[HN Gopher] Ultrawide monitors are overrated, here's why I use a...
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Ultrawide monitors are overrated, here's why I use a 4K TV instead
Author : redbell
Score : 44 points
Date : 2022-06-13 16:53 UTC (6 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.androidauthority.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.androidauthority.com)
| paulmendoza wrote:
| 49 inch ultrawide is now the only way I can code. So nice. My
| lines of code are very long
| BatFastard wrote:
| I am going the opposite direction, a more squarish monitor just
| came out from LG. Its awesome! I run one 30 inch monitor as main,
| and the Dual Up which is 26 wide by 28 tall as my code monitor to
| the side. So much better than my old 27 inch monitor in portrait
| orientation.
|
| https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-28mq780-b
| wruza wrote:
| I'm only using side displays for logs or something I don't need
| to refer to often and can see by side vision. Same for large
| "viewport" angles like tv right in front of me. Can't stand
| turning my head or reading at an angle (even if it's good-angle
| ips). However you arrange your screens, the field of your
| effective sight remains the same.
|
| Multiple displays is just a physical solution to the core issue:
| desktop window managers and software and hardware suck. You can't
| have an event-transparent overlay of a compiler/runtime output
| over your ui testing area, you can't have windows that slide in
| from the side on a hotkey or a click, showing quick status when
| "holstered". You can't reveal/popup a window when text in it
| matches a regex. You can't assign a hotkey to a browser tab. You
| can't custom-dpi a specific window. You can't have drawers with
| links in them that are already preloaded and ready to refer to.
| You can't have a special set of keys to launch, raise or shift
| windows temporarily. You can't scroll on a keyboard. It's all
| stupid and fixed even with advanced WMs, or requires programming
| comparable with creating a new WM and most apps from scratch. And
| it's always arcane combination of two-three-four keys, most of
| which live in rural areas of your keyboard.
|
| Funny thing is, 3d games figured it out with huds, OSD messages,
| consoles, choice wheels, trivial panning, zooming and movement,
| "physical" buttons and switches, and 3d itself.
| dendriti wrote:
| Multiple displays have a tremendous advantage that cannot be
| matched in software, namely that you can adjust each monitor to
| its use-case. The portrait monitor I use for web browsing is
| adjusted very differently than the one I use to game, or the
| one I use for TV.
| PebblesHD wrote:
| I think it really depends what you're using it for. I look at
| multiple log windows all day and do some platform development
| when there's time, and having a screen that fits 3 useable panels
| of logs across it has been the single biggest improvement to my
| professional work since switching to a MacBook a decade ago. I
| went for the Philips 50" with an inbuilt KVM switch, and it has
| worked flawlessly.
|
| I would wish for a higher refresh rate but they released one with
| that about a year after I got mine, so if you're in the market,
| get that one.
| Semiapies wrote:
| After threads the last few days where people were suggesting
| getting monitors to use as TVs, it's amusing to see the reverse
| offered just as sensibly.
| aquir wrote:
| I do the same. Cheap 4K TV (HDR, 60Hz) gives you much more screen
| estate. 43 inch is big enough to keep the DPI scaling on 125%. I
| am very happy with this setup
| AtlasBarfed wrote:
| 8k is coming, I'll want an 8k 55" to go with two 40" 4ks for my
| dream setup
| montag wrote:
| In my opinion the Samsung Q7C is the best 4K TV for desktop
| computing: - it's curved - it can do
| 1920x1080 at 120 hz - it does 4:4:4 color
|
| That said, I still like multimonitor setups. The built-in
| partitioning is a nice feature for most work.
| kitsunesoba wrote:
| I'm not really big on either ultrawides or 4k TVs for
| productivity usage.
|
| Ultrawides don't play as nice with OS workspace management and
| can't provide physical partitioning/prioritization (e.g. primary
| windows on main screen virtual desktops, auxiliary windows on
| secondary screen virtual desktops). They also tend to not measure
| up to regular monitors in terms of specs.
|
| 4k TVs put heavy constraints on desk arrangement to get
| satisfactory perceived sharpness and UI scale and come with all
| sorts of extraneous TV junk (unless you go with an ultra-basic or
| signage model, which are anemic in terms of panel capabilities).
|
| My preferred setup would be 2x 16:10 30-32" monitor or a single
| 16:10 30-32" monitor accompanied by a 1:1 or 5:4 secondary
| monitor that's height-matched to the primary monitor, but that's
| not practical so I go with the pretty-standard setup of 2x 16:9
| 27" monitors. If I absolutely had to go with a TV-like setup
| though, I think it'd be with a BFGD (big format gaming display),
| because the panels on those are more monitor-like and they don't
| have all the cruft that TVs tend to come with.
