DCS on a 55-inch 4K TV

[GregP]

UPDATE 7/20/14: I've now got a

up that shows the 4K in action.

 

UPDATE 7/16/15: Took down the old pics as they're way outdated. Should've noted this months ago, but I replaced the below Seiki model with the Panasonic TC-58AX800U 58" HDMI 2.0 4K/60Hz TV, as shown here.

 

As some of you may know, I've been running a T-shaped, 4-screen setup in DCS for a few years now. Having the lower touchscreen made the setup incredibly fluid and intuitive, and I thought I had reached simpit perfection. But I had to admit that getting this setup working reliably was a real pain. It seemed that every Catalyst driver revision or DCS update would mess something up and it would require further fiddling with config files on my part to get it all working again. On top of that, there were a handful of annoying or remaining problems with the setup that continued to bug me and detract from the overall experience. As a result, for a long time now, I feel like I've spent more time tweaking and config'ing than actually flying. The idea of a simpler setup really appealed to me, but I could never identify a convincing alternative to what I'd already spent so many hours, days, weeks (not to mention money) getting working.

 

But then a few weeks ago I started looking into the new 4K TVs. For those that have been following this, you already know that there are basically two kinds available: the Sonys and Samsungs that cost $3-4K and up, and the Seiki line that cost a quarter of that. The big tradeoff of the Seiki models is that they only support a 30 Hz refresh rate at 4K. This is actually an HDMI 1.4a bandwidth limitation that is solved by using either DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0 (when it's finally available), and which some of the high-end 4K TVs have or plan to support. But the Seiki models only have HDMI 1.4a, so you're stuck with 30 Hz. For most people, on top of the obvious fact that there is little to no 4K cable or streaming content available yet anyway, this 30 Hz limit is a deal killer. Most say this makes it impractical for games, in particular, as 30 Hz is just not enough to get smooth motion.

 

However, the more I thought about it, I realized that I fit into the presumably very, very small market segment for which these Seikis are perfect, because 1) I'm not using it for TV or streaming, and 2) I've spent years flying DCS at right around 30 FPS, so a 30 Hz limit really doesn't concern me. The idea of having a single huge monitor, on which I could comfortably fit the entire cockpit and actually be able to read all the instruments and displays (which at least in my experience, was simply not possible when zoomed out at 1080p on a 27" monitor), and not having to mess with multi-monitor configuration anymore, became really appealing. Long story short, I talked myself into buying the Seiki 55" model, with the caveat that I was going to be perfectly happy returning it if it didn't impress and also outweigh the loss of the touchscreen in my previous setup.

 

It only took about 2 minutes after setting it up and first trying out DCS to realize that oh yes, this is incredibly awesome and I've now officially made the switch (hey, anybody wanna buy a 27" touchscreen?). I was actually already running 4K -- 6K, actually, given that my DCS resolution for those 4 screens was 5900x2300 -- so I didn't expect FPS to be much improved. In my standard tests, it increased from about 29 up to 36. But the added level of detail is something that just has to be seen to be believed. I'm loving not having to deal with monitor bezels anymore and scaling resolutions on my touchscreen to match the spacing on my upper 3 monitors (details about that in my 4-screen thread above).

 

And yeah, I've tried other games too -- ARMA3, Dishonored, Deadly Premonition, Skyrim, etc. -- and they look, as expected, absolutely gorgeous. My Crossfired 7970's are just a bit underpowered to push 4K in those games at 30+ FPS, so the motion is admittedly less than optimal, but since DCS is my main concern, and I plan to upgrade to dual R290s at some point next year, I'm OK with it.

Edited July 17, 2015 by GregP

[cichlidfan]

Looks pretty sweet.

 

I wish I could use the 27" touch screen. That is a nice monitor and a good deal.

[bjsracer]

Oh my :smilewink:

[GregP]

[deleted]

Edited February 22, 2014 by GregP

[cichlidfan]

Wow!! This is what I need. I would love to go bigger than the Dell Ultrasharp 27 but that 2560x1440 resolution has spoiled me for a bigger 1080p monitor.

[sydost]

Wau! This looks good.

 

I have absolutely no knowledge of multi-monitor setups but would it be possible to add those 27 inch monitors vertically to the sides of that 4k screen to get a slightly wider view?

[Bolt-1]

GergP,

youre right the level of detail in those SS in post 4 are amazing.

In the A-10c SS just outside the small village on the left. I can see the

two deer in the field.

