Success - UHD TV as Monitor

[StrongHarm]

I've been watching LCD TVs for years waiting for acceptable performance as a PC monitor. I've just now pulled the trigger and wanted to share in case others have the same goal.

 

The TV I finally pulled the trigger on is the Samsung 48" Curved UHD.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN48JU7500-Curved-48-Inch-Ultra/dp/B00T48CZ84

 

I've tested the chroma at stable 4:4:4, and I've ran ghosting tests and see no significant issues. I'm able to run DCS 2.0 at min60 FPS at 4k 60hz in ultra settings with a pair of 980Ti. The reason I chose the 48" over the 40 or 55 is that this size/resolution combo makes the icon and text on the 48"/4k the same size they'd be on a 27/1080.

 

The picture and performance are better than I could have imagined and having a life-size forward canopy adds to immersion greatly. I only hope my investment isn't nullified by the Oculus Rift coming out later this year.

 

I highly recommend this TV as a monitor, and I am VERY picky and have been in the tech industry for 20+ years.

[Tone71]

Thanks for the info, interesting to hear. Although, if I spent that much on a tv for my pc, the missus would probably surgically remove my misters. Shame.

[Chief1942]

Yeah! Saw the price and I think I can put such hopes on the back burner in the short term. I mean it took me some time to pull the trigger on my Acer XB280HK 4K G-Sync monitor, and that was about $800 at the time. Thanks for the feedback, but I'll have to pass. Am envious however as I can't read the darn text on mine without a text sizing mod.

[Abburo]

Oculus will never nulify a good monitor :).

Thank you for sharing this experience to us. It might be very usefull for those who will choose going 4k.

[NeilWillis]

I wish I had the funds! Very good of you to pass on your experience though.

[StrongHarm]

After a few weeks of usage I still find that the color and performance are better than I expected. My one and only gripe is that on rare occasion I have to cycle the TV power when it doesn't autoswitch to a new resolution properly.

 

For those of you who commented about funds; I didn't intend for that to be a topic. I can only say that I'm older and have been in my career field for 25 years. Keep pushing and you'll have all the funds you need. The TV cost was small compared to my other recent PC related investments. If I can do it so can you, be patient and make it happen. Best wishes.

[Beaver McFanny]

Can I ask you a question? You state that are getting 60fps at 4K. I thought HDMI was limited to 30fps at 4K. Does this TV have DisplayPort input? I have been holding off buying a 4K TV for this very reason. THX.

[hansangb]

Couple of comments. Rift experience *cannot* be compared to a monitor. No matter the size, the immersion is just unbelievable. Just my opinion having used 3 monitors +TIR and Rift DK2.

 

As for the price, the conversation can be had this way: Ok, you're right, it's too expensive. Let me go buy some lumber, gotta get busy on my pit building. It's should only take up about 1/4 of the livingroom.

 

LOL.

[SharpeXB]

Can I ask you a question? You state that are getting 60fps at 4K. I thought HDMI was limited to 30fps at 4K. Does this TV have DisplayPort input? I have been holding off buying a 4K TV for this very reason. THX.

HDMI 2.0 has a maximum resolution of 4096×2160p/60 Hz or also would handle 3840x2160/60Hz

HDMI 1.4 is limited to 4096×2160p/24Hz or 3840x2160/30Hz

 

So getting an HDMI 2.0 connection would be important for a UHDTV used for gaming.

 

I don't think any TVs have DisplayPort connections. For 4K you'll want DP1.2 in order to get 60Hz UHD/4K

[StrongHarm]

It's definitely getting a full 60hz at 4k. I've tested it for refresh, chroma, and ghosting and it passes all tests with flying colors (punned). Port2 on the OneConnect says "DVI" under it. It's apparently the only port that can put out 60hz at 4k with 4:4:4 Chroma for PC. You also have to select PC as the connection type in the setup for port2. I've not tried the other ports to see how they perform, but that's because I did a lot of research before the purchase and knew the steps to get full PC capabilities from it out of the box. The OneConnect box it comes with is cool. It has a single cable that goes to the TV, then all display connections go into the box. It's like an HDMI hub. I've also verified it's getting true 4k while in 60hz because I purchased the 27Gbps monster cable that has LEDs that indicate SD/HD/4K.

 

Can I ask you a question? You state that are getting 60fps at 4K. I thought HDMI was limited to 30fps at 4K. Does this TV have DisplayPort input? I have been holding off buying a 4K TV for this very reason. THX.

[Beaver McFanny]

Thanks for the reply guys. Well, its off to PC World for me then. Watch this space.:thumbup:

[Enduro14]

if you cant do 3d, 4k on big screen is second best for sure enjoy!

[BitMaster]

Isnt 4k @ 60Hz only available on DP 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 ???

 

From what I read DVI can only do 30Hz @ 4k

 

 

I might be wrong....

[BitMaster]

just checked online, for DVI and 4k you need two cables, 1 cable alone will result in max 1440p as the cable cant shuffle more.

 

HDMI 2.0 is also mandatory, UNLESS you can use the Nvidia trick to compress the stream down to a volume that will allow it to run on a 1.4 cable.

