32in-35in monitor for movies/tv

Borden10 · 10 Sep 2017 at 21:56

I'm looking for a monitor that is preferably 32-35 inches since i currently have a 24inch horrible benq that i've had for years. I was thinking about getting the big 32-35 inch screen since i watch a lot of movies/tv series so big screen + good picture + good colours is something i'm looking for. Budget can be up to 1000, i can adjust the budget if i'm amazed by a certain monitor. I've done a bit of research and most people are saying VA monitors are the best for movies/tv series. Besides this i'm just regular browsing websites.

Are VA monitors really the best for movies in the 32-35 inch range? Any help is appreciated, please recommend me some monitors, thanks. I'm from EU so only UK/EU monitor models since USA has their own unique model versions, thanks a lot!

hornetstinger · 10 Sep 2017 at 22:40

I'd go for ultra wide. Various or ips. UW is native 2:35 so perfect for movies.

Borden10 · 10 Sep 2017 at 22:42

hornetstinger said:
I'd go for ultra wide. Various or ips. UW is native 2:35 so perfect for movies.

I've heard IPS is not good for movies as the dark/black scenes will suck because of the backlight bleed.

hornetstinger · 10 Sep 2017 at 22:47

Apart from that lol. Maybe Samsung 34 "1440 UW 100hz? About £800

Borden10 · 11 Sep 2017 at 00:25

hornetstinger said:
Apart from that lol. Maybe Samsung 34 "1440 UW 100hz? About £800

Any other options that are similar to this?

IvanDobskey · 11 Sep 2017 at 07:33

Pleased with my Samsung cf791, excellent monitor. No backlight bleed or glow, decent blacks for an LCD.

Colours are great too thanks to the quantum dot backlight.

eddiew · 11 Sep 2017 at 13:56

Pretty happy with my HP Omen 32, bought last week. 32" 16:9 VA, 60-75hz depending on gpu. Gave it a mini write up here: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/31136744/

Down size is the 2560x1440 isn't really the right resolution for movies it's going to be upscaling everything, with various degrees of success. You may want to look for a 1080p screen to match HD content, or maybe 4k.

Borden10 · 11 Sep 2017 at 15:49

The HP Omen 32 is IPS which does not have good contrast/blacks
is there a shortage of VA models in the 32-35 inch range? i've only seen one or two samsung ones that are possibly worthwhile! Thanks

aatu · 11 Sep 2017 at 16:36

Here are few other options:

BenQ EX3200R (144Hz, VA, FreeSync, curved)
Acer XZ321Q (144Hz, VA, FreeSync, curved) -- my own review here
Acer Z321Q (same as above but with G-Sync and a ~£250 price premium... :rolleyes:

)
Samsung S32F351 (60Hz, VA)
Samsung C32F391 (60Hz, VA, curved)
Samsung U32H850 (60Hz, VA, FreeSync, 4k)

Like eddiew said, you should either go for 1080p or 4k. The 1440p will bring unnecessary scaling issues. The C34F791 mentioned earlier would otherwise be a good option.

Personally, I like the Acer XZ321Q. But if I were a movie-nut, then the Samsung U32H850 would probably be my first choice, as it should scale perfectly for 1080p movies, but still maintain future-proofing for 4k material. Then again, if you also intend to play games with the monitor, then the Acer's 144Hz might be more worthwhile.

Ps. With regards to the HP Omen 32:
Not sure if another variation exists, but the default is VA, I think? Anyway, it's 1440p, so might bring extra trouble for movies.

Borden10 · 11 Sep 2017 at 17:10

aatu said:
Here are few other options:

BenQ EX3200R (144Hz, VA, FreeSync, curved)
Acer XZ321Q (144Hz, VA, FreeSync, curved) -- my own review here
Acer Z321Q (same as above but with G-Sync and a ~£250 price premium... )
Samsung S32F351 (60Hz, VA)
Samsung C32F391 (60Hz, VA, curved)
Samsung U32H850 (60Hz, VA, FreeSync, 4k)

Like eddiew said, you should either go for 1080p or 4k. The 1440p will bring unnecessary scaling issues. The C34F791 mentioned earlier would otherwise be a good option.

Personally, I like the Acer XZ321Q. But if I were a movie-nut, then the Samsung U32H850 would probably be my first choice, as it should scale perfectly for 1080p movies, but still maintain future-proofing for 4k material. Then again, if you also intend to play games with the monitor, then the Acer's 144Hz might be more worthwhile.

