back to article Bendy or barmy: Why your next TV will be curved

For a while it looked like the future of television was fairly clear-cut. Full HD would beget 4K Ultra HD and at some point in the future, presumably when we all owned flying cars and had relatives commuting to Mars, that would evolve into 8K Super Hi-Vision. Apart from trifling things like resolution, colour gamut and frame …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "projector; light strikes the entire surface at the same time."

    What, your eyes are capable of spotting the difference of light doing ~300000000 m/s arriving at slightly different distances on a curved screen over the distance of a cinema ?

    1. LHGFLICOD

      The pincushion effect is noticeable, on a wide screen with a short projection distance the edges of the image bow outwards noticeably, curving the screen fixes this, I'm not sure the light striking the screen at different times is relevant but it would be a side effect of fixing pincushion distortion by curving the screen and sounds good in marketing literature.

      1. Jim 59

        Pincushion effect

        Was pincushion distortion, if it exists outside curved TV sales meetings, reduced by the old fashioned curved (outwards) CRT screens ?

        1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

          Re: Pincushion effect

          Was pincushion distortion, if it exists outside curved TV sales meetings, reduced by the old fashioned curved (outwards) CRT screens ?

          Yes. When TVs moved from scanning an angle of 90degrees to 110, to allow a wider and flatter screen without getting deeper, the correction circuitry for things like pincushion distortion got much more complex. Anywhere that you're projecting the image of a sphere onto a non-spherical surface will result in pincushion distortion. It's particularly awkward with colour TVs that have three guns (RGB) in a triangular pattern, since each gun needs it's own, different, correction.

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      With movies these days the director would have cut to a different shot twice in that time ....

  2. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    If you sit too close to the screen...

    ... you'll get square eyes!

    1. John Bailey

      Re: If you sit too close to the screen...

      Surely rectangular these days..

      1. Sir Runcible Spoon

        Re: If you sit too close to the screen...

        "Surely rectangular these days.."

        It's always been rectangular, unless you are aware of a generic 1:1 ratio screen that I'm unaware of.

      2. ColonelDare

        Re: If you sit too close to the screen...

        Maybe oblong?

  3. Mike Bell

    Yeah, right

    When I move in with the teletubbies I might consider a curved screen. As it is I quite like my flat screen on my flat wall.

    1. FartingHippo
      Coat

      Re: Yeah, right

      Be an easy sell to Obama, though. You know, the chap with the cornerless office.

    2. Isn't it obvious?

      How are you supposed to wall-mount one of these?

      Short of building them _into_ the wall, that is.

      We have 3 TVs - all wall-mounted - and in none of the cases would a curved screen be suitable. They'd just create hazards.

      1. Moosh

        Re: How are you supposed to wall-mount one of these?

        I think the angle of the curve and the displacement of the screen are being grossly overestimated.

        How to affix to a wall:

        In the back middle it will essentially be flat, so you will affix it the same way you would any regular flat TV.

        And on the subject of hazards; Would you really affix a huge TV to a wall where things sticking out slightly can create a constant sense of danger?

  4. Andrew Ducker
    FAIL

    And what does one do when one lives with someone else, and you both want to watch TV together? Do they sit on your lap, or just live with sitting outside of the sweet spot and having a horribly distorted image?

    1. Dave 126

      Well, the over-the-top solution would be to have the the TV remain flexible, so that it can transform from a curved set (for a single or couple of viewers) into a flat set for family and party viewing.

    2. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Coat

      If (s)he's sitting on your lap, why do you want to watch TV?

    3. Obvious Robert
      Meh

      Having seen these curved sets in the shops, it's not just the distorted image you're supposed to see that bothered me. The inevitable reflections from dark areas of the screen are all massively distorted as well, so my viewing companions all looked like they were in a fun house hall of mirrors. Most disturbing.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Designed to sell screens

    "Quick lads, 3D didn't work. What can we come up with to sell more TV's?"

    Engineers spent 30 years trying to get rid of the curve on TV screens. Now these geniuses want to bring it back! It's the same design mentality that put a square steering wheel into the Austin Allegro.

