How do you find curved monitors?

[DTJ]

I'm looking at a new PC in a few months.

I'm thinking about a 31" curved monitor.

Does the slight curve cause any problems when using CAD. I imagine schematics will be fine but I wondered if board layouts look ok or if they cause any issues for you?

[CJay]

I've been told by the CAD guys at work who have them that they help reduce eyestrain because the eye doesn't have to keep changing focus as you look from one part of the screen to another.

YMMV of course, it may be a personal taste and as they're Autocad 3D users not PCB designers it may be completely irrelevant

[DTJ]

I do a reasonable amount of 3D CAD as well.

I guess if they are using them then they can't be too bad. Looking at board layouts probably isn't a lot different to mech CAD.

 

[Domagoj T]

I've been told by the CAD guys at work who have them that they help reduce eyestrain because the eye doesn't have to keep changing focus as you look from one part of the screen to another.

That doesn't sound convincing. In everyday life we change focus all the time with no strain to the eyes. Millions of years of evolution took care of that. Thinking about it, having your eyes continually focused at the same spot/depth sounds like it might be more taxing, just like I find standing still in one place for long periods to be more taxing than walking for the same period.
Furthermore, in machine shops, it's mandatory to have uneven, soft padding on the floor in front of the machines you stand by, exactly because it's better to have your muscles move and work than to have them fixed in the same position.

[newbrain]

I have a 34", 21:9, curved display provided by my workplace , and a flat, 16:9, 27" one for personal stuff.

I find no real difference in use, after a very brief adaptation period with the curved one.
With respect to overcoming the feeling of looking into a concave screen when I switched from CRT to LCD, I found it a very insignificant change.

Consider a couple of things:

• The curve radius of my display is 190cm, while my normal use distance is 60-80cm, so its effect are limited.
• A quite minor advantage with the curved one, at least for me, is not the decreased need for refocusing (I agree with Domagoj T) but a less distorted  geometry when looking at documents on the far edges.

On a 31" I think the curve is a bit pointless even for a wide display, if it's 16:9 even less so; not something I would actively seek when choosing a display, but not a reason to discard it if it fits all the other requirements (for my personal display they were good colour accuracy without an Eizo price tag).

[tszaboo]

I have a 35" Ultrawide at home. It's fine. You don't notice it when sitting in front of the monitor. It's not optimal if you want to show something to someone though.

[CJay]

I've been told by the CAD guys at work who have them that they help reduce eyestrain because the eye doesn't have to keep changing focus as you look from one part of the screen to another.

That doesn't sound convincing. In everyday life we change focus all the time with no strain to the eyes. Millions of years of evolution took care of that. Thinking about it, having your eyes continually focused at the same spot/depth sounds like it might be more taxing, just like I find standing still in one place for long periods to be more taxing than walking for the same period.
Furthermore, in machine shops, it's mandatory to have uneven, soft padding on the floor in front of the machines you stand by, exactly because it's better to have your muscles move and work than to have them fixed in the same position.

I'm just repeating what the CAD professionals at work tell me, they seem convinced.

[towe96]

I went from a 27" flat panel to a 27" curved (1800R) and now a 31.5" curved (1800R) panel - I could never go back.
Straight screens just feel wrong at sizes above around 24-27", since the content on the edges is at such a different angle than the content in the middle.

There's no good reason for screens to be flat, unless you want to mount beside each other to a wall.

[Berni]

The curve is not there to fix eye focusing, it is to fix perspective problems.

I still use dual monitors myself, but they are always angled in towards me a bit, never flat and parallel. Once a display becomes big the edges of it start getting so far that perspective distortion might squash down the image to the point of small text being hard to read. If you curve the display around you then this does not happen. Be it as multiple display arranged around you, or one massive curved display.

The main benefit of a single large curved display is that you have the option of maximizing a window across all of it, doing that on a multi monitor setup is still possible but not quite so practical. Also works well for gaming.

