[N.D.]

Hi!

I was looking for a 32 inch 4K monitor with a glossy panel, high contrast ratio and wide color gamut. After I couldn’t find any 32 inch 4K monitor with a glossy screen, I took a look at the TV market and found the 32 inch Samsung Q50R TV, which features a glossy screen surface, wide color gamut and a contrast ratio of 5000:1.

Now I’m wondering how well it would perform, when used as PC monitor, considering viewing angle, input lag and response time. Has anyone already had any experience or advice? Or would there be a review in the future, even if it is a TV?

I look forward to your opinion.

Thanks alot!

[PCM2]

Hi N.D.

I sympathise with the lack of glossy-screened monitor options at the moment. We don’t cover TVs as we have more than enough to keep us occupied in the monitor world. It also means we don’t seek out or receive user feedback related to TVs, so I can’t give too much specific advice with respect to the Samsung Q50R (QN32Q50R). A few general points and some specific to this model based on the RTINGS review:

– Input lag is typically relatively high on TVs. The level of post-processing they do, broad array of inputs and host of ‘Smart’ features even if they’re not actively being used all contribute. This model has a ‘Game Mode’ with ~10ms of input lag, so perfectly acceptable for most people although not particularly low.

– Pixel responsiveness is typically worse, with pixel overdrive not as tightly tuned. VA monitors have turned towards stronger responsiveness at the expense of contrast – the 5000:1 specified static contrast of this model is a bit of a red flag. You tend to sit further away from TVs and such issues can be easier to ignore, but if you’re using it as a monitor it could be an issue. This model has rather strong overshoot due to the aggressive pixel overdrive required to speed up otherwise very sluggish pixel transitions. This could prove bothersome. It’s likely to have some underlying weaknesses (‘smeary’ trailing) for some transitions as well.

– No Adaptive-Sync on this one.

– Calibration and OSD options are usually less suited for PC usage. You won’t typically find an sRGB emulation setting to appropriately chop down the colour gamut and it’s not uncommon to have gamma averaging ‘2.4’ or just all over the place without suitable options to gain ‘2.2’ gamma. There are exceptions with some models offering decent calibration with ‘2.2’ gamma in mind – but this one doesn’t have very good calibration in terms of gamma.

– The use of flicker-free backlights and backlights which dim effectively (i.e. to low brightness levels) is rarer on TVs than monitors. 120-240Hz PWM is used in this case, hampering viewing comfort.

– Sometimes TVs don’t support the proper Full Range RGB (or ‘full chroma’) colour signal, hampering text clarity amongst other things when used as a PC monitor. This model doesn’t have that issue, fortunately.

So whether the above bothers you enough to counteract the fact this model has a glossy screen is up to you. In most cases I’d recommend something like the Philips 328E1CA as a more suitable candidate for PC use with viewing comfort, decent calibration, Adaptive-Sync support and decent pixel overdrive in mind. But I appreciate the screen surface plus stronger contrast of the Samsung Q50R could trump all of that.

[N.D.]

Hello,

Thank you very much for your very detailed explanation, I believe most downsides wouldn’t bother me that much, but the fact that it has a PWM frequency of 120 Hz in PC mode really turns me off because I’m also planning on using it in a dark room and to keep the brightness always at 100% for a flicker-free experience isn’t optimal in that case.

If the price were lower than ~500€ I think I would have ordered it and keep it at 100% brightness, but as it is now, I think I will wait until the price drops or the Philips 328M1R will be released, which looks really promising on paper. I hope that promise of a glossy or semi-gloss finish will be kept.
As long as it will not use the same Innolux panel like all the other 4K VA monitors, I will go for it because the Philips 32 326M6VJRMB I once saw suffered from strong VA glow and backlight bleeding, which gave me eyestrain and its matte screen couldn’t deliver the same clearness and image quality like my current glossy monitor.

At the moment I own the LG 32ML600M-B, which has a 32-inch glossy IPS-Type screen and according to LG’s website a color gamut of 95% DCI-P3. I really love the Vibrance of its colors and the Image looks so much clear and deeper, compared to every matte monitor I have seen yet, and my unit does not suffer from aggressive backlight bleeding. The only downsides for me are its extremely low PPI and its low contrast ratio of 1200:1, which look’s washed out in a dark room, and because of IPS glow and low PPI, I need to sit ~80cm away from it to have uniform blacks and no visible pixel structure which just works thanks to my deep desk.
I really hope there will be more glossy choices with better contrast and higher resolution in the future.

Best regards
N.D.

[PCM2]

The Philips 328M1R is worth waiting for in my view. I hope they stick to the screen surface used in the prototype. I don’t know who will manufacture the panel (it will be a TPV CELL based on a panel by another manufacturer), but even if it’s Innolux that doesn’t necessarily matter. They produce a wide variety of panels and some are better than others – the M315DJJ-K31 as used in the flat ‘4K’ VA models you’re referring to is one of their worse ones for image quality. But it goes without saying that it’s not used in this case.

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