    1. Piro Silver badge

      Re: Designed to sell screens

      Curve's the other way, at least that's something!

      Personally I think it's extremely vulgar looking. Surely these days most people, if they've got a properly planned room, will want to get a thin TV and wall mount it out of the way with nicely hidden cables.

      We simply don't have big enough living rooms to require a curved screen.

      1. Dave 126

        Re: Designed to sell screens

        It depends on the territory, maybe... it reminds me of the reviews of the first MS Kinect, with many UK reviewers suggesting the sensor was tuned to a larger living room than they possessed.

        Purely anecdotal, but I get the impression many US homes are larger than UK houses.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Designed to sell screens

          Yes they are - outside the largest cities. I've lived and worked in a number of different states in the US and it is common for people with no kids (or 1 or 2 young 'uns) to live in 2, 3, 4 or even 5,000 square foot houses. One of the artifacts of this is that is hard to find furniture fior those of us who live in small flats in New York - all the sofas are 9 feet long and 4 feet deep.

          What's interesting is that as the average new build house in the UK has got smaller and smaller and meaner, the average new build in the US is enormous. I didn't know there was such a thing as a 6 car garage (incorporated into the house) until I went to Nebraska. Workmanship and finishes are shockingly poor, though, and most of these houses will be literally falling down after 25-30 years. I'll be very interested to see what the far suburbs of large American cities will look like in 20 years.

        2. DiViDeD

          Re: Designed to sell screens

          I get the impression many US homes are larger than UK houses.

          True enough. Apparently 2,000 square feet is pretty average for a US house. That's around 180 sqm, which is bugger all compared to Australian houses. Our pretty average 4 bed suburban, single level mind, comes out at 268 sqm, sitting on a 1,500 sqm plot. Aussies really are not impressed by size.

          Means we have 2x40 inch monitors in the study, 55s in the bedrooms and a 65 in the 'media room'.

          Bloody ridiculous for two people but there you go.

          Even so I can't imagine we'd find a use for a bendy telly, although with the screens getting bigger it might be useful for getting em through doors or round corners!

          :o)

        3. Alan Brown Silver badge

          Re: Designed to sell screens

          "Purely anecdotal, but I get the impression many US homes are larger than UK houses."

          The UK has the smallest houses in EUROPE, let alone the USA.

          UK living rooms are decidely poky compared with most other countries.

      2. Piro Silver badge

        Re: Designed to sell screens

        (Also, I realised that someone might think "curve's" was misuse of an apostrophe. It wasn't: "Curve is" is what it meant).

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Designed to sell screens

        Not everyone has a clear wall to fit a tv too.. my only wall is above a fireplace, so unless they make them heat proof no good for me :-/

    2. Dogsauce

      Re: Designed to sell screens

      I reckon they'll go for 'tallscreen' TVs next, maybe a 4:3 aspect ratio, something like that. Think how programmes will benefit from all that extra space above the picture, all the extra sky they'll be able to show. Your HD widescreen sets will become obsolete.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Designed to sell screens

        Oh wow... a brand shiny new 16:12 is gonna be so much better than the ancient 16:9 set I'm watching right now! I want one!!

  6. Mystic Megabyte
    Unhappy

    Unintended consequences of mesmeric TV screens

    If it makes the woman in white think she's a teapot then I don't want one.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Unintended consequences of mesmeric TV screens

      Actually, the woman in white had the only interesting curves, cough...

      Just when we were getting to a point where screens are large enough to actually make *sense* as wall decoration as well as TV (well, OK, presently for those with a fat wallet, but bear with me) some &%ç$ dolt comes up with the idea of curving them. I bet the guy used to work for Microsoft where he was responsible for the MS Office ribbon interface.

      /grumble

  7. Andrew Witham

    Creating sweet spots that restrict the positions available for viewing is only one problem of a curved screen. You also lose a major advantage of the OLED screen being very thin.

    Big screens will struggle to find a home if they don't fit un-obtrusively close to the wall and allow freedom to view from as much of the room as possible. Big TV for personal viewing doesn't fit well for a mass market.