| jerlam wrote:
| Your preferred setup sounds like one of the layouts of my
| current ultrawide monitor: one primary window at 2/3 the width,
| and a secondary window at 1/3. But a single ultrawide gives you
| flexibility - easily switch to a 50/50 split or 100% width if
| you're working with something that requires it (or has a really
| big sidebar).
|
| I'm using Magnet on MacOS so I don't know how easy a 1/3 split
| would be in other operating systems. If you get an ultrawide or
| a large TV, setting up some kind of window management tool is
| probably required.
| kitsunesoba wrote:
| That setup sounds workable, but dual screens is almost non-
| negotiable for me because it allows entire sets of
| primary/secondary windows to be mixed and matched on the fly
| just by changing spaces (I use macOS primarily as well). It's
| very powerful, because it cuts the overhead of window
| management down to almost nothing without adding any key
| shortcuts or gestures beyond what I'd be using anyway.
|
| For snap functionality on the rare occasion it's needed, I
| use Moom because it's probably the most unobtrusive of those
| types of utilities. No Aero Snap to unintentionally activate
| or draw spurious rectangles and no extra key shortcuts, just
| a little bubble that pops up when hovering over the green
| traffic light. macOS also has very similar snapping
| functionality built in so when working on a stock
| configuration system I'm still mostly at home.
| nightski wrote:
| I have been using an ultrawide for years and find the windows
| snap window management system quite effective.
| sgarland wrote:
| I ran dual 23" 1080p monitors for a long time, and then went
| BFGD. Acer Predator 43" 4K, which I split into four quadrants.
| I also have a 27" 4K (but I run it at 1440p for readability)
| vertical monitor to the right, which is used almost exclusively
| for an editor.
|
| Both are driven via a single (each) USB-C --> DP cable. The
| Predator doubles as a gaming monitor for my desktop. I couldn't
| be happier with my setup.
| denimnerd42 wrote:
| Yeah I bought a ultra wide and make it work with Fancy Zones on
| Windows Power Toys but dual 16:10 is still the best because it
| plays nice with the OS by default. I think default window
| management still has along way to go to suit all the different
| options out there.
|
| The dual 16:10 you get two "prime" windows in the center and 2
| aux windows out wide. where as with a 34" 1200p ultra wide you
| get 2 prime left and right or 1 prime and 2 aux with Fancy
| Zones, or 3 "aux". If you consistently find yourself needing 3
| or 4 full size windows then the ultra wide is not ideal
| unfortunately.
|
| The large 4k is just miserable because there's no ideal natural
| prime window location like I top posted further down.
| [deleted]
| peddamat wrote:
| I feel like this is a good place for me to plug my Fancy
| Zones fork, which supports maximizing windows within zones.
| The latest alpha also supports full-screening videos within
| zone boundaries.
|
| https://github.com/peddamat/PowerToys/releases/tag/v0.58.7-m.
| ..
|
| The Power Toys devs have an issue open regarding this
| feature, and we're figuring out next steps:
| https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/279
| [deleted]
| closeparen wrote:
| It is surprising that no one will sell me a reasonable pixel
| density ultrawide. I have 2x 27" 4k monitors, which look great,
| but that setup is overwhelmingly large in my home. I got a 34"
| ultrawide and it's a nice compromise between screen real estate
| and desk real estate, but the resolution is mediocre.
| gcatalfamo wrote:
| But isn't your _2x 16:9 27 "_ setup basically equivalent to an
| ultrawide monitor?
| kitsunesoba wrote:
| As mentioned in my other posts, the big difference is the
| second set of virtual desktops that's afforded by a second
| monitor, as well as physical prioritization of secondary,
| tertiary, etc windows.
|
| It also means you have a far wider selection of models at
| your disposal for both screens - in my case I like my primary
| monitor to be HiDPI while the secondary monitor can be a more
| run of the mill 1440p 27" monitor that you might find at a
| yard sale.
| unicornporn wrote:
| Not to poop on the big screen party, but from an ergonomic
| standpoint that does not look like a great idea[1]. Such a big
| screen at that distance will likely make your head tilt back
| slightly and your eyes look up and may wreak havoc on your neck
| and eyes.
|
| [1]
| https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/monitor_po...
| bob1029 wrote:
| I've been all over the spectrum on size/PPI/format. One or more
| 27" / 1440p monitors are still, by far, the most goldilocks
| experience for me.