[ejeffrey]

I've been told by the CAD guys at work who have them that they help reduce eyestrain because the eye doesn't have to keep changing focus as you look from one part of the screen to another.

That doesn't sound convincing. In everyday life we change focus all the time with no strain to the eyes. Millions of years of evolution took care of that. Thinking about it, having your eyes continually focused at the same spot/depth sounds like it might be more taxing, just like I find standing still in one place for long periods to be more taxing than walking for the same period.
Furthermore, in machine shops, it's mandatory to have uneven, soft padding on the floor in front of the machines you stand by, exactly because it's better to have your muscles move and work than to have them fixed in the same position.

The explanation may not be correct but it still seems that sentiment is still valid: at least these CAD users find the monitors preferable to flat monitors.

I have never used a curved monitor but if I put my two 24" screens collinear it is bad, I always tilt them in a bit.  So I think a curved ultra-wide-screen would be similar.

[Domagoj T]

Oh I agree that large curve monitors are better than same size flat and I angle my multiple monitors as well.
But not for the reason stated. 

[bookaboo]

I've a C49HG90DMU  for PCB layout, it's curve seemed totally natural from day 1.

[nfmax]

That doesn't sound convincing. In everyday life we change focus all the time with no strain to the eyes.

Just wait a few years, until you get older...

[GlennSprigg]

Sorry... I know this is un-related...
But when you started with...  "How do you find...", is reminded me...
Years ago, a Reporter was interviewing an American Sniper in the field in Afghanistan.
He asked... "What do you feel, when you pull the trigger!"
(Meaning, how do you feel about killing someone...)
The Sniper said...
"A slight recoil!"
 

[Rick Law]

I've been told by the CAD guys at work who have them that they help reduce eyestrain because the eye doesn't have to keep changing focus as you look from one part of the screen to another.

YMMV of course, it may be a personal taste and as they're Autocad 3D users not PCB designers it may be completely irrelevant

If your eyes actually have to keep changing focus, it could be good for you.

The first time I fitted eye glasses, I was told by the optician: One problem many people have is not giving their eye's focusing muscle enough use.  Consequently, they develop near or far sight sooner and need reading glasses sooner.  You should make your eyes look at something else frequently so your focusing muscle get some exercise.

For me, it is water under the bridge.  In my opinion, if you don't need reading glasses yet, forcing your eyes to do some exercise is a good thing...

[alanambrose]

A related question:

- which graphics card are you choosing for those super-wide screens?

TIA, Alan

[alanambrose]

Also are you using some kind of window manager?

.... I've been using two old 30 inch apple screens side-by-side for a while now, but I realise their time is limited.

Alan

[coppice]

I've been told by the CAD guys at work who have them that they help reduce eyestrain because the eye doesn't have to keep changing focus as you look from one part of the screen to another.

That doesn't sound convincing. In everyday life we change focus all the time with no strain to the eyes. Millions of years of evolution took care of that. Thinking about it, having your eyes continually focused at the same spot/depth sounds like it might be more taxing, just like I find standing still in one place for long periods to be more taxing than walking for the same period.
Furthermore, in machine shops, it's mandatory to have uneven, soft padding on the floor in front of the machines you stand by, exactly because it's better to have your muscles move and work than to have them fixed in the same position.

If you are in your 40s or older, and its time for reading glasses, avoiding the need to refocus on different parts of the screen is an ENORMOUS benefit. The wider the screen gets the bigger the benefit. For those who haven't reached the reading glasses phase of life, you basically have a fixed focus point with them on. Refocussing to the edges of the screen means moving your head closer.

[CJay]

A related question:

- which graphics card are you choosing for those super-wide screens?

TIA, Alan

The two HP Z workstations I've just had returned to be scrapped have NVidia P4000 cards, not sure what the newer ones use, I can check the current spec on Monday if that's useful?

[VK3DRB]

I've been told by the CAD guys at work who have them that they help reduce eyestrain because the eye doesn't have to keep changing focus as you look from one part of the screen to another.

That doesn't sound convincing. In everyday life we change focus all the time with no strain to the eyes. Millions of years of evolution took care of that...

Nope, not when you have presbyopia. My guess is you are younger than 45 years old.

As for the flat versus straight, I went for a flat 32-inch ultra-wide 4K because a friend who did a lot of PCB layouts professionally bought top-of-the-line curved screens but hated them, so he went back to flat screens as flat was more intuitive. I also do a lot of PCB design work too and I did not want to take the risk. My ultra-wide also splits into two smaller screens for document comparing etc. I also use a classic 16:9 24-inch screen next to the ultra-wide. All electronics engineers needs two screens - minimum, IMO.

Too big a screen can create neck strain. For example, some gamers with a big screen can get sore necks after a while because they are looking all over the place. I know one gamer who returned his new 27 inch monitor because it was too big considering the distance he was sitting at it from. In the old days of TV sets, a rule-of-thumb was the diagonal measurement should be 1/5 the distance the viewer would seated from. That is, too large or too smaller a screen can both be bad. Also looking down a little can reduce strain.

[DTJ]

A related question:

- which graphics card are you choosing for those super-wide screens?

+ windows manager question

TIA, Alan

I have no idea. I'm using an all in one PC at the moment and in a month or so will get a new desktop + monitor.

I (perhaps naively) was planning on using whatever graphics card was in the box.

As for window managers - I've never used one.


I don't game or do anything fancy other than normal office work, browsing plug PCB & mechanical cad work.
Have you got any tips or advice for me on these things?

[coppice]

As for the flat versus straight, I went for a flat 32-inch ultra-wide 4K because a friend who did a lot of PCB layouts professionally bought top-of-the-line curved screens but hated them, so he went back to flat screens as flat was more intuitive. I also do a lot of PCB design work too and I did not want to take the risk. My ultra-wide also splits into two smaller screens for document comparing etc. I also use a classic 16:9 24-inch screen next to the ultra-wide. All electronics engineers needs two screens - minimum, IMO.

Too big a screen can create neck strain. For example, some gamers with a big screen can get sore necks after a while because they are looking all over the place. I know one gamer who returned his new 27 inch monitor because it was too big considering the distance he was sitting at it from. In the old days of TV sets, a rule-of-thumb was the diagonal measurement should be 1/5 the distance the viewer would seated from. That is, too large or too smaller a screen can both be bad. Also looking down a little can reduce strain.

Screen height is the real killer for neck muscles. Swinging your head from side to side continuously isn't too straining. Make the screen high enough that you need to tilt your head up and down a lot, and your neck aches very quickly.

[coppercone2]

i used to read on my 24 inch dell monitor that tilted sideways (~15 years ago) just fine, I preferred the horizontal orientation for books. I actually used that feature, now it looks like they got rid of it.

[tom66]

Some thoughts:-

Glare tends to be a little worse with them because they act a bit like a parabola (depends upon room lighting of course)

It's very hard to find cheaper 4K ones - I got two 28", 4K monitors for under £400 but it would cost double as much to get equivalent curved ones.

I'd imagine that it's damn near impossible to repair them without destroying the screen.  It is in principle possible to replace the LED backlight in my 4K monitors if it fails, although difficult,  but in a curved monitor, the panel is under some kind of tension or the glass would be extremely fragile.  I'd be interested to see if anyone has worked on these to see what their thoughts are.

[tggzzz]

Flat screens have a major advantage over curved screens in normal homes and offices.

Unless the rest of the room is blacked out, you will get reflections of the room on the screen. With a flat screen you can tilt/move the screen so the reflection moves off the screen. With a curved screen, tilting/moving the screen merely moves the reflection to a different part of the screen.

Don't trust me. Go to a TV showroom, turn off a curved screen, sit in a relevant position, and look for one main reflection. Tilt/move the screen so that that reflection is no longer visible are no (if you can!).