    We are going to need big screens to have any chance of appreciating 4k let alone the emerging 8k. They will also need to become mass market to pay for the development and production setup.

    My guess is that the curve is an early gimmick to stand out in the shop. I wouldn't want a curved screen, but I'd really like a 4k/8k OLED

  8. flawed_logic

    To be fair, if you have seen one of these curved high def screens they are definitely better curved, so long as you sit in the right place. 2 things i can see being an issue, a flat screen hangs on a wall very nicely indeed, the price is nuts at the moment.

  9. Dave 126

    Interesting...

    ... but personally, I'm more excited about TVs (and accompanying video capture) with high dynamic range output.

    http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Dolby/HDD_First_Look_Dolbys_High_Dynamic_Range_Imaging_Technology/13453

  10. Goldmember

    Pointless for the front room

    This wouldn't be much good for many of the front rooms I've been in, as there's rarely a sofa plonked directly in front of the TV, at a decent viewing distance from the screen. Plus, you'd have the same problem of older content being played through the modern viewing tech looking weird, as SD does through HD kit now.

    BUT, for a dedicated games room with PS4, this would be frigging awesome. Imagine a full on racing seat with the latest Logitech Driving Force GT, plugged into a PS4 with the next Gran Turismo, all parked in front of a curved 78" 4k screen....

    Time to buy a bigger house

    1. Obvious Robert
      Boffin

      Re: Pointless for the front room

      BUT, for a dedicated games room with PS4, this would be frigging awesome. Imagine a full on racing seat with the latest Logitech Driving Force GT, plugged into a PS4 with the next Gran Turismo, all parked in front of a curved 78" 4k screen....

      Or you could... drive a car.

  11. Hans 1

    I sit close to the computer screen, maybe i could do with a curved monitor, not sure, would need to test ... for tv, this is great if you only ever have 1 invite (and want to cuddle) or the misses watching it with you (close to you on the sofa) - for any of use, this tv screen sucks.

    So, bottom-line, this tech sucks for 99% of us, thanks! It would make a good penthouse tv, literally, for the place.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I also sit close to the screen, Currently using a 32" TV as a monitor.

      The problem I now have is that the edges are about double the distance from my eyes than the center of the screen which is enough to mean I can't read them without moving my head.

      Maybe this is a solution, but it'll be a good few years till I can afford to try it.

      1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
        Happy

        Surely the answer is a doughnut-shaped screen, completely encircling your head - plus a swivel chair. 360° viewing nirvana.

        1. VinceH

          "Surely the answer is a doughnut-shaped screen, completely encircling your head - plus a swivel chair. 360° viewing nirvana."

          Don't give the crazy TV-folk silly ideas.

  12. Individual #6/42

    Ideal for people on their own

    Without wanting to get into long discussions this seems like a rehash of arguments about quadraphonic systems that give perfect sound reproduction as long as you sit in one place in the room. I'd estimate most people watch TV at 20 degrees from the perpendicular and will find these a frustration.

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: Ideal for people on their own

      That's OK though. Many people won't notice. A friend of mine has invested a decent amount of cash ina nice sound system. I guess the biggest goodness comes from some nice speakers. But he goes to some effort to buy media that has surround sound. However, due to the shape of his room, the focus of the sound is on the middle seat of the sofa, and he always sits in one armchair by the telly.

      Even though he's fully awre where the sweet spot is, that still doesn't override sitting in the most comfy chair. And he's one of the few people I know who will sit down and just listen to some music, while not doing anythine else at the same time.

      I really think that many of these technology companies massively overestimate most consumers' level of giving-a-damn about the shiny features. Even the ones who actually understand the technical aspects will sacrifice perfection for more comfort, convenience or lower price.

  13. Fading
    Meh

    Can't see this catching on....

    Nice to see a little innovation but I can't see this catching on in a big way. 4K won't even take off until you can pick one up for around the £200-£300 or future equivalent. Given as most content in future will be streamed in whatever definition your system will cope with there will be no "forced" uptake of beyond HD. From what I have seen the "full HD" experience worth less to consumers than the "nice big thin TV" - so the drivers that changed living rooms from CRT to LCD/Plasma do not exist for LCD/Plasma HD to 4K or 3D or Curved or a combination of the three.