|
| Anything else has required some substantial modification to how I
| work or forced a less-than-ideal ergonomic situation.
| jasonjmcghee wrote:
| I use a 27" 4K IPS @ 144Hz. I upgraded from a 60HZ 1440p at the
| same size, and it was a massive upgrade. Once you go to this
| pixel density, it's hard to go back. Similarly to 120Hz, if you
| do any sort blender / modeling, or other graphical applications -
| it's a completely different experience.
|
| Both the pixel density and refresh rate, coupled with a backlight
| onto the wall, reduce the eye strain so much. I can't imagine
| sitting a foot away from a TV.
| Deritio wrote:
| I think 27" and 4k is a nice sweet point for a desktop screen.
|
| I'm still waiting for one who doesn't have a fan in it.
|
| Which o e do you have?
| theandrewbailey wrote:
| Not previous poster, but I have a Samsung LS28AG700NNXZA
|
| Some monitors have fans? That's news to me, I've never had a
| monitor that did. Didn't know they were common enough to make
| it an explicit deal breaker.
| jpalomaki wrote:
| I tried 43" 4K for a while, but it did not work out for me. Using
| the sides and corners was inconvenient as it required keeping
| head turned. I noticed I was mostly just keeping stuff in the
| middle.
|
| Maybe it would have worked better with some more tuning and good
| window manager. For example keep Slack in corner, bring it center
| for chatting, put back to corner.
| Salgat wrote:
| As someone who uses 3 monitors, I really wish they'd make an
| ultrawide that had 3 panels. Using an ultrawide in the center
| with a third monitor off to the side is too awkward.
| throw457 wrote:
| The Samsung Odyssey G9 could fit your bill but we have them at
| work and it's just to much horizontal space.
| turtlebits wrote:
| PPI is more important than layout/size to me. 43" @ 4k is 102 PPI
| which is ridiculously low when sitting at a desk. (just over arms
| length away from the monitor).
|
| My minimum is 150 PPI (which is ~ 4k @ 28"). If I wasn't so cheap
| I'd probably just get the LG ultrafine/Apple studio display, but
| might compromise and get a 5k2k 34".
| jyxent wrote:
| I wouldn't mind a higher PPI, but with subpixel text rendering
| I find that the text quality is good enough for me. I'm hoping
| the TV resolution arms race will continue until 8K is the new
| normal like 4K is now. Then you will have large displays with
| good pixel density.
| walrus01 wrote:
| 43" 4K is just about exactly the same thing as an oldschool
| configuration with four tiled 23.5" 1080p monitors driven from
| a desktop PC.
| atemerev wrote:
| I used LG OLED 4K TV as a monitor. Worked surprisingly well.
| adrr wrote:
| No burn-in issues?
| metadat wrote:
| Buy at Costco and get the full warranty.
|
| This will protect you from the consequences of burn-in and
| more for 5 years.
|
| (Assuming the terms haven't changed since I last bought one
| in 2020.)
| gregjor wrote:
| So many windows and so much to look at seems like the opposite of
| productivity. I'm not about to go back to an 80x24 dumb terminal
| but I don't think my measured productivity has improved by the
| same factor as the number of pixels on my display. At some point
| you pass the limit of what your brain can focus on and the
| clutter just turns into busy-ness.
| salmonlogs wrote:
| I agree, I swapped from 2x27" 2K monitors to 1x34 ultrawide and
| the biggest change for me was the ability to focus on one
| thing.
|
| Being able to just make one window full screen really helps me
| concentrate. Having a second screen constantly doing stuff just
| broke my focus.
|
| When I need multiple Windows I can just tile with a window
| manager.
| denimnerd42 wrote:
| I could write the opposite article on how a 40" 4K is overrated
| and a 34" ultra wide is what to use instead. Main one being the
| bottom and top of the monitor is too low / too high so your
| primary windows will always be in a bad spot if you use that 3x2
| layout he shows.
|
| I guess you could write a window manager to move that primary
| window every 20 minutes to a new location in the 3x2 grid so you
| aren't fixated in one place.
|
| The other issue is are 6 windows really useful? I could find 3 or
| maybe 4 useful but then your windows get huge and it's kind of
| overwhelming to concentrate on them. Either way you slice it I
| think it's hard to manage such a large screen if you're not
| constantly selling yourself on the imagined productivity of it.
| sieabahlpark wrote:
| neuralRiot wrote:
| For music production and video editing, ultrawides are a Godsend
| to me. Being able to see a big timeline without the division in
| the middle as i was used to when using dual monitor setups,
| covers any drawback.
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