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posted by on Wednesday January 11 2017, @08:08AM   Printer-friendly
from the surgically-grafted-to-the-inside-of-the-eyelids dept.

The top google hits say that there is little or no benefit to resolution above 4k. I recently bought a 40" 4k tv which I use as a monitor (2' viewing distance). While this is right at the threshold where I'm told no benefit can be gained from additional resolution, I can still easily discern individual pixels. I'm still able to see individual pixels until I get to about a 4' viewing distance (but I am nearsighted).

I did some research and according to Wikipedia the Fovea Centralis (center of the eye) has a resolution of 31.5 arc seconds. At this resolution, a 4k monitor would need to be only 16" at a 2' viewing distance, or my 40" would need a 5' viewing distance.

Now the Fovea Centralis comprises only the size of 2 thumbnails width at arms length (2° viewing angle) and the eye's resolution drops off quickly farther from the center. But this tiny portion of the eye is processed by 50% of the visual cortex of the brain.

So I ask, are there any soylentils with perfect vision and/or a super high resolution set up, and does this match where you can no longer discern individual pixels? Do you think retina resolution needs to match the Fovea Centralis or is a lesser value acceptable?

My 40" 4k at 2' fills my entire field of view. I really like it because I have so much screen real estate for multiple windows or large spreadsheets, or I can scoot back a little bit for gaming (so I don't have to turn my head to see everything) and enjoy the higher resolution. I find 4k on high graphics looks much nicer than 1080p on Ultra. I find the upgrade is well worth the $600 I spent for the tv and a graphics card that can run it. Have you upgraded to 4k and do you think it was worth it? I would one day like to have dual 32" 8k monitors (not 3D). What is your dream setup if technology and price weren't an issue?

Written from my work 1366 x 768 monitor.

Related discussions: First "8K" Video Appears on YouTube
LG to Demo an 8K Resolution TV at the Consumer Electronics Show
What is your Video / Monitor Setup?
Microsoft and Sony's Emerging 4K Pissing Contest


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by engblom on Wednesday January 11 2017, @11:19AM

    by engblom (556) on Wednesday January 11 2017, @11:19AM (#452457)

    I have always wondered why people are so obsessed with the total resolution of a screen when all that matters is PPI? PPI is a better measurement as it takes the screen size into account.

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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11 2017, @01:10PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 11 2017, @01:10PM (#452477)

    For a TV, total resolution makes sense because your viewing distance will typically be proportional to the diagonal (you're sitting much closer to a small screen than to a big screen). Note that what ultimately matters is the angular resolution, which is proportional to PPI/viewing distance, and thus under the above assumption proportional to PPI/diagonal, which is proportional to pixel resolution.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday January 11 2017, @06:35PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday January 11 2017, @06:35PM (#452616)

    You are quite incorrect, that's why.
    The PPI tells you if you will see the pixels from a certain viewing distance.
    The total resolution tells you how much stuff you can display.
    High PPI/DPI makes things nicer, but does not increase how much data you display.

    I am typing this with my eyes about 3 feet from a 4K 40-inch monitor. I see the text as well as with the old 20' 1080p monitor. But I see 4 times more stuff.
    My browser is in a corner, two columns of code with over 120 lines each are taking less than half the screen, allowing me to also see two oversized terminals monitoring my prototype AND