TV/Monitor for meeting room

the_r_sole · 4 Feb 2016 at 11:32

Anyone able to help with a speccing a TV to be used in a new meeting room?
We have space for a 40"
It's going to be hooked up to a laptop/computer via hdmi all of the time and used for showing drawings/3d models

have seen the samsung UE40J5100 for 279 which looks reasonable but happy to take advice if there is any out there that would suit our use better?

cheers

the_r_sole · 4 Feb 2016 at 11:42

or there is a LG 40 in 4k tv which has a much higher resolution panel, worth the extra?

lude1962 · 4 Feb 2016 at 12:25

take laptop to shop for a demo

Caged · 4 Feb 2016 at 23:32

Samsung ME40C

lucid · 5 Feb 2016 at 08:24

What you have to be careful of when using a domestic TV in an office environment is the supported PC resolutions. It's normal for a TV to support the standard resolutions for a BD player or Sky box (1080i/1080p @ 50/59.94/60Hz) but it might not be so happy with 1600x900 @ 60Hz or something higher than 1080p from a top end lap top. It's easy enough to change the laptop's output to suit the TV screen but then the laptops own display with either be muted or look messed up.

By contrast, compare the supported resolutions of a commercial display panel such as the Samsung and you'll find much better support for a broader range of PC resolutions.

The other difference is warranty. Domestic warranties don't apply in commercial applications. Commercial warranties better suit the needs of the business market. It's common to find a far more comprehensive support package for commercial screens that include loan or swap out units in the event that there's an issue.

Summary: Buying a screen for the office has a different set of criteria than for domestic use. It's more than just price and resolution. Consider the range of equipment it is likely to be used with and the duty cycle of the display.

the_r_sole · 5 Feb 2016 at 15:32

lucid said:
What you have to be careful of when using a domestic TV in an office environment is the supported PC resolutions. It's normal for a TV to support the standard resolutions for a BD player or Sky box (1080i/1080p @ 50/59.94/60Hz) but it might not be so happy with 1600x900 @ 60Hz or something higher than 1080p from a top end lap top. It's easy enough to change the laptop's output to suit the TV screen but then the laptops own display with either be muted or look messed up.

By contrast, compare the supported resolutions of a commercial display panel such as the Samsung and you'll find much better support for a broader range of PC resolutions.

The other difference is warranty. Domestic warranties don't apply in commercial applications. Commercial warranties better suit the needs of the business market. It's common to find a far more comprehensive support package for commercial screens that include loan or swap out units in the event that there's an issue.

Summary: Buying a screen for the office has a different set of criteria than for domestic use. It's more than just price and resolution. Consider the range of equipment it is likely to be used with and the duty cycle of the display.

yeah, true enough - the problem is whether it actually gets used at all - the cheapest monitor was almost double the cost so it doesn't seem that the outlay is worth it until we actually use it.
Currently (and for the last 18 years) there is been nothing - occasionally a monitor from someones desk has been moved to the meeting table...
We will be reviewing it again after a year to see how many times it's actually been switched on, at which point it might be worth looking at commercial units

bulletv1 · 5 Feb 2016 at 15:53

The school I work at we have Sahara Clevervision screens and they are designed to keep running. Has some on for about 2 years now and not a dead pixel. Cost about £400. Comes with 3 year commercial warranty.

lucid · 5 Feb 2016 at 18:03

the_r_sole said:
yeah, true enough - the problem is whether it actually gets used at all - the cheapest monitor was almost double the cost so it doesn't seem that the outlay is worth it until we actually use it.
Currently (and for the last 18 years) there is been nothing - occasionally a monitor from someones desk has been moved to the meeting table...
We will be reviewing it again after a year to see how many times it's actually been switched on, at which point it might be worth looking at commercial units

None of that extra info was in your original message so it's all new information. It doesn't really change the technical situation; just the cost/use justification which is really a matter for you and your colleagues. It could just as easily have been for use in a busy meeting room shared by several departments with a mix of tech and non-tech staff so ease of use could have been a very important factor. (Actually, that's the biggest hurdle affecting the perceived value of any meeting room equipment; if people struggle to use it because either it is specified wrongly or they have inadequate training then the user experience will be poor and so the concensus on value for money will reflect quite badly when reviewed.)