    I may be wrong but what would be nice is a little more innovation in the Audio department - flat screen TVs have terrible to dire sound quality.

    1. stucs201

      Re: Can't see this catching on....

      Actually improved built in speakers may me one benefit. There will be more space for something a half-decent size behind a curved screen than in a thin flat panel.

      Whether they'll use that space or not is a different question.

      I still don't want want though, just finished getting my TV mounted flat on the wall and connected to proper external speakers.

  14. AMBxx Silver badge
    FAIL

    One for the bachelor pad

    Along with the stupid big chair, black sheets, pool table and mini-fridge.

  15. Sil

    Marketing BS

    Until the 0.1% get their 800 inch screens there is no need whatsoever for curved screens.

    It is arguably even less useful than 64 inch 64K resolution screens.

    It seems to me projects such as IllumiRoom are much more interesting and have a better chance at commercial success.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    How much will it cost...

    ...from Brighthouse? We know the target market for stupid size tellies in small houses, so how much?

  17. Steve Crook

    A massive reason not to buy yet.

    I'd like a 4k screen and something substantially larger than my current 40''. But this is just turbulence in the market that means I'm going to wait until things have settled and prices have dropped. Unless the breakdown timer in my TV runs out before then.

  18. Arachnoid

    Connections

    Id be more impressed if they designed a decent remote connection dock for all the cabling instead of having it all hanging off either the back or the side of the screen.Something with a small easily concealable flat cable that connected to the screen from several meters away thus eradicating the need for everything to connect directly.

    1. Bobby Omelette

      Re: Connections

      Samsung already do soething along these lines for some of their higher-end models. It's called 'One Connect'. See here ... http://content.hwigroup.net/images/products/xl/197841-14.jpg

  19. King Jack

    Curved Screens BS

    The only reason the screens are curved is to sell TVs to stupid people who have to have the latest thing. In the '70s Hi-Fi used to change colour from Silver to Black then to Champagne and back again. TVs are good quality now, the resolutions are fine with most people so they distort the picture to invent a new must have feature. I'll buy when common sense returns to the manufactures.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    If curvature is so great, how come it only curves in one dimension?

    A pair of curved desktop monitors sounds very cool, though I wonder if my eyes don't actually benfit from the variation in distance from looking around the screen? Not as much as just looking over the top, obviously, but being in that intense period of having just got my first 3DS XL I'm all too aware of what a fixed stare can do to your eyesight.

    As has been mentioned, it's the audio argument all over again of a 'sweet spot' vs more than one viewer. Purely targetting the 'early adopter' segment and ignoring the mass-market is not a strategy that convinces me of success. But worse, it's the TV industry again inventing a new thing for which there is inadequate demand, at a time when the whole world is very short of disposable income. I wonder if it'll pan out any different this time...?

    1. stucs201

      Re: If curvature is so great, how come it only curves in one dimension?

      They'll be saving curving in both directions for the next round of 'upgrades'.

      I can also see them trying to sell us different type of curvature, spherical, parabolic, hyperbolic or maybe just hyperbole.

  21. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
    WTF?

    Michael Zoeller, Samsung’s European sales and marketing topper, made it clear that his brand was on a mission to change the shape of television. Having made design as important to buyers as image quality, he was confident that the time was right to make 4K UHD synonymous with curves. “There’s a lot of research out there that says the human eye is naturally drawn to strong curves,” he argued. “Our curved TVs aren’t just beautiful, they’re works of art!”

    Excuse me? What did you say? I can't hear you over the sound of whalesong!

    By the way old chap, you're wrong. People buy the flat panels for the nice picture - and possibly to go on the wall. The design really doesn't come into it. It's the price. I'll admit for 2 screens at the same price, people might pick on the thinner one, or one with the smallest bezel. And go for that above picture quality too!

    But that should actually scare you, Dear Marketroid. Because if people are picking tellies on prettiness of surrounding plastic bits, rather than quality of screen, then you are absolutely fucked if you're hoping they're all going to rush to upgrade to 4k.

