Topic: Chosing 4K TV for PS4 Pro, Flat or Curved

Hello folks,

I would like to buy new 4K TV for PS4 Pro gaming, I have 2 choices at the same price

Samsung UN49KU7000 Flat or UN49KU7350 Curved ?

Little more expensive UN49KU7500 Curved

So my question is curved TV good for gaming ? Is it worth it to go for UN49KU7500 Curved ?

Thanks

@Cryptomancer Personally, I wouldn't recommend any of those TV's for PS4. I know they are cheap BUT they are cheap for a reason. They may also state they are 'HDR' TV's BUT that literally means they can accept a HDR signal and then down grade it to the limitations of the TV so in effect you are not getting 'HDR' but more a SDR+. For an LCD Screen (as these are), you need to have a certain black level, a certain peak brightness and a certain percentage of the wide colour gamut and these TV's fail on both colour and peak brightness - in fact the peak brightness isn't significantly brighter than turning up your SDR TV to max. Because of the way games implement HDR, it can actually make games look worse than normal.

Anyway, now you know that, the question about curved vs flat.
Curved screens distort the image a bit. So for videophiles and purists, they really don't like curved screens. Its probably part of the reason that more 'curved' screen 2016 models are available and as cheap (if not cheaper) than their flat counterparts despite the fact they were launched at a higher price. The reason they are distorted is because the curve would make the image look wrong with the two sides being closer to the viewer. Its only a slight distortion as the curves are not 'that' curved and you do get a 'depth enhancer' option in the picture settings to adjust this.

Personally I much prefer a 'flat' screen. It also looks much better when wall mounted as the curve sticks out too much. I guess a 'curved' screen could have its advantages in gaming but only if you sit in the 'sweet' spot - kind of like sitting in the driver seat of a McLaren F1 car with its central position and the windscreen wrapping around the driver almost. Sit further back and I think it starts to lose something in its presentation but each to their own...

I saw a curved TV on the wall of a flat where the occupier sat about 12 feet away on the sofa. It looked ridiculous and I can't see how it could be of any benefit sitting that far away. I guess if you're sitting at the optimum distance it's quite nice but for a TV in a communal area where other people might be watching and playing... it's gotta be flat all the way.

@kyleforrester87 As I said, there is an optimal point that these are OK. If you watch a few of the E3 floor chats, especially those around the MS floor with Forza 7 on a 'racing sim seat with the steering wheel', these were set up with a Samsung 4k HDR curved screen - Not a cheap KU or MU but a QLED (most likely the Q8C) but then I guess it mirrors a windscreen and you are often sat in the 'optimum' position too. However at all the stations where gamers could play a normal game - not the very expensive racing sim set-up that moves etc, then these all seemed to be using Flat screens. Sony are only going to use flat screens at their booths because they will be using Sony screens.

I think a 'curved' screen can work ok if its in the Corner of a room but I would still prefer to use a Flat screen myself. I really don't think they look good wall mounted. Although I have seen one mounted in a 'recess' which hid the fact the two sides stick out from the wall and that was 'better' but I still think the flat would have worked just as well.

I know some that really enjoy the curved, think it adds more to the immersion whilst others say it ruins the image. Its telling though that if you were to try and buy a 49" or 55" KS7000 or KS8000 now, you would struggle to find stock and even if you could, the price is near launch price yet if you tried to find the curved models (the KS7500 or KS9000), its quite easy and these are far more discounted too. its the same with the 55" C6 & B6 OLEDs - both launched at the same price yet the C6, the one with 3D and curved screen, is now £300+ cheaper to buy...

Thank you for your reply.

I would like to add LG 50UH850T Flat for $700
and LG 49UH654V Flat for $560

@Cryptomancer At the end of the day, the choice is yours. Its your money and you that has to live with it and the decision you make. Its all well and good me advising you that NONE of the TV's you are interested in are worth buying IF you have any interest in HDR in any capacity and most likely to be worse than playing on you current TV because of the fact that NONE of these are really designed to offer at least the minimum standards for HDR10 playback - the format that the PS4 (and Xbox One S and X) will both be supporting, the Standards that ALL HDR content (even those that will also get Dolby Vision support) will be expected to meet.

