4k Monitor - Good or Bad?

[Blades]

Hey everyone - just created a new blog post last night and posted a related YouTube video with examples of why a 4k Monitor is great for a DAW.  Have you considered it?  Want to see what that really amounts to?  Check it out here:

https://www.blades.technology/music/daws-sonar-and-studio-one/why-you-should-get-a-4k-monitor

[StudioNSFW]

MY dual monitors give me more than 4K in a really logical layout for half the price.

I've used a large 4K TV as a monitor in a pinch.  I prefer dual monitors.

 

[Blades]

Hey @StudioNSFW - how does your dual monitor setup "give you more"?  Are they running at a really high resolution?

I have seen a 4k TV as well.  It's not as good as the 4k monitor - not sure exactly why, maybe it's just the size or the distance, or the fact that it isn't at 100% scale and at 200% because of the distance and use in a conference room (in my case at the office).

When comparing my old 2x 1080p monitors side by side, my horizontal resolution was the same at 1920*2 but the vertical was still 1080px.  So I have the same horizontal by double the vertical - and have eliminated the bezels.

Also, in my case, I was using two ASUS 21.5" panels that were (together) a little more than half the price (about $250 vs $400) but they are also NOT IPS panels, so text is not as sharp and off-axis was not as good for color, which does matter to me since I also do web design and coding, both of which also benefit from the additional resolution, clarity, and RGB reproduction.

[craigb]

I'm the opposite.  I replace two monitors with one, 40" 4k monitor (that I run at 2k) and love it!  The ONLY thing some people might miss is the ability to separate things between two monitors, but this can actually be done just fine using software (that I described in another thread here) like Fences.  If I find my previous post, I'll put the link here.

I know I won't be going back to multiples (unless I add another large monitor! ?).

 

Edit:  Found my prior reply HERE! ?

Edited May 21, 2020 by craigb
Why do we have to use Reason for editing on a Cakewalk forum???

[paulo]

For me there is such a thing as a screen that is too big. I would hate sitting up close to that thing all the time. The S1 example with everything on the one screen but just way bigger just looks like a big cluttered mess to me (admittedly not helped by the fact that IMO S1 is so fugly to start with). I can see how hi-res stuff is maybe good for tv or games, but I still wouldn't want to be sitting that close to it and if a regular sized screen on the desk right in front of you is too blurry for you, then the bad news is that's probably more to do with your eyes than the screen.?

If it works for you then great, but it does absolutely nothing for me.

[msmcleod]

I used to use a 23" 1080P monitor in my studio which is the smallest screen I could cope with for my ageing eyes.

The 4K equivalent would be 4 x that, so a 46" monitor (not sure you can get one in that size).

But anyhow, I tried sitting 3' away from a 40" TV and there was no way I could cope with being so close to such a large screen.

I've since upgraded to a 27" 1080P monitor in the studio and it's perfect for me.  I'd love to have another one next to it, but unfortunately I've not got the room
 

[Will.]

For me? I've had the 32" 4K in my studio and have had bad experience with it's light even from 2m ("6feet") away. My desk sits a meter away from the wall and look-in window, with another 1.5metres between the speaker monitors sitting far back on the desk and myslef. So there was a good 2.5m (7/8 feet) between me and the 4K monitor that I had mounted against the wall. 

Anyway. I've had it for just under three months in my studio and had to wear sunglasses after an hour everyday -  especially with the lights off at night. My eyes would get blurry and I don't even wear glasses. So, I had since replaced it with an ultrawide 25" 2560×1080  Full HD monitor and it makes me smile everyday for the past two years.

It is also a bonus to have a 32" now in my study. It makes me feel "important" when I'm on the phone with a client, or when I have meetings. ? 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Will_Kaydo

[Starise]

This is probably something I will investigate in the future. I agree with those who say the screen can be too close and too large. In my current studio I use two large monitors. My eyes aren't the best up close so I have been either wearing computer glasses which are supposed to offer some protection from screen emissions which still exists to some extent even on lcd monitors "or" 1.75 readers. Those glasses really pull everything up clearly for me.

If and when one of my monitors dies I will probably take a look at those large curved screen monitors first. The thing is, I am perfectly content with what I have right now. I can split everything up between the monitors and I like that. No reason for me to change really until or unless I have some kind of a failure. My video card is a mid tier gamer card which is mostly ok, but I'm sure  when I eventually look into a new monitor  replacement I will also be looking at what's available in the most recent video cards. As I say though. It isn't really needed now.

I've seen those setups that use a combination of maybe two monitors lower and a high rez screen sitting above them as a third option. I don't like it because my neck wasn't made to bend up as comfortably for long periods of time as it was made to bend down or look on the level. I guess those who make music for film might use a setup like that more often. In that case I  would prefer looking at level height at something smaller. I have a 55" TV mounted over my fireplace at home and from 15' away it's still plenty large enough. I can't imagine kissing one from 2' away.

 

[craigb]

Some extra notes:

• It takes a little time to get used to the size, but then you will not want to go back
• There are both apps and video card settings to change the "coolness" and brightness of the screen (including having it adjust throughout the day)
• You should always take time to look and focus on objects that are a long distance away (like the top of a tree a few miles away if possible)
• You should also learn some basic eye exercises and certain supplements help
• Note that I said I have my 4k monitor set to be used at 2k - this makes everything easier to see
• Also note that using the above recommendations I still have 20/10 vision at 56 years of age (i.e., no glasses needed)

[Blades]

Glad to see some conversation with a mix of opinions, though @craigb and I seem to be in the minority so far.