    I've seen people quite happily watch in some horrible combination of settings where the TV is displaying some weird zoomed out semi-widescreen with bars on top, bottom and sides - while the original widescreen broadcast has first been compressed into 4:3 by the Sky box. So the picture covers only half the screen - and is hideously distorted via converstion through 3 different ratios. They hadn't even noticed until I pointed it out. Personally, I found it was un-watchable. Apparently I was wrong...

  22. Headwesty

    So what's new?

    When I were a lad all the tellies were curved...

  23. Simon B

    Drop the curve and concentrate on better viewing angles. I sit in 'Granny's' spot,and a curve would take my view from being more washed out to ooooh nice rear of the tv!

  24. Lallabalalla

    All this proves is that TVs are TOO BIG

    No-one should have a screen larger than 46". They should just stop making bigger ones.

    1. Arnold Lieberman
      Thumb Down

      Re: All this proves is that TVs are TOO BIG

      Let's play Spot the Bully, shall we? Looks like someone could do with a bit of "re-education" via a sojourn in N Korea in order to appreciate the benefits of free choice.

  25. Oh Bother
    Stop

    Standards

    If you need a new TV today, get a mid range Full HD box.

    Cause, if memory serves, an article on El Reg recently mentioned that the 4K standard has not yet been finalised. So why would you even think of buying a 4K tv today, curved or not, if it could be rendered obsolete in less than a year.

  26. Clive Galway

    Best use would be gaming

    The NEC / Alienware CRVD was a good idea, but way too bulky done with DLP.

    Make it more curved and OLED and you would have a winner.

    Would not need to have a silly vertical res, 1080 or 1200 would be plenty.

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    1. Lower prices, 2. Add a better media player, 3. Focus on Downloaders, Streamers & Gamers!

    Anyone else feel that once you go above 50 inches its a case of which organ do I sell next? I wish they would tailor TV's to external hard drive and gaming enthusiasts. I want a TV which will play every format. Even VLC from 2011 can play everything, from cameras to downloads! But my 50 inch Samsung from 2013 won't, and they refuse to ship an update that will address it! Samsung have a Live Chat service, but you can't add your name to a request for a update.... Instead they deny there's a problem and tell you to reset the TV! Gee, Thanks!

    The Samsung overall is a pretty good TV, but you can't officially browse files on external drives larger than one 1TB. In reality, 100GB - 300GB is the max, as the TV begins to struggle with drives of 500MB and above without resetting or taking an age to scroll through file names. Samsung claim they put the same firmware on all of their TV's regardless of cost, which I think is pretty poor.

    In addition, they need to strengthen the screen. If you have a expandable / retractable wall mount, as its all too easy to break the screen and the warranty won't help you!

    Overall, I'd like to see a TV that's heavily geared towards gamers, not just a simple gaming mode setting. I want something offering much higher levels of customisation especially when a PC gaming rig is connected. I think they're missing out on a captive audience here. What-- Curved...4K... 8K...3D...Smart... No thanks!

    1. Aslan

      I think you're looking in the wrong places, look for returned tvs on sale, manufacturer refurbished ones, other refurbished options are hit and miss but manufacture refurbished from a place you trust can be an excellent resource. Also enthusiasts with money, they go through new kit every few years unless it's particularly exceptional, find where they sell the old stuff online, usually in forums where there's enough people about to ensure a certain level of trustworthiness. The kit will be a few years old, but top of the line.

      If you want a smart TV you really need to just use an HTPC or another box connected to the TV, afaik no one does good smart TVs with updates. I'm sure you know the Chromecast plus a video converter is a pretty good and cheap solution. I'd love to see something like an Intel Nuc sized computer with software included with hardware and software based on open standards that you could just slot into a TV and replace it's brains. That way you could buy a smart TV brain from someone who cared enough to update it and swap it for a new one when chips got faster

      1. Down not across

        "I'd love to see something like an Intel Nuc sized computer with software included with hardware and software based on open standards that you could just slot into a TV and replace it's brains. That way you could buy a smart TV brain from someone who cared enough to update it and swap it for a new one when chips got faster"

        Samsung has kinda done that with the evolution kit for 7 and 8 series.