[BHawthorne]

I like the idea of UHD, I just don't like the port input for most displays yet. Also I prefer the FOV for mult-display. Now just to get video cards to the point where they can push Eyefinity 3x1 UHD at a reasonable pace then kick it up a notch and have it be multi-projector instead. ;)

 

Crisp pixel density is nice, I just prioritize FOV over pixel density. Would be nice to have both though.

Edited December 10, 2013 by BHawthorne

[danilop]

Impressive! :thumbup:

 

Now, this (4K) is something which I could negotiate on with wifey ... probably :helpsmilie: ... Three displays are BIG no-no ... :D

[mhe]

I was also thinking about getting that Seiki 55 inch model, but ultimately I have a 1080p 47 inch mounted to my r3v pit. So until I also get 4k @60Hz, I cannot bring myself to switch. But I can really understand how you suffered from more tweaking than flying, having previously owned 3x 27" screens. The switch made me fly much more, but I certainly hope that there will be a Rift model available that is sufficient for DCS by the time a 50"+ display with 4K resolution and 60Hz input becomes actually affordable for average Joe.

[Cali]

That looks stunning, maybe I can talk the wife into letting me get one next year.

[GregP]

Wau! This looks good.

 

I have absolutely no knowledge of multi-monitor setups but would it be possible to add those 27 inch monitors vertically to the sides of that 4k screen to get a slightly wider view?

 

Sure, that could be done, but doesn't work in my case for at least two reasons:

 

1) The LCD mount extendable arms that I own don't stretch far enough to hold the 27" monitors out there, but more importantly,

 

2) Part of my wife's buy-in to the purchase of the 55" was a promise to sell the 27"s in order to offset the cost. :)

[cichlidfan]

The worst part, for me, is that 55 cost noticeably less than my Dell U2711 (over two years ago, but still). :)

[javelina1]

whoa, cool post! I gotta look into this further. Looks great! :) :thumbup:

[rcjonessnp175]

impressive, but 30 fps is really bad in sims. But will say once you go big screen you dont go back. I run 55 inch sony 3d tv 802A. Also run my dcs in 3d on that sucker and thats amazing at 60fps.

[GregP]

The worst part, for me, is that 55 cost noticeably less than my Dell U2711 (over two years ago, but still). :)

 

It really is amazing how [relatively] inexpensive these Seiki models are, especially compared to say, Dell monitors, as you mention. That factored into my decision to buy it -- I figured that by selling even just 3 of my 4 27" monitors, I'd likely just about recoup the entire cost of the Seiki.

[SkateZilla]

impressive, but 30 fps is really bad in sims. But will say once you go big screen you dont go back. I run 55 inch sony 3d tv 802A. Also run my dcs in 3d on that sucker and thats amazing at 60fps.

 

I dont think his SLi is working..

[KaspeR32]

You say the TV you got was 30hz, this one says 120hz.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Seiki-Digital-SE50UY04-50-Inch-120Hz/dp/B00BXF7I9M

 

Are we talking about something different?

[GregP]

You say the TV you got was 30hz, this one says 120hz.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Seiki-Digital-SE50UY04-50-Inch-120Hz/dp/B00BXF7I9M

 

Are we talking about something different?

 

It‘s selective advertising: the 120hz applies to 1080p, but at 4k it's 30hz.

[KaspeR32]

It‘s selective advertising: the 120hz applies to 1080p, but at 4k it's 30hz.

 

That bugs me.. Thank you for clarifying though.

[docfu]

Hate to ask again but what cables are you actually using to power that TV?

 

(Displayport or HDMI?)

 

3840x2160 @ 30hz( assuming max 30fps?)

[GregP]

Hate to ask again but what cables are you actually using to power that TV?

 

(Displayport or HDMI?)

 

3840x2160 @ 30hz( assuming max 30fps?)

 

I *wish* I was using DisplayPort, because if I was, then I could run 3840x2160x60hz. But no, DP is not an option on this monitor. I'm using HDMI, and thus am limited to 4k at 30 hz.

[BHawthorne]

I think it's a waste to buy a UHD right now when HDMI 2.0 comes out next month.

[GregP]

I think it's a waste to buy a UHD right now when HDMI 2.0 comes out next month.

 

Well if a month from now there's a 55-inch 4k TV with HDMI 2.0 available for $850, I'll agree with you. :)

[Scarecrow]

Looks great, much envy here. I'm gonna have to wait a while but I think the 4K route is more suitable for flight sims than the Rift.

Why dump the touch screen though? I'd be holding onto it till I had the GPU power to get helios up and running again.