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Curved TVs

drillbitdrillbit Posts: 1,687
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in TV and Home Entertainment Technology #1
Is it worth paying that bit extra for a curved TV?

Will i get an optimum clarity of picture no matter where i'm positioned?

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    tim1964tim1964 Posts: 829
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    #2
    No and No,

    It is/was a fad, just like 3D that was to be the next "must have" thing that has fizzled out.
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    barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    #3
    Not unless you can get one of the many unsold ones at a huge discount. Even then I'm not sure I'd have one.
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    Chris FrostChris Frost Posts: 11,022
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    #4
    drillbit wrote: »
    Is it worth paying that bit extra for a curved TV?

    Will i get an optimum clarity of picture no matter where i'm positioned?
    As others have said, it's a gimmick. The claims that the picture is more immersive don't hold water. The viewing angle is worse than a flat screen when viewed from the side. The screen curve introduces a geometric distortion to the image. The only advantage is the curve does help minimise certain reflections compared to a flat screen.

    If you want better picture quality (and this goes for any TV) then buy a set-up disc on Blu-ray and follow the tutorials about adjusting the picture controls. For £40 this will give you the same sort of performance increase as spending an extra £100+ going up from a midrange TV to a higher spec'd model.
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    joshua321joshua321 Posts: 2,143
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    #5
    ...are horrible and distort the picture appallingly unless everyone sits huddled up right opposite the middle of the screen. Even worse than 3D, because you can't turn it off.
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    GDKGDK Posts: 9,477
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    #6
    I agree with everything others have posted and would add that they take up more room as well. They have more depth due to the curve and the displays on today's flat screens are no thicker than a pane of glass.
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    skinjskinj Posts: 3,383
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    #7
    Chris Frost wrote: »
    The only advantage is the curve does help minimise certain reflections compared to a flat screen.

    Until you move your head just a fraction and the curvature of the screen makes any reflection move about the screen & makes you feel sick!
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    SmufterSmufter Posts: 1,145
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    #8
    I have a KS7000 and my mate has the curved screen equivalent.
    I much prefer mine.
    And my Missus wouldn't let me buy a curved, even if I wanted one.
    She rules the roost she does.....
    >:(>:(>:(;-)
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    Nigel GoodwinNigel Goodwin Posts: 58,516
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    #9
    Chris Frost wrote: »
    The only advantage is the curve does help minimise certain reflections compared to a flat screen.

    Not at all, reflections are FAR worse on a curved screen, to the extent it could be totally unwatchable.
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    drillbitdrillbit Posts: 1,687
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    #10
    joshua321 wrote: »
    ...are horrible and distort the picture appallingly unless everyone sits huddled up right opposite the middle of the screen. Even worse than 3D, because you can't turn it off.

    really :confused:

    but i thought that was the whole idea of the curve so everyone gets a perfect picture no matter the viewing angle
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    StigStig Posts: 12,446
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    #11
    drillbit wrote: »
    really :confused:

    but i thought that was the whole idea of the curve so everyone gets a perfect picture no matter the viewing angle
    You only have to think about it to realize that apart from someone sitting at the focal point of the curve, everyone else will get a distorted view with a wide variety of viewing angles.
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    tealadytealady Posts: 26,266
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    #12
    drillbit wrote: »
    really :confused:

    but i thought that was the whole idea of the curve so everyone gets a perfect picture no matter the viewing angle
    No the point is so that the sun's rays are reflected to concentrate on a small area so your house catches fire ! (Well a good CT anyhow).
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    skinjskinj Posts: 3,383
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    #13
    Stig wrote: »
    You only have to think about it to realize that apart from someone sitting at the focal point of the curve, everyone else will get a distorted view with a wide variety of viewing angles.

    I've a problem at a customers where the focal point of the screen just so happens to reflect sound from the kitchen directly back at someone watching the TV. It means that every small noise in the kitchen seems amplified by the TV and makes watching the set awful. Thankfully didn't buy from us so we're in the clear!
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    barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    #14
    drillbit wrote: »
    really :confused:

    but i thought that was the whole idea of the curve so everyone gets a perfect picture no matter the viewing angle
    The thinking behind it is so flawed that you have to wonder how the company execs fell for it and who was the marketing genius who managed to sell the idea to gullible reviewers and the general public.
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    njpnjp Posts: 27,583
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    #15
    skinj wrote: »
    I've a problem at a customers where the focal point of the screen just so happens to reflect sound from the kitchen directly back at someone watching the TV. It means that every small noise in the kitchen seems amplified by the TV and makes watching the set awful. Thankfully didn't buy from us so we're in the clear!
    That's a side-effect I bet nobody anticipated...

    Curved screens were originally a marketing gimmick intended to differentiate expensive OLED screens from cheaper LCD screens. The former could easily be made curved, whereas the latter could only be made flat. That differentiator has now been lost, making them even more pointless!
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    StigStig Posts: 12,446
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    #16
    It's crazy, as OLED is a far superior technology. It doesn't need a gimmick.
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    Matt35Matt35 Posts: 30,131
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    #17
    I've got the C6 oled tv. The curve is a complete non issue. I can't even see it from my position. 3D on it though is amazing.
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    joshua321joshua321 Posts: 2,143
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    #18
    drillbit wrote: »
    really :confused:

    but i thought that was the whole idea of the curve so everyone gets a perfect picture no matter the viewing angle

    Maybe if the curve was all around you on a giant cinema projection screen that would work, but not for televisions - they're not exactly holodeck size.
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    njpnjp Posts: 27,583
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    #19
    Matt35 wrote: »
    I've got the C6 oled tv. The curve is a complete non issue. I can't even see it from my position. 3D on it though is amazing.
    So what you are saying is that you like it despite it being curved...

    I think that's the point. Whatever the inherent qualities of a TV, they are not further enhanced by it being curved. And sometimes they will be made worse.

    A curved screen would probably make a good computer monitor though, if immersion is your thing!
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    MustabusterMustabuster Posts: 5,975
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    #20
    Didn't somebody here say that the real reason the TVs were curved was because of manufacturing issues where they couldn't make them flat at an acceptable yield level?
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    njpnjp Posts: 27,583
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    #21
    Mustabuster wrote: »
    Didn't somebody here say that the real reason the TVs were curved was because of manufacturing issues where they couldn't make them flat at an acceptable yield level?
    That isn't a claim that makes any sense. It's more like a conspiracy theory!
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    Nigel GoodwinNigel Goodwin Posts: 58,516
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    #22
    Mustabuster wrote: »
    Didn't somebody here say that the real reason the TVs were curved was because of manufacturing issues where they couldn't make them flat at an acceptable yield level?

    That was me :D

    The rumour in the trade was that LG initially couldn't make OLED screens flat, so had to produce curved ones instead. This prompted the LCD manufacturers to follow suite.
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    Chris FrostChris Frost Posts: 11,022
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    #23
    Nigel Goodwin wrote: »
    Not at all, reflections are FAR worse on a curved screen, to the extent it could be totally unwatchable.
    All modern glossy-screened TVs can be rendered unwatchable due to reflections. That means flat TVs just the same as curved TVs. The point is that on a flat surface a reflection from a point source will appear across the entire plane of the reflecting surface as a direct mirror image. On a curved TV that doesn't happen because the angle of the reflecting surface is always changing due to the radius of the bend. Sometimes it will work in favour of the viewer, and at other times against them.

    The answer in all cases is to reduce the light level falling on objects in the room. That's not always practical of course; a brightly lit TV showroom must be a nightmare.
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