Ps. With regards to the HP Omen 32:
Not sure if another variation exists, but the default is VA, I think? Anyway, it's 1440p, so might bring extra trouble for movies.

Thank you, i will take a look into all of these and let you know if i have any questions!

eddiew · 11 Sep 2017 at 18:47

Borden10 said:
The HP Omen 32 is IPS which does not have good contrast/blacks
is there a shortage of VA models in the 32-35 inch range? i've only seen one or two samsung ones that are possibly worthwhile! Thanks

Nope, it's a VA screen, as is basically everything 32", 60-75hz and QHD

Borden10 · 12 Sep 2017 at 00:10

eddiew said:
Nope, it's a VA screen, as is basically everything 32", 60-75hz and QHD

I found this model, is this what you're referring to? same as envy 32? a bit confused regarding these envy monitors
link removed

not sure if this is VA or not

Borden10 · 12 Sep 2017 at 00:19

aatu said:
Here are few other options:

BenQ EX3200R (144Hz, VA, FreeSync, curved)
Acer XZ321Q (144Hz, VA, FreeSync, curved) -- my own review here
Acer Z321Q (same as above but with G-Sync and a ~£250 price premium... )
Samsung S32F351 (60Hz, VA)
Samsung C32F391 (60Hz, VA, curved)
Samsung U32H850 (60Hz, VA, FreeSync, 4k)

Like eddiew said, you should either go for 1080p or 4k. The 1440p will bring unnecessary scaling issues. The C34F791 mentioned earlier would otherwise be a good option.

Personally, I like the Acer XZ321Q. But if I were a movie-nut, then the Samsung U32H850 would probably be my first choice, as it should scale perfectly for 1080p movies, but still maintain future-proofing for 4k material. Then again, if you also intend to play games with the monitor, then the Acer's 144Hz might be more worthwhile.

Ps. With regards to the HP Omen 32:
Not sure if another variation exists, but the default is VA, I think? Anyway, it's 1440p, so might bring extra trouble for movies.

Thank you for the list. I took a look at all of them and decided that the ones that i'm interested in are the
Samsung U32H850
Envy 34 [1440p so you've said it will affect movie scaling, not entirely sure what this is but it's a negative so yes]
The Envy is about £250-£300 more expensive, can anyone explain why? They're both 4k and only a 2 inch difference in size. I would have preferred if the samsung was curved but i guess it can't be helped.
I will try find a monitor that is like the envy but without 1440p. Will also look into how 1440p affects movies, if you have any links that explain to someone who doesn't understand these terms, much appreciated!
Edit: the envy34C is the same as envy34 except this model is VA and 60hz? which is what i need. However it does not ship to the UK unfortunately.

Also should i be going for 3440 or 3880 monitors?

eddiew · 12 Sep 2017 at 11:38

N

Borden10 said:
I found this model, is this what you're referring to? same as envy 32? a bit confused regarding these envy monitors
https://www.amazon.de/HP-Envy-W3T65AA-36cm-Monitor/dp/B06WV79N4K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505171350&sr=8-1&keywords=envy+monitor&th=1

not sure if this is VA or not

No, I'm talking about the Omen 32. It's similar to the Envy, but lacks the bulky speakers and goes up to 75hz with an AMD gpu. As far as I know, every single 32" 2560x1440 screen at 60-75hz is VA. There's only 1 panel made to this spec in all those models. I've only seen IPS options in 30" 2560x1600, or 32" 4k, or 32" curved and 144hz.

Regarding the scaling; if a monitor is 1440 pixels high and you give it an HD video which is 1080, then the monitor has to stretch and interpolate the image, such that one source pixel covers about 1.25 screen pixels. Which doesn't work out well. For the most part, you want to be looking at a native 1080p, or 4k screen if your goal is media consumption

Also, you'll probably want to remove the competitor link before a mod spots it...

HeX · 12 Sep 2017 at 12:45

If you're wanting a screen that size mainly for watching movies and a bit of gaming, why not just get a good 32"+ 1080P TV and use that? You know you're going to get great movie playback, and a big gaming screen.

You can pick up Samsung UE32M5500 for example at around £300. These TV's use VA panels just like the monitors, and nowadays have none of the horrible input lag of old.

Here's a review snippet from a last years model:

"People thinking the UE32K5600 could make an excellent gaming monitor will be chuffed to hear that I measured the TV’s input lag – the time it takes to render image data received at its inputs – at just 10ms. This is pretty much as good as it gets in the TV world, putting this TV in the same ballpark as professional gaming monitors." - TR

Borden10 · 12 Sep 2017 at 16:06

HeX said:
If you're wanting a screen that size mainly for watching movies and a bit of gaming, why not just get a good 32"+ 1080P TV and use that? You know you're going to get great movie playback, and a big gaming screen.