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Meh. Wake me up when wall-o-vision is cheap enough to play with.

  29. gerryg

    what is it that people are watching, that needs this level of tech?

    I recently watched Waterloo Bridge using my DVD player; the one Vivian Leigh thought was her best film. B&W, monaural sound, probably fairly rubbish picture definition. A truly gripping film. I think it had something to do with the screenplay and the quality of the acting, but I might be wrong.

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I saw demos of a curved HD TV and a 65" flat 4K TV yesterday.

    The curved screen had no merit but the 4K flat screen almost made me sign a credit agreement there and then. Like DVD to Blu-Ray x 2. And it was only running a fairly mediocre downloaded shop demo too! Seriously effective tech.

  31. Bartlomiej Kochan

    If they make 4k porn content available , why not

  32. Arachnoid

    Given we normally look up to wall mounted screens

    Should they not be parabolic and curve from top to bottom too if the hyperbole is anything near the truth?

    1. Aslan

      Re: Given we normally look up to wall mounted screens

      I believe if you're looking up to a wall mounted screen you've mounted it to high. I don't have it here, but I believe the THX spec states that your eye level when seated should be roughly a 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the screen. That's the height I've got my 46" at and it feels great. I expect a curved one would too for up to 3 people if it was sufficiently large.

  33. Sporkinum

    That's cool

    Keep people upgrading and I will buy their "old" TVs for pennies. My first big screen was a SD 60" rear projector (3 tubes) that I got for free. The one I have now is a 52" 1080i DLP I paid $100 for.

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Saw these on a recent trip to Korea

    Agree with those who say "can't see it catching on".....

    It just looks weird and feels equally unnatural to watch.

  35. Zebo-the-Fat

    Am I the only one who wonders about the effect of reflections from a curved screen? On a flat screen you can position yourself so that reflection is not a problem, but with a curve, wherever you sit you will see it.

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Now I'm waiting eagerly for the first story about some rich early-adopters mansion being burned down after a fire was started by one of these sets focussing sunlight into a sofa filled with the finest toxin-spewing tinderbox foam China can produce. 105 inch diagonal is a pretty massive surface area, and you can bet the screen is gonna be glossy as hell for that vivid colour reproduction they love so much.

  37. Captain DaFt

    Oooo... pretty TV!

    “Our curved TVs aren’t just beautiful, they’re works of art!”

    And who cares? People don't buy a TV to to look at the TV itself, they buy it for the pretty pictures it shows and ease of use.

    Maybe people cared back when it was a big box that filled a chunk of real estate in the room, but now that it's just a screen and bezel that fits on the wall, who cares?

    Ah, I see the problem he's trying to solve here! All the TVs now look alike, and This is the attempt to make theirs stand out, even if it downgrades ease of use, like those @&#$% smart TVs.

  38. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hard to wall-mount?

    This 77" curved TV being hard to mount on a flat wall, it comes with two girls to hold it. This adds up to the TCO :(

  39. Dick Emery

    Meh!

    Call me again when they (the TV and media player) can playback The Hobbit in it's native 48FPS. I look forward to higher dynamic range. Higher frame rates (120FPS support would be nice). Refresh rates above 120Hz. Infinite black levels. No motion judder or blur. No clouding or halos. High contrast. Doesn't lose it's brightness after a year or two's usage or pixels going bad. Doesn't have color uniformity issues. Motion interpolation that doesn't have nasty artefacts. Doesn't have image burn or retention issues. Doesn't have a PSU or caps that buzz or need a fan that makes a noise after a few months use. I am not even interested in all the so called 'Smart' TV crap.

    4K without much in the way of content isn't much use either although I agree it does look nice when you get it. Besides 4K isn't even true 4K which is why we get the UHD moniker.

    Until then you can stick your curvy TV's up your curvy bottom hole!

    1. Piro Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Meh!

      But what you're talking about is real quality in terms of hardware build and picture.

      Sadly, the masses are ignorant, so quality is harder to market than: "SCREEN IS CURVED, YOU NO HAVE CURVED SCREEN"

      I completely agree with you.

  40. Oldfogey
    FAIL

    Nobody's paying attention

    I don't have a TV, so when I go where there is one on I tend to notice how people actually watch.

    Much of the time, they don't. It's on, and they are aware of it, but they are talking, moving about, checking email, texting, whatever.

    This is where 3D falls apart. It only works if everybody puts their daft glasses on and sits down and watches - which you may not be able to get the whole family to do for a film or a game or soap opera. Half the people are only vaguely interested, so when a text arrives, they take the glasses off to attend to it, and can then no longer just glance at the screen for updates as they used to.

    Same problem applies if there is a "sweet spot".

    All these gimmicks don't relate to the way people actually utilize a TV set.

  41. southpacificpom
    Coat

    Bendy Bendy

    Last thing I want is a bent TV. If I won one I'd send it to Mozilla.

  42. Aslan

    My next screen...

    I'm currently running a 24" 21:9 screen in flipped portrait (vertically) dedicated to a tall thin app I need open 24/7. I have a touch screen overlay for it so I can react to it quickly when I need to. I'm totally satisfied with my Sharp Aquos SE94-U Special Edition 46", List was something like $3900 but I got it manufacturer refurbished 16 months after it debuted as Sharp's top of the line model at CES at tigerdirect.com for $700. For my next TV I know I definitely want 3D, but that purchase could be 5-7 years out. There's enough content now to make 3D worth it, but it's just I don't need to purchase another TV.

  43. SpiderPig

    4K pffft

    4K, 8K Curved screens??? It is a load of rubbish until you have the content providers and broadcasters across the globe actually providing the ability for consumers to watch their show in those formats. The manufacturers have run out of crap to stick into TV's and they think this hype will get people to stump up the cash to but these, basically, white elephants.

    In fact people will, they still fall for the Nigerian scams so why not this one :-)

    This is typical of what happened here in Australia, but from a different camp, the broadcasters had a wet dream about HD so they pushed for it although there was no HD content available and it took quite a number of years for that to change.

  44. john devoy

    Another gimmick

    Curved TV screens are pointless unless you're sitting close enough to be aware of a wraparound effect, in which case you're probably going to go blind soon. Wide curved computer monitors make a lot more sense as you DO sit close enough to benefit from the wraparound effect.

  45. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    Nice to see them upping the resolution

    For the rest though, I'm not interested, and a bent screen will never be on my list.

    My current TV was bought in 2005 and it's working fine. Pixel Plus means the image is very good and people who see it for the first time still comment on that.

    For my next TV my needs are simple : it needs to look at least as nice as what I have now, and have an Ethernet connector I can plug into my home network to stream films from my media NAS. No connecting to Internet, no complicated user interface and nothing more difficult than "show image from this source".

    Make something like that and I will happily buy it.

    Try to flog me some bendy "smart" thing that incessantly nags me to connect to the Internet or is a nightmare to use and I will leave it in your shop.

  46. Daz555

    Curved - looks utterly stupid unless you are sat right in centre front of it. Great for the minority with home cinema rooms I suppose but for most of us with a TV in the corner of a room and a wide range of viewing angles they make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

    As for 4k. I'll buy one shortly after I get the robo eye upgrade which allows me to distinguish such small pixels from the other side of my living room.

  47. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

    Rather sure of yourself, aren't you, Mr May?

    Why your next TV will be curved

    The only plausible reason would be "no flat television sets are for sale". True, at the rate at which I purchase new TVs, that's possible. But it seems unlikely.

    the new Samsung 4K fleet is undeniably beautiful of form

    No, it isn't.

    Huh. Not only was denying that possible, it was easy.

    I don't know why people who write about TV sets these days find it necessary to tell their readers what they want. Surely we can figure that out for ourselves? Even Consumer Reports has started lecturing its readers: "If you're in the market for a new TV, make sure you get one that's at least X" and has 3D capability." Screw you, CR.

  48. Michael Thibault

    Shortage of wall-space?

    Why aren't people mounting televisions on the ceiling? Plenty of room up there. Perfect for the bedroom, perfect for the couch. And with the sound off, it doubles as area lighting.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like