I could say, for example that the ONLY TV's from Samsung worth buying are the KS series (as you are in the US, I believe that would be the KS8000 or KS8500 (curved) as the minimum standard worth considering) and the ONLY LG's worth purchasing are the B6/C6/B7 OLEDs at the 'minimum' - of course it would be nice to have the money to buy a W7 wallpaper OLED with Dolby Atmos Sound Bar. However if those are out of your price range, then realistically speaking, you are looking for any 4k TV (Not HDR TV) with a low input lag and I refuse to buy or recommend any of these as they cannot offer the full range of what the PS4 Pro or XB1s/x.

You are almost better off saving your money until HDR TV's drop in price to a level you can afford - especially at the screen sizes you are looking at. 4k resolution can add very little, and its not as if the Pro hits 4k that often - mostly around 1440p (1800p Checkerboarding actually renders a lower pixel count than 1440p and 2160p (4k) CB is just a bit more than 1440p in terms of rendering pixel count). A number of games also don't offer much in the way of a 'resolution' increase at all - like Tekken 7, Prey etc. At the average seating distances, a 49/50" TV probably won't look 'much' better than a decent 1080p source would offer so the 'biggest' and most notable benefit to owning a 4k screen will come from HDR. Playing games like H:ZD, U4 etc on my 55" 4k full HDR TV do look good but in HDR they look stunning. As an XB1s owner, I thought Gears 4 (for example - a 1080p HDR game) looked a lot better than some 1440p+ games because the HDR added more to the game than resolution alone adds to some PS4 Pro games. Not saying the resolution doesn't add something but not as much as HDR does.

I can only see HDR becoming more widespread in gaming. Both the PS4 and PS4 Pro offers HDR as does the XB1 S and X. I bet the PS5 will offer 4k HDR too when that comes so I really wouldn't want to recommend any TV that can't at least offer this to a minimum standard. I would be like recommending a '1440p' TV but know 'tomorrow' you would need to buy a new TV because its not 'good' enough to last and be 'future' proof. By tomorrow, I am not literally meaning tomorrow but as in the near future. The resolution jump from 1080p to 4k maybe 'enough' right now but as more and more games release in HDR, will you be happy with a TV that can't do it justice and can even be worse? I can't answer that and this is why I will never recommend a TV that is not 'adequate' for everything these consoles are capable of delivering. It doesn't make sense, in my mind at least, to recommend something knowing full well its not able to offer the minimum standards that the console is outputting. Its not just games either of course but also Netflix and Amazon - even youtube now has HDR content if you have the right app and display to show it.

Unfortunately, i dont have any other choices as im in Levant now.

So i have these flat TVs only

Samsung UN49KU7000, Flat $620
LG 50UH850T Flat for $700
LG 49UH654V Flat for $560

which one do you think is good ?

@Cryptomancer I have no idea what 'in Levant' means? I would recommend you check those TV's out on a website like RTINGS.com as they maybe able to help you decide which would be the 'best' to suit your needs. I still stand by my point though that if you have a TV, regardless of whether its 4k or not, you would be better off saving more money to put towards a better TV that not only would be more beneficial to playing games on your Pro but would also see you well into the next gen as well.

With November and Black Friday coming up, you could save a bit more to maybe purchase a better quality TV that's been discounted in the sale. I assume you live in the US as you quote prices in $'s so Black Friday, I believe, is a bigger deal than in the UK where I am. January to March can also be a great time to buy TV's too - at least in the UK as stores want and need to clear stock ready for the new models.

A TV to look out for if you can wait, would be Sonys X93E or if that's a bit too much, the Sony X90E could well be worth a look. Both of these are cheaper than Samsungs QLED range and LG's OLEDs. The X90E (not sure how Sony's model numbers go where you are - could be XE900, X900E etc) is not quite good enough to deliver the minimum standards for HDR but its a lot better than the TV's you mentioned. The X93E (could be XE93, X930E etc) is good enough to be classified as UHD Premium.

I don't know how far you sit from your screen but unless you sit quite close as you are looking for a 50" TV, then 4k alone may not have too much impact - especially with film based content. Gaming is a bit more obvious.