You can pick up Samsung UE32M5500 for example at around £300. These TV's use VA panels just like the monitors, and nowadays have none of the horrible input lag of old.

Here's a review snippet from a last years model:

I'm looking for something better than 1080p and since 1440p is not good for movies, i was thinking about going for 4k.

eddiew said:
N

No, I'm talking about the Omen 32. It's similar to the Envy, but lacks the bulky speakers and goes up to 75hz with an AMD gpu. As far as I know, every single 32" 2560x1440 screen at 60-75hz is VA. There's only 1 panel made to this spec in all those models. I've only seen IPS options in 30" 2560x1600, or 32" 4k, or 32" curved and 144hz.

Regarding the scaling; if a monitor is 1440 pixels high and you give it an HD video which is 1080, then the monitor has to stretch and interpolate the image, such that one source pixel covers about 1.25 screen pixels. Which doesn't work out well. For the most part, you want to be looking at a native 1080p, or 4k screen if your goal is media consumption

Also, you'll probably want to remove the competitor link before a mod spots it...

Thank you for explaining 1440p, however wouldn't the same occur for 4k? or does that work differently?
Most of the discussions i've seen between 1440p and 4k is about gaming and other stuff. I don't game anymore, besides casual 20 minutes a week so i'm guessing for movies and browsing, 4k > 1440p right?

aatu · 12 Sep 2017 at 16:48

With regards to 1920x1080 vs. 2560x1440 vs. 3840x2160 (=4k) :

Upscaling with 4k would be:
3840/1920 = 2
2160/1080 = 2

Whereas with 2560x1440, it would be:
2560/1920 = 1.333...
1440/1080 = 1.333...

So with 4k, the upscaling can operate in integers. This prevents blurry interpolated pixels. Or actually, with 4k you can naturally still interpolate, but it will maintain the original pixels, too. Whereas with interpolated 1440p, none of the pixels would have the original pixel data. Unless using 1:1 scaling, and compromising on getting black borders.

Note: all of this is only an issue for movies and videos at 1080p and 4k. With games (on PC), you can output at the monitor's native resolution, in each case. Assuming the game supports the resolution, itself.

As for general browsing, 4k might require some zooming or eye-squinting, depending on your own eye-sight, naturally.

Borden10 · 12 Sep 2017 at 17:20

aatu said:
With regards to 1920x1080 vs. 2560x1440 vs. 3840x2160 (=4k) :

Upscaling with 4k would be:
3840/1920 = 2
2160/1080 = 2

Whereas with 2560x1440, it would be:
2560/1920 = 1.333...
1440/1080 = 1.333...

So with 4k, the upscaling can operate in integers. This prevents blurry interpolated pixels. Or actually, with 4k you can naturally still interpolate, but it will maintain the original pixels, too. Whereas with interpolated 1440p, none of the pixels would have the original pixel data. Unless using 1:1 scaling, and compromising on getting black borders.

Note: all of this is only an issue for movies and videos at 1080p and 4k. With games (on PC), you can output at the monitor's native resolution, in each case. Assuming the game supports the resolution, itself.

As for general browsing, 4k might require some zooming or eye-squinting, depending on your own eye-sight, naturally.

I've been searching a lot and i still can't find a good VA 4K 32-35 inch curved monitor

Borden10 · 12 Sep 2017 at 17:40

What do you guys think of this philips model?
Philips BDM4037UW/00
it's 40 inches 4k for a decent price

aatu · 12 Sep 2017 at 18:09

I can't tell about that particular model, but I had a 42" Philips HDTV (42PFL6907T), original price 1200€ (800€ on sale), and I can tell you that it was the worst purchase of my life, so far. Their product and customer support is simply put disappointing. Each firmware "upgrade" only brought more problems, and hardly ever fixing anything. The last firmware they released left their 2012 mid- and upper-range models in a state in which they restart approximately once a day. And they never bothered to fix it. Apparently they thought the customers would just purchase a new unit from them. Well, naturally they will go to the competitors... I went for the Acer XZ321Q. Worse still, when reading through their support forums, it seems the latter years' models' owners are facing the same crappy customer support.

Summary:
Don't purchase anything from Philips. After they've got your money, they don't care what happens.