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Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

daniel.lawrence.lu

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Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#81

Post by lynguist »

ForHackernews wrote: post #15

> Having seven evenly-spaced columns would be impossible on a dual 4K display setup due to bezels in the middle. I know I'm getting into old man yells at cloud territory here, but nobody needs this. Code on a 1024×600 netbook display, it will build character.

In the mid 90s professional video game programmers used typically a 1920x1080 display, just to have a larger code canvas and display sharper text.

From the 90s on 1600x1200, 1920x1080, 2048x1536 were resolutions one could find on professional displays.

From the 2010s on resolutions increased tremendously and 3840x2160 became the norm for consumer and professional displays.

When working with code you essentially work with text. You just want a big canvas and crisp text, thus high resolution.

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#82

Post by porphyra »

0points wrote: post #9

That's simply too big a screen to be sitting right in front of. I do agree on the basic idea of not running two monitors tho. I used to, and I got neck pains eventually. My current setup is a single 32" curved QHD monitor and I wouldn't change it for the world. It's just the right size so you can see the whole screen at once, yet large enough to run 3 browsers side by side. Also, I want to suggest people to learn abo…

> Also, I want to suggest people to learn about virtual desktops rather than wasting money on bizarrely huge screens or multi monitor setups.

This sounds a little condescending especially when the author is clearly a technically savvy user who uses a tiling window manager.

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#83

Post by porphyra »

outsomnia wrote: post #6
Circlecrypto2 wrote: post #2

I'm sure a few have tried this before, but no one has given me a good argument for convincing the partner.

Since a couple of years ago, I spent a year or so like this, with the TV resting on the desk directly. It looked pretty nice, but it had some problems. - The only actual 8K modes reported on the HDMI were some variant of YUV, it means you could not select what your OS considered an RGB mode - Even using it at 4K, with the 55" TV a couple of feet from the back of the desk, my eyes could not keep all of it perfectly in…

FYI nowadays 8K TVs support true RGB 8K 60 Hz over HDMI 2.1 with no chroma subsampling.

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#84

Post by ForHackernews »

lynguist wrote: post #81
ForHackernews wrote: post #15

> Having seven evenly-spaced columns would be impossible on a dual 4K display setup due to bezels in the middle. I know I'm getting into old man yells at cloud territory here, but nobody needs this. Code on a 1024×600 netbook display, it will build character.

In the mid 90s professional video game programmers used typically a 1920x1080 display, just to have a larger code canvas and display sharper text. From the 90s on 1600x1200, 1920x1080, 2048x1536 were resolutions one could find on professional displays. From the 2010s on resolutions increased tremendously and 3840x2160 became the norm for consumer and professional displays. When working with code you essentially work…

I guess. I think the important thing is getting the program in your head, not on the screen. If the code is too complicated to hold it all in your mind then more columns of crisp text will not save you.

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#85

Post by AnthonBerg »

chown wrote: post #62
AnthonBerg wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From experience with a 55” 4K OLED as main monitor, I can attest that the length if the caveat list is not indicative of the total impact of the caveats. It’s more an indication of a thoughtful and thorough person writing the list.

I am looking for a 55” 4K OLED. Do you have a recommendation? And are there any technical caveats with it? (I use a Mac primarily). Thank you

I went with the LG CX model based on what I read on rtings.com

That’s a previous-generation model. I think all of the LG TVs are good.

There are / were technical caveats. I believe all of them are solved by M3 macs that have HDMI 2.1 ports. (M3 or M3 Pro or something? The ones advertised as 8K capable.) Out of the box, those will do 4K 120Hz HDR with variable refresh rate and full 444 color. This is what you want.

It is possible to get that going on older machines, except for VRR which is more of a nice-to-have anyway.

I have a 2018 Macbook Pro 15”. Disclaimer!: My setup was a “complexity pet”, a tinkering project; There are simpler ways to connect a 120Hz 4K HDR HDMI 2.1 display to a non-HDMI-2-1 mac. And! My tinkering project wasn’t only about getting the display working correctly. It was more about messing with eGPUs and virtualization and stuff. Definitely a long way round.