Another point is that I am at the exact distance from this monitor as I was from the two side by side.  Since it is running at true 4k (100%), the size of each 1/4 of the screen is exactly the same as my old 21.5" 1080p monitors).  It does't feel "too close" because it is exactly the same.  In fact, when I first started using it, to get used to it, I just put two windows side-by-side with their vertical midpoint aligned with the vertical middle of this 4k screen.  Then it was exactly like having my old two monitors except for the lack of bezels and the better clarity on this one.

For those who think that S1 is fugly, here's a shot of the same monitor with Cakewalk open with my newest project on it (of course, this one is not done, so it has a lot less going on and less windows up within the software:

[paulo]

11 hours ago, Blades said:

For those who think that S1 is fugly, here's a shot of the same monitor with Cakewalk open

Still not feeling the love I'm afraid. Having everything open in the same window like that looks like a cluttered mess to me. Making it all bigger just makes it look like a giant version of a laptop screen.

[paulo]

12 hours ago, craigb said:

I still have 20/10 vision at 56 years of age

And the award for getting the most use out of a vuvuzela goes to...........

[craigb]

3 hours ago, paulo said:

Still not feeling the love I'm afraid. Having everything open in the same window like that looks like a cluttered mess to me. Making it all bigger just makes it look like a giant version of a laptop screen.

Simples.  You just need something like I mentioned in my original reply:

There's software out there that will allow you to partition your screen (MaxTo is one and Stardock has related products too).  This allows you to virtually have multiple desktops (or even multiple computers) up at the same time, but with the ability to use the full screen with any of these (just a couple key strokes required).  You can also divide the big monitor into smaller ones so that things stay compartmentalized in each.

The idea is that you get the best of both worlds.  You can virtually have dual monitors (except without the thick bezel in-between) or one big one (great for videos!).

[Starise]

It would take some getting used to for me since I have been working two monitors for so long. Console view always goes on my right, everything else on the left. Or I can collapse the console temporarily to mix a movie. No bad or good or best way. Old dog. New tricks. Just sayin'. I'm sure I could make just about anything work if I had to.

 

[Brian Walton]

Strongly prefer a dual monitor  workflow/layout.  

Ideally I'd like another workspace that has the ability to have multiple plugins open on a dedicated area (and say 3rd monitor)

 

4K is awful if plugins are not desiged to scale, etc.

[craigb]

Just to be redundant... 4k TV's are CHEAP now (and can obviously be used as a TV when necessary).  However, you DON'T need to use the 4k resolution!  I use mine at 2k and everything is just so much easier to see.  Sure, you can dedicate different areas just as if you had multiple monitors (see links above), but then you also have the luxury of using the whole screen whenever you want - something that's not really possible with dual monitors (unless you like ugly bezels in the middle).

[paulo]

19 minutes ago, craigb said:

Just to be redundant... 4k TV's are CHEAP now (and can obviously be used as a TV when necessary).  However, you DON'T need to use the 4k resolution!  I use mine at 2k and everything is just so much easier to see.  Sure, you can dedicate different areas just as if you had multiple monitors (see links above), but then you also have the luxury of using the whole screen whenever you want - something that's not really possible with dual monitors (unless you like ugly bezels in the middle).

Just to be super clear then, your proposal to solve a problem that I don't have is to discard two perfectly functional screens, buy a new big one that I neither need or want with 4k resolution that I should then turn off plus some extra software to make the new one look like the two that I already had, just in case I ever feel some bizarre need to watch a big screen TV that is 2 feet in front of my face?

 

[Blades]

@paulo - yeah: sounds like it's not for you.  Personally, I really don't feel like it is just a "big laptop screen" because I wouldn't take a 1080p 13.5" laptop screen and just make it bigger.  It's really about the scale of the thing and the resolution relative to that size.  Whether using two monitors side by side or one top and bottom, or in this case 4x in a rectangle, it really is just more real estate that can be arranged however you like and you can plainly get more on the screen and make it as busy or not busy as you like.  To me, it was always frustrating to have to zoom and scroll around the screen to get what I wanted to be visible the way I wanted it - now it is just "that way" and easy to manipulate however I want it.  But I get it - my lead tech at the office doesn't like it either - too much going on for his liking.

@Brian Walton "4K is awful if plugins are not desiged to scale" - yep, and that would be a problem if this were asking them to scale, but it's not.  That's part of why I went over the need to have it at 100% scale: so that (a) you get the full benefit of the resolution and can actually get 4x as much as a single 1080p monitor or 2x as much as a dual-screen setup and (b) because then nothing has to scale:  Applications have no idea that it is "4k" because they just happily display their 100% sized pixels like they always would.

I think it's kind of how I felt at first when an IT client of ours (who does large high-rise construction plans)  got a Dell monitor like this - yea, it's big - so what.  But when I actually set it up for that client and used the application to section things out on the screen, it was immediately apparent that I was going to eventually get one of these.  Just had to wait for the price to come down.  And it did.  And I did.

[Variorum]

I just picked up a 32" HP Omen for a really good price. It's 2560x1440, so a nice compromise between the size of the screen elements and additional real estate.
The icons, etc. are almost identical in size to my 23" 1080p monitor; pixels per inch is almost the same, so there's no need to scale. I was afraid it would be ginormous, like sitting in front of a TV, but it's really not as big as I thought. 

My aging eyes are happy ?

[Rico Belled]

After using dual 1080P's for years, I went to a 4K 49" LG and LOVE, love love it. It's awesome not to have to sit close to the screen and work comfortably from 10 feet away, but if I do need lots of information it's there. Very important is that you use a GPU that can do 4k at 60Hz in full color space.

 

R