 

Looks like you run at 1440p and thus get 60Hz...or I am totally wrong and misguided ;)

[Backy 51]

Usually, on 2015+ UHD TVs, HDMI Port 1 is HDMI 2.0 capable. You can get very inexpensive HDMI 2.0 cables at Monoprice.com. You may have to upgrade your TV firmware to enable HDMI 2.0.

 

You may also want to ensure that you can run at 60HZ & Chroma 4:4:4.

See this site for details:

 

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-type/4k-ultra-hd-uhd/best

 

I had great success with the Samsung UN40JU6500.

 

Expect prices to fall very soon on 4K sets ...

[hannibal]

can buy two oculus rifts for that price!

[StrongHarm]

What bns130 said. The JU7500 has the advantage of better color over the 6500, but they are both HDMI 2.0 chroma 4:4:4 capable. My goal was to find the best balance of input lag and response time. Here's a good list of UHD TVs for PC monitor use. It shows whether they are 4:4:4 capable and what their lag times and user ratings are. You can see why I chose the JU7500.

 

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-usage/pc-monitor/best

 

Edit: The cable you use is critical. I chose the Monster 27Gbps SUHD cable with integrated throughput indicator.

Edit2: I just noticed that I posted the same link as you bns130.. we're definitely on the same track.

Edited January 16, 2016 by StrongHarm

[StrongHarm]

I noticed that I can play Battlefront in huge battles and maintain over 100FPS in 4k in ultra quality (2x 980Ti) without ghosting or lag that could interfere with 'twitch' battle. I was surprised that a TV could keep up with that kind of game. After some research I found that the Input Lag is 21ms and the Response Time is 8ms. In contrast, my other monitor made specifically for gaming is 16ms Input Lag and 5ms Response Time. Not too shabby.

[Wrecking Crew]

StrongHarm, how far away is your monitor from your eyes?

 

Did you try putting the 4K TV in game mode,,, just curious - saw that mentioned in another thread?

 

Can a TV soundbar be used instead of computer speakers, using the optical connection between the TV and soundbar? Anybody know?

 

TIA

 

WC

[StrongHarm]

Hey WC. I have a pretty large desk and the TV sits toward the back of it. Rather than give you a ballpark, I just measured it out at exactly 47". It doesn't seem too large.. as a matter of fact my other monitors seem too small now. At 48"/4k desktop icons are the same size they'd be on a 27"/1080, but just across more real estate. When I work I divide the screen between 4 apps: email, Visual Studio, browser, coms. It's like having 4 23" monitors with no bezels.

 

You can use a sound bar. Video and sound are both transmitted over the HDMI cable to the TV and the TV has audio out. I have mine setup PC HDMI out > TV HDMI in > TV Optical out > Stereo Tuner Optical in. I can hear sound through both the TV speakers (which help my center channel) and the 7.1 stereo speakers.

[streakeagle]

For now the rift's resolution per eye (1080 x 1200) is just too low, even compared to a conventional 1080p monitor. A large 4K UHD monitor is a great solution. I would like a "retina display" solution on a large screen. From my tests of viewing my 1080p 46" inch TV/monitor at various distances, an 8K monitor may provide a "retina display" where the pixels are too small to see.

 

Keep in mind, the rift's 1200 pixels in the vertical is not really better than 1080 given the effective field of view is much larger. Now compare 1080 over a larger FOV to 1920 over a smaller one. Rift needs to make some advances in resolution to win me over. 3dx360deg is no good if I can't even read the cockpit instruments without zooming in.

[Lenux]

 

I highly recommend this TV as a monitor, and I am VERY picky and have been in the tech industry for 20+ years.

 

I have Samsung 40" UE40JU6550 and i would like to get Samsung UE48JU7500

How is the text / image quality / looking on 48" ? Isn't too big ?

[Enduro14]

I have 55 inch 4K in my pit and it's beyond clear with text

[StrongHarm]

The JU7500 has text that's as clear as my other monitors.. actually more clear than one of them. There is a caveat, but it's not an issue for me; PC mode = 21ms response, Game mode = 8ms response. I use game mode to get quick response times if playing BF4 or shooter games and the text is 'slightly' more fuzzy while in desktop in that mode but not so much that it's distracting or even completely noticeable. When not playing something that needs quick response times, I simply change the source type from Game to PC with two button pushes. Flying DCS in game and pc mode looks the same so there's no need to switch modes. The difference in text clarity on the desktop between the modes is not that dramatic. I've read some posts by people who say they can't see a visible difference so they stay in game mode all the time.

[Wrecking Crew]

Well, I just bought the same TV/monitor --

Samsung UN48JU7500 48" Class Curved 4K

 

Thanks, StrongHarm, for the OP. What you said, "The reason I chose the 48" over the 40 or 55 is that this size/resolution combo makes the icon and text on the 48"/4k the same size they'd be on a 27/1080." <-- This helped me make the decision. I have the space to put the monitor at 45-50", I'm sitting into a corner and running a 30" at 1900x1200 at about 32" now.

 

Got two GTX 980Tis to run it. This is going to be a nice machine, I almost bought last April so it has been a while in coming.

 

WC