On my Intel mac, I use an AMD Radeon 6800 XT eGPU with Club3D or CableMatters DisplayPort-to-HDMI 2.1 adapters. Plus some EDID hacking which is easy to do.

EDID is how the display identifies itself to the OS. The EDID payload can be overridden on the OS side. Mostly it’s about copying the display’s EDID and deleting the entry that says the display can accept 4:2:0 color. Only then does macOS switch to 4:4:4 color. I also created a custom “modeline” with tighter timing to get 120Hz going fully.

—Please be assured that this was way more complex than it needed to be. It was for fun!

There are much easier ways to do this. Lots of forum posts on it. On the MacRumors forums iirc? User joevt is The Man.

And even then, what I wrote above is actually easy to do once you know it’s possible.

Mostly though you really want an M3 Mac that just has HDMI 2.1 and is ready to go.

There are/were also OLED gaming monitors available, such as from Alienware. Those have DisplayPort inputs and are ready to go with almost any older Mac. Might be able to find one for a price equivalent to a TV, idk.

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#86

Post by RajT88 »

gwbas1c wrote: post #52
RajT88 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife asked me how much "huge monitors" cost. I told her 100 bucks on Craigslist. Indeed, we got her an old dumb 1080p LCD and she has been super happy with it. It mostly fills the wall of her little cubby hole in our office. For my money, I have 2x 1080p 24” displays, and a third curved 32" 1080p display which is hooked to a KVM so I can game on it. I like the 3 monitor setup because they are all at angles from ea…

1080p is a tiny monitor in today's standards. It's also very similar to the old SXGA resolution that was very common in the late 1990s / 2000s.

1080p is good enough for me. I'm not sure buying 3 4k monitors is going to improve my life any, what with my middle-aged eyes and all.

Also, old stuff lacks shady smart features. Bonus!

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#87

Post by jsheard »

wcoenen wrote: post #55
jamalaramala wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are these monitors sold as "gaming" monitors?

Low response time (i.e. time it takes for a pixel to change color) to reduce ghosting, and a high refresh rate up to 240 Hz. These monitors are expensive and do not have very high resolution. If you're not a hardcore fast reflex gamer, and you spend a lot of time looking at text, then IMO it's better to buy a higher resolution monitor for less money.

4K gaming monitors do provide a reasonable middle-ground between "extremely fast but only 100-110ppi" and "extremely high res but only 60hz" now though. You can get 163ppi at 144hz without breaking the bank, which isn't quite retina by Apples definition, but it's good enough for me considering the benefit of high refresh rate.

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#88

Post by switch007 »

appleiigs wrote: post #76
exitb wrote: post #18

After 15 years of having a desk job I find that I’m more sensitive to the position I sit in. My back feels a lot better if I have a single, regular sized screen right in front of me, instead of having additional screen estate on the sides or below (as with a laptop). At the same time I use virtual desktops that I can switch with both keyboard and mouse.

The general advice is to have top of monitor at eye level, but it's been wrong advice for me personally. I now put the middle of the monitor at eye level. Keeps my head up and posture better. Leaning back instead of stooping.

Indeed. AIUI your head needs to be back, chin tucked in, which means looking down a bit. If you're looking level or up you're going to be sticking your head out a bit

Re: Using an 8K TV as a Monitor

#89

Post by guardiangod »

exitb wrote: post #18

After 15 years of having a desk job I find that I’m more sensitive to the position I sit in. My back feels a lot better if I have a single, regular sized screen right in front of me, instead of having additional screen estate on the sides or below (as with a laptop). At the same time I use virtual desktops that I can switch with both keyboard and mouse.

I used to use dual monitors 50:50 in front of me, but after a few years I started getting neck pain.

Now I put a monitor directly in front of me, and a secondary monitor on the side. No more neck pain.

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