MP 7,1 Large Monitor vs Large TV to use with new Mac Pro

[Shadow Puppets]

My new Mac Pro will be arriving in a few days, and it will be situated in a recording studio. Previously we were using an iMac Pro so obviously didn’t have to worry about a screen.

With the new setup, we want to sit approximately 1.4m-1.6m away from the screen, and we also want more real estate that we had with the 27” imac screen.

So we are looking at either a 40”+ size 4k monitor, or a 40”+ size 4k TV.

I am looking for advice from people who have used large monitors / TVs...

1) at my viewing distance of 1.4-1.6m, and at 4k resolution, how big would the TV or monitor need to be to be readable?

2) how do modern 4k TVs perform as monitors? Bear in mind that primary use for this monitor is in a recording studio so colour accuracy isn’t really that important. Crispness and a decent lag time would be the most important factors I think.

3) any specific models people would recommend?

Would love some feedback. Thanks in advance.

 

[velocityg4]

1. 40" should be plenty big. Just think of any 1080p display. If you can read a 15" 1080p laptop. Then text on a 4K display will appear the same size at 30". As the 21.5" iMac scales to 1080p. A 43" 4K screen without scaling will have the same text size.

2. Depends on the TV. However, a TV tends to be a bit bright. Also you need to screw with the settings and disable all the automatic "enhancements". As they look horrible on a computer screen.

 

[lantree]

I used to run with a Samsung 40ku400 4K TV has my main monitor for a while.

I got the idea from this thread on overclockers uk forum a year or so back.
This is the link, it helped me alot back so give it a read if you get time.

Mini-Review: Samsung 40KU6400 as a monitor

This is just a small mini review of the Samsung UE40KU6400 UHD TV used for PC / Console duty. It's not going to be a scientific affair, more my setup and impressions using it as a PC monitor and for my Games consoles. Reason for choosing a 40" UHD TV as a PC Monitor: I recently purchased a...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

The screen was great with it's massive desktop, took a bit of calabrating though to get the colours decent.
One problem that caused me alot of pain was getting text to display pin sharp, could never get it as good has a deadicated monitor.
In the end I had to move back to a 27 inch LG monitor due to headaces I was getting.
I think this was down to being to close to the screen.

 

[Somian]

Malte sure that your tv supports RGB mode or 4:4:4 color sampling. Otherwise you’ll get terrrible font rendering and edges in the macOS GUI.

 

[zedex]

Notwithstanding some of the other helpful comments here - I've already embraced this idea. My primary display is a 65-inch 60Hz TV from Big W (similar to Walmart). See pictures below..

I'm positioned 1.2 - 1.5M from the screen. The main thing to consider/remember when going down this path is that very few (maybe none) consumer grade 4K LCD TVs are fitted with Displayports. I had to order a special cable from UGREEN - Displayport 1.2 to HDMI 2.0b to make sure my 60Hz panel would be supplied with a 60Hz signal.

..and don't buy a 4K TV if you can't verify that it will operate at 60Hz. I'm not super pedantic with monitors - the color reproduction on this model would make the typical creative professional puke - but very few people can abide working on a monitor with a 30Hz refresh rate.

Use the Calibration Assistant on macOS to fix any 'color' complaints.

The best part..? A 65" 4K display made for computer users would probably cost $115,600. My display only cost USD 500

cable with active adapter..

 

[The Other One]

I've been using an LG 43UD79-B for over a year now, and I like it... but it's spoiled me. When I have to travel and deal with smaller displays (or, god forbid, my MBP) my productivity takes a hit. I'm not a fan of multiple displays, and now anything smaller than 43" just feels too small.

I'd tried a 4K 43" TV before this LG, and it was okay (once I got the settings right so text didn't look blurry), but as a dedicated monitor, this has better connectivity.

 

[coachingguy]

I used to run with a Samsung 40ku400 4K TV has my main monitor for a while.

I got the idea from this thread on overclockers uk forum a year or so back.
This is the link, it helped me alot back so give it a read if you get time.

Mini-Review: Samsung 40KU6400 as a monitor

This is just a small mini review of the Samsung UE40KU6400 UHD TV used for PC / Console duty. It's not going to be a scientific affair, more my setup and impressions using it as a PC monitor and for my Games consoles. Reason for choosing a 40" UHD TV as a PC Monitor: I recently purchased a...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

The screen was great with it's massive desktop, took a bit of calabrating though to get the colours decent.
One problem that caused me alot of pain was getting text to display pin sharp, could never get it as good has a deadicated monitor.
In the end I had to move back to a 27 inch LG monitor due to headaces I was getting.
I think this was down to being to close to the screen.

The difficulty in getting text "pin sharp" is why I stopped using a TV as a monitor... I got the colors where I wanted them, but could never get good text... So, went to a 24" dedicated monitor and brought the 30" TV to the cabin.

Coachingguy

 

[TheRealAlex]

There’s

My new Mac Pro will be arriving in a few days, and it will be situated in a recording studio. Previously we were using an iMac Pro so obviously didn’t have to worry about a screen.

With the new setup, we want to sit approximately 1.4m-1.6m away from the screen, and we also want more real estate that we had with the 27” imac screen.

So we are looking at either a 40”+ size 4k monitor, or a 40”+ size 4k TV.

I am looking for advice from people who have used large monitors / TVs...

1) at my viewing distance of 1.4-1.6m, and at 4k resolution, how big would the TV or monitor need to be to be readable?

2) how do modern 4k TVs perform as monitors? Bear in mind that primary use for this monitor is in a recording studio so colour accuracy isn’t really that important. Crispness and a decent lag time would be the most important factors I think.

3) any specific models people would recommend?

Would love some feedback. Thanks in advance.

There is only one TV qualified for Mac Pro level use. The LG 55” C9 4K OLED. (And in 2020 there will be a 48” version for less)
$1499 and LG C9 has 4K @120hz thanks to HDMI 2.1 which is why I’m waiting for the new GPU the 16GB W5700XT

 

[bxs]

I will be using an 65" LG OLED TV for a short while with our MP7,1. To test it I've hooked it to my late 2016 15" rMBP13,3 using an OWC Thunderbolt2 Dock's HDMI port. The dock is connected to the MBP using the Apple USB-C-to TB2 adapter.

The text is super sharp and I can read it clearly at 10-feet away from the screen.

I made no changes to the TV's settings before connecting to it.

See the attachments... all TV screen images shot with my iPhone 11 Max Pro.