in front of me but my main line of thought for going up to 55" is to have it further away from me and make it more useful/flexible than say a 40" monitor.

Honestly with wall mounting and a 55" the options of leaving a desk behind are more doable. Recliner? Pull it away from the wall using a good mount and well things sound interesting to me.

also yeah the KS8500 is really high on my list. They offer a 49" which feels like it may be perfect for me. I am very afraid that 55" is just too much. I also feel like 43" is not enough.
 
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mkrohn said:
also yeah the KS8500 is really high on my list. They offer a 49" which feels like it may be perfect for me. I am very afraid that 55" is just too much. I also feel like 43" is not enough.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone with the 49" instead, but I got used to using a bigger screen. I've since moved my 40" to another station in my other home and now when I use that one it feels tiny. hahaha. Seeing 34" ultrawides at my friend's homes also feel small to me.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes I wish I had the bells and whistles of G-Sync and higher than 60Hz refresh. I just felt that switching from my previous 40" to a 34" ultrawide was kind of a sidegrade and the 55" curved I got was only like $100 more. ;)
 
55" is bigger than I'd like, but is probably what my next upgrade will be unless LG release smaller OLEDs next year.
46" is the sweet spot if you want to use a UHD display as a monitor without scaling on Windows as it's almost exactly 96 PPI.
40-44" is acceptable, with text being smaller than I'd like but still perfectly usable.
Smaller displays require lower resolutions or display scaling. (less workspace)

I agree with the advice to avoid VA panels. When you're sitting close to a large display like that, the viewing angle problems of a VA panel start to become very noticeable.
Definitely check for PWM as well. You don't want that on a monitor. (or any display really, but especially not a monitor)
 
I'm using a 40" UHD TV as a monitor. I can't imagine going much bigger. I mean, I'm sure people do it, but it would be a little much for me.
 
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