Tv vs Large monitor

User Support Hub Hardware & Peripherals
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Hey guys,

I’m in the market for a new monitor and I really don’t want to go for an ultrawide screen, they just don’t do it for me, I want to stick to 16:9 4k res. But my question is

What is the difference to a 39" computer monitor vs 43" 4k TV

The price tag of a large computer monitor is much greater than a TV, so want to know what I’m paying for.

Here’s 2 examples of what I’m weighing up getting

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/p/tcl-43-p745-4k-ultra-hd-google-tv-2023/N218511.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwr6wBhBcEiwAfMEQs-GEUZgBe9YSbrGXF4nQ5WI_uSfaqBoLwbJDwD-xF3NJXflUlvWquxoCDioQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

This is solely for the purpose of flight sim, I have a smaller gaming monitor for other tasks so refresh rates etc, don’t matter.

I want to know if the TV will actually look any different being the same pixels etc

Thanks!

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No difference if similar specs.
A TV only has the added electronics to be able to display the TV signals.

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First monitor is 2k, 165hrz refresh rate

TV is 4K, 60hrz … 4K is going to take your videocard in a back alley and rough it up, 60hrz will be unpleasant

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No real difference, but you need to ensure that the TV has a “game/PC mode” = turning off all artificial image enhancers on selected inputs. I’ve been using a LG C2 42’’ OLED as my main monitor for the last year and I’m very happy with it. 8-10 hours of daily work (programmer, home office) + some gaming in the evening if I have the time.
Previously I had a reasonably good quality IPS 43’’ as my main screen and it doesn’t compare.

Colors on the OLED are amazing (I’m using 38% brigness to not burn my eyes out). Black is real black. 120Hz with G-Sync and the lowest response time you can have (OLED, well below 1ms).
Plus I can watch some Netflix or whatever, with great quality, in the evening in my office if I want to without having to turn on my monster PC.

No issues with the dreaded OLED burn in yet. But 1. I don’t run it very bright (no need because it’s close), 2. I turn it off when I leave my desk, 3. I regularly do the OLED “cleaning” procedure.

Last I checked comparable PC monitors are actually quite (50%+) more expensive. Probably because they’re much less popular.

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Needs 2.1, VRR, 120HZ+. OLED’s a safe bet, on a budget and if you shop carefully Hissense has some very fast LED TV’s(make sure it has the specs), but the viewing angles will be horrid, perfectly fine if the TV is ‘just for you’ front and center.

Any of the quality ‘QLED’ or whatever nonsense costs the same(or more) as OLED. A Hisense fast/gaming TV model is about half the price of the OLED.

So if you want the 4090 and the wife’s already complaining, get the Hisense, the overall visually quality of MSFS is not ground-breaking as far as games go. The higher spec/refresh just unleashes the GPU, do not waste your time with a 60hz TV. If anyone else is going to watch the TV as a TV, you can not go wrong with OLED, it can always find a place in a bedroom later.

If you can pull your desk RIGHT up to the TV(I have mine articulated to meet the desk or driving rig or just be pushed back to the wall), the 48" OLED is not to bitter a pill to swallow. Around 48-55" gives you the ‘life size’ experience for cockpits(if it’s close). 65 is too big. 55" to the back of the V1 Yoke(or Fanatec Clubsport).

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Note for a dedicated TV monitor that’s not on the desk itself, height is a bit different than what a traditional couch mount would be. I had to mount this slightly lower for the racing rig, just got an adjustable desk/legs from Ikea as standard desks are about 2" too tall for both. I can put everything away in trunks to a regular ol’ basement TV in 5 minutes.

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(I accidentally put it back 2" too high in this pics and pre TB pedals-hadn’t put the butt-kicker back on the chair yet either). The new PC will either go under the shelf or be behind the wall.

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Funny that you asked that question (funny for me at least). I have always been looking at ways to improve my MSFS experience, better gaming computer, super widescreen curved monitor, etc. Probably pre-covid, I tried using my large screen TV with a “ho-hum” result. Well naturally TV’s are getting better and being asked to do more so I had purchased a 65" LG TV loaded with way more that I realized. A few months ago I had an “epiphany” moment regarding what that TV could do. I pulled my gaming computer from the Den and hooked it up to the family room TV. BLEW ME AWAY. The TV had a NVIDIA card and was perfect for MSFS! Sitting up somewhat close to a 65" monitor made the whole experience so much better. Landing “depth perception”, in particular, was much closer to reality (I have a private pilot license so this was always a big gripe of mine). Well now it’s time for a new gaming computer (and excuse, right?) and a mobile FS platform (need it out of the way for movies, etc.). I also decide to go crazy and get some RealSimGear G1000 hardware and a “chart” monitor to the side. I’ve attached 2 pics, one with everything off to the side for regular TV viewing, and the other set up and running for the FS experience. This is all on a mobile workbench that rolls & adjusts up and down. I use the Honeycomb Alpha and Bravo equipment designed with a quick-release setup for swap-out with the Thrustmaster gear on the left. It takes less than 3 minutes to transition from either setup.

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I’m currently satisfied with my 65" LG TV, which offers 4K resolution. However, I’m considering upgrading to a cheaper 8K TV later this year, along with replacing my PC.

Once the RTX 5090 becomes available, I’ll be “future-proofed” with an 8K TV that offers almost a 1:1 viewing ratio, particularly beneficial for cockpit experiences. Since I struggle with VR, this setup would be the next best option for me. The text on the PFD/MFD of my current 4K TV is a little too blurry for my aging eyes, so transitioning to an 8K TV should resolve this issue by providing higher pixel density.

After the upgrade, my current TV will find its place in the living room, where I’ll be watching Top Gun Maverick!

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Amazing thanks for all the useful replies guys! TV is the go then!

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Please let us know which TV (make & model) you decided on! :slightly_smiling_face:

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That can’t be good for your eyes sitting that close…

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I was told that growing up so many times! :laughing:

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On topic, I have been using a 65” Samsung Q70T QLED TV. Absolutely love it.

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As a VR player, this is true. It’s painfully true…

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One thing to keep in mind is that the cheapest TV’s will not have the gaming features you need like freesync so you’ll probably want to go upmarket a little with a Qled/Oled TV. I made this mistake and ended up buying another TV after about 12 months.

Key features to consider:

  • At least 120Hz-144Hz refresh rate
  • HDR10+ minimum
  • HDMI 2.1 and/or Display Port v1.4
  • Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
  • Freesync
  • Auto Game Mode (ALLM) with low inut lag

I currently have a 55" Qled TV with the features above and it’s a game changer. Don’t worry about sitting too close as it’s a non-issue. If you feel like it’s too much in front of you an eye/head tracker type product will solve that problem quickly.

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75" QLED main and 40" secondary, both Hisense. They are both only 60Hz as they are 5+ years old but they look magnificent, have game mode on the main and it performs smoothly even at just 60 FPS.

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My Optometrist didn’t have any issues with me sitting 24" away from the TV. He made me specific glasses that helps me to see at that distance from the monitor/TV. He even used special coatings on the lenses to help with glare. He was very interested in “simming” once I showed him my setup.

I started sitting this close to monitors when I was on iRacing where FOV is very important. The closer you sit, the higher the FOV will be. And, in racing cars FOV is ultra critical.

I do wear blue-light cancelling glasses if I am flying after 6:00pm to help with blue-light sleep issues. If you aren’t doing this then start. It may help you to sleep better at night.

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If it’s ONLY for flight sim and you 100% are not going to consider ultrawide or multi monitor setup at any stage, get whichever is cheaper.

Difference between 39" and 43" isn’t going to be earth shattering in terms of size.

For flight sim specifically, you probably don’t need (or might not actually be able) to reach above 60fps.

I recently switched from a large 55" OLED TV to 3 x 4K monitors…only because I was having so many issues getting head/eye tracking stuff to work reliably, and I like having a nice wide view out of the cockpit so I can see all the wonderful scenery and spot upcoming airports etc.

With the TV, even at 4K, I definitely felt like there were times I wanted to “look around” more…because the 16:9 ratio just wasn’t enough for me…

When the tobii eye tracker was working, this was fine…exept tobii eye tracker software seemed to cause no end of issues OUTSIDE of flight sim…I’d be playing other games and get tabbed back to the windows desktop randomly…took me a long time to narrow down the culprit…it was definitely the tobii software…even though focus logging software would just show it as “explorer.exe” that was “stealing focus”…because when I uninstall all traces of tobii, the problem goes away…install it again and it comes right back.

I’m much happier with the new triple 4k setup for flight sim, and actually play most games on this triple setup now. For flight sim I have it setup as 3 separate displays and use the experimental settings in the sim to set up the 3 views. For all other games I use nvidia surround…and even though there’s some stretching/distortion at the sides…it allows me to have a much narrower FOV (so it’s more zoomed in for fps games for example) but without actually losing any peripheral view, because that’s displayed on the 2 side monitors…over all, I find it just a really cool way to play games.

They are 144hz max monitors, but I actually have them set at 90Hz…most games can hit 90fps with my system, but above that is a struggle anyway…and it also means I can set flight sim in game vsync to 33% and it gives me a pretty solid 30fps throughout…which sounds low…but for flight sim it’s actually more than enough and feels very solid and smooth.

But yeah…basically…if you’re not using eye tracking, and 100% are not ever going to expand your setup with other monitors…there’s no harm in getting the TV if it’s better value…as even 30fps is totally fine for flight sim…and it’s not the type of game where you really need the lowest possible input latency either. As long as you’re happy with 16:9, TV is totlaly fine.

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One thing to bare in mind is that PC monitors typically have a higher pixel density than a TV screen of similar resolution. Pixel density and resolution are not the same thing. PC monitors also tend to display a better range of colours, though modern TV’s are far better these days. Particularly expensive ones.

If all you’re using the screen for is flight simming then a TV is the probably the way to go. Certainly if you want to go large.

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If it’s budget, the U7 series form Hisense are always about 1/2 the price of a 55" LG OLED(standard C version). Now 2023+ they’re QLED, 144hz 2.1 freesync, VRR capable, HDR full low lag game mode etc. If you have XBSX every green check mark will be available.

Other than that go OLED. Brand name QLED TV’s are the same price as OLED(sometimes more) for some unknown reason, hand over fist profit?

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Excellent point! When I had my eye check up last year I mentioned to my Optometrist that I sit in front of my monitor quite a bit so he asked how far away and then wrote me a perscription for bifocals. The upper part focuses perfectly on my 55" Qled TV about 3ft in front of me and the lower half of the glasses focuses on my desktop where I read and use the keyboard. I only use these glasses when I’m sitting at my desk and they work perfectly for what I need.

It really was no big deal for the Optometrist to write this prescription for eye glasses and I’ve been happy ever since! :nerd_face:

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TVs are cheaper because they are “smart” and it’s assumed they will be advertising to you. So, that ad revenue offsets the low profit margin.