Perhaps I should be less sceptical about some of the technology and marketing ideas being used in the latest TVs, displays and monitors.
As discussed previously in this blog I think 3D TV for home and domestic viewing has been and gone. A bit of a damp squib to be honest. At least for the time being. There are undoubtedly a number of medical, diagnostic and industrial applications where 3D images, displays and applications will carve out an essential and invaluable niche.
So Curved TVs. The marketing blurb says they provide and produce a more immersive viewing experience. Isn’t that what 3D was going to do?
Judging by a number of online e-commerce sites I have looked at, Curved TVs appear to be more considerably expensive than the more traditional flat screen TV.
Apparently, the viewing experience is more immersive. This is provided I sit at or near the ‘sweet spot’ – close to the focal length (the radius of the curve) and directly perpendicular to the screen. Sorry, rest of the family and friends it’s just not going to be the same for you. There is also the issues of unwanted reflections and minor image distortions.
Aesthetically, they look pretty impressive but Curved TVs are curved. Therein lies another concern. My current flat screen TV is beautifully flat. It sits snug and adjacent to the wall. It’s unobtrusive; in the way a 42-inch plasma TV attached to the living room wall is unobtrusive. Wouldn’t a large curved TV screen on the wall be that much more intrusive?
So, given the additional cost and the other admittedly fairly minor viewing issues, I think for the time being I’m going to stick with a full flat viewing experience.