Monitors

Please note: this page is in progress

Unlike my personal website where I publish pages that are really in progress — with TODOs floating around, fragmentary thoughts, and much unpolish — any given in progress page on this ministry website is really only in progress insofar as I have not finished writing all the content that I expect to be eventually located on the page. That is to say, everything that is published on the page is already complete, edited, and checked-over for accuracy and correctness, but there is still more planned writing on the page to be completed.

I'm an outliner when I write, so how this plays out in practice is that I will fill in the outline skeleton (as displayed in the table of contents) with content over time, until the whole page is eventually complete.

Essential Features

  • OLED
  • 4k resolution
  • At least a 60 Hz refresh rate
  • Capable of of 4:4:4 chroma
  • 40+ inches
  • Ability to sleep without messing with windows
  • Low input lag

Preferable Features

  • Curved (to better fill field of vision at close distances)
  • Smart TV functionality/has remote
  • Modes dependent upon activity (e.g., TV, gaming, etc.). Be able to customize modes.

4k vs Multiple HD Monitors

  • Having one large 4k monitor lets you use the monitor as a TV
  • It also avoids unecessary bezels in normal computing tasks
  • Assuming you have a good tiling window manager, the ease of laying out windows should not be significantly different between the two configurations

Size and Resolution

  • Increased screen size without matching increases in resolution has diminishing returns. While a bigger screen will make reading easier, it also means more required travel for your eyes: your eyes have to move a greater distance to read an equivalent amount of text.

    • For this reason it is probably best to keep 1080p monitors at or under ~27”
  • The increased readability enables you to put two windows side by side, which can increase work efficiency significantly.

Computer Desktop

  • Black saves power with OLED displays: only turn on pixels that are actually being used
  • Greatest distinguishability between black background and lighter color foreground windows. (foreground windows will be lighter because light backgrounds make text more legible)
  • Worth tradeoff of having picture to remind you of something (e.g., wife, quote, etc.)?

My Pick