In all honesty, if you really can wait and make do with what you have, the benefits of buying a slightly more expensive TV in one of these sales will be MUCH greater than these can offer and would be far more suited to the future content. I really don't think HDR will be a 'fad' either as all TV manufacturers, as well as content makers are on board. I can't think of any manufacturer making TV's that can't or won't accept HDR content - even if the budget models can't really display it properly or effectively enough to make a 'significant' difference. If budget is 'tight' unless you really must buy a TV (because you don't own one at all) you are better off waiting until Black Friday or the 'new year' when stores need to clear stock. In the meantime, at least you can still game and maybe save money to put towards something more apt.

@BAMozzy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant

Lol I guess?!

Go flat everytime. Curved are a gimmick and only suitable for one sitting in sweetspot. As for what flat TV is best I couldnt say anthing of more benefit than bamozzy's response. The guy is very knowledgeable even if his tastes are slightly expensive I can see why tho as a sh*t TV really does affect your gaming experience.

@TomKongPhooey My tastes maybe quite expensive but I also recommended waiting for the big sales if you can't afford a 'premium' TV to go with your 'premium' console. Its not as if I am saying you have to go out and spend $20K on the 75" W7 OLED or don't buy anything.

I know that UHD Premium Quality TV's are not 'Cheap' but if you look around and can find a Samsung KS7000 or 7500 (if you don't mind curved) - Both of which can be found for under £1k (up to 55"), which maybe a few £'s more than you had wanted to spend, but that's the difference between having a Premium TV, capable of delivering more than the minimum required for HDR10 playback - the standard the games and media content will offer on consoles - as well as the built in Apps like Youtube on the TV, also HLG support (when HDR arrives to broadcasting companies) and 'Dynamic HDR10'. It also has the best in class input lag for 4k HDR TV's in 2016 so its a fantastic TV - not just for gaming on the PS4 Pro (or XB1 S & X), but also a TV that will deliver on the Media side too - fantastic Picture Quality because it has to conform to UHD Premium standards so great blacks too.

I believe @Kyleforrester87 has the KS7000 and I personally have the KS8000 (or KS9000 in the US) and I am sure he would agree that the KS7000 is an excellent gaming TV but also a superb 4k HDR TV too for whatever content or device you connect it up to and as conforms to the specifications that the UHD Alliance have agreed that HDR content and devices should meet. That means the minimum standard that HDR movies will be mastered to, the standard that 4k HDR Bluray players adhere too so you might as well get a TV that will display that content at that standard and not a severely downgraded version. Its like buying a 1200p TV and then wondering why your 4k content doesn't look that much better than your 1080p TV. Its because its down graded to fit the TV. Its worth spending that extra to get the full 4k so content isn't downgraded and displayed at or above the minimum standards.

To me it makes sense to buy a 4k UHD Premium TV. Of course you could spend less and get that '1200p TV' that does 'just' enough to be better than your 1080p TV BUT you may end wishing you spent that 'little' bit more to get the full 2160p, to get the full experience that both the console and media can offer. I certainly won't recommend a TV and then have that person feel aggrieved because half of what they hoped for looks awful on their $6/700 TV...

@BAMozzy Yup it's eye ball meltingly good sometimes. I am surprised the price hasn't dropped off yet since I got it for the same money in October last year, so about 10 months. Time flies...

@kyleforrester87 Its mostly because it is so popular and in such high demand. A lot of retailers don't have stock anymore. The curved models haven't sold as well and are now actually 'cheaper' than the flat equivalents. Considering these were more expensive, its a 'good' saving if you don't mind curved. I see the OLEDs (C6 and B6) are now as cheap as the KS8000 (or less in the case of the C6) and these were £1k more expensive when I bought my TV - that was over a year ago now...

Games like Ratchet and Clank, Horizon: Zero Dawn etc really do look stunning in HDR - even Gears 4, which is 1080p on XB1s looks great in HDR and, in my opinion, better than some 1440p+ games on the Pro because of what HDR adds. Really looking forward to Lost Legacy and Days Gone as I think they will look stunning too.