at a glance
(+) Bending the Rules
Spectacular wrap-around in-game visuals; VA panel packs plenty of contrast and black levels.
(-) Just Bent
Curved geometry looks weird in Windows; poorly calibrated colors; expensive against competition.
This article was published in the September 2015 issue of Maximum PC. For more trusted reviews and feature stories, subscribe here.
Curved but not completely crazy
This is nonsense. This, we’d argue, would be any sensible person’s default initial reaction to the new Samsung 34-inch übertron with a curved LCD panel. Like stereoscopic 3D displays or 200Hz TV sets, the technology of curved LCD screens is real enough. But surely it only exists as a marketing tool, not because it enhances the viewing experience?
Curved screens certainly qualify for gimmick status in the HDTV market. After all, the only way a curved screen can possibly work is when you‘re positioned in the perfect place. In other words, you need to be sitting exactly in the sweet spot of the circle of which the screen curve forms a segment, and that is rarely the case with a TV. You’re probably too far away and sitting at least slightly off-center, especially if more than one person is watching.
For a PC monitor, it’s perhaps not such a crazy idea. Using a PC is much more likely to be a solitary affair and you’ll indeed be sitting dead center in front of the screen. So, it’s just a question of tweaking the distance to the screen and its height to hit the right spot.
More Than a Gimmick?
The problem is, even perfectly positioned, the Windows desktop still looks very weird with a curved screen. No matter where you sit, the geometry of the Taskbar looks badly bent. Actually, it had us eyeing the bottom and top bezels like a master craftsman, trying to work out the shape of the panel. It is indeed perfectly straight along each side, which we knew. But the visual weirdness has you doubting what you instinctively know to be true.
Get in-game, however, and things suddenly look a lot more clever. Without screen elements like the Taskbar constantly reminding you of the shortcomings of a curved panel, you can simply enjoy the subtle wrap-around feeling. Admittedly, it’s a little difficult to pick apart the curved aspect of this panel from its overall proportions and dramatic widescreen format. With 3440x1440 pixels and a 21:9 aspect ratio, this screen would be spectacular even without the curve.
However, we’ve seen 34-inch 3440x1440 monitors with flat, rather than curved, panels before. They’re stunning things, but there’s definitely a sense that the far edges of the screen are a long way off and viewed at a conspicuously oblique angle.
Overall, then, the benefit of a curved panel is tangible, if subtle, in games. If it’s something you appreciate, the next question is whether this Samsung effort is a good example of the breed. The stand is adjustable for both height and tilt, which is particularly important for a curved screen where your viewing position is so critical.
Then there’s the image quality. At default settings, the color temperature is very cold, blue, and subdued. Weirdly, we had to enable the “game” mode in the menu to get colors that looked more vibrant, but it still didn’t look terribly natural.
A quick perusal of the spec sheet reveals the probable explanation. The S34E790C has a VA rather than IPS or TN panel. Except at the very high end, VA panels tend to have slightly wonky color balance. And so it is here. That said, VA also delivers fantastic contrast and black levels.
Factor in the punitive pricing and this Samsung is a marginal proposition. There are 40-inch 4K monitors that can be had for less, for instance. More to the point, so can 34-inch curved monitors with IPS panels, such as Dell’s UltraSharp U3415W. Even at the same price, the likes of the Dell is probably where our money would go. For less money, it’s a no-brainer.
$1,190, Samsung
| Specifications | |
| Panel Size | 34-inch curved |
| Panel Type | VA |
| Native Resolution | 3440x1440 |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Inputs | DisplayPort, 2x HDMI |
| Stand | Tilt, height (no VESA) |
From maximumpc
from http://bit.ly/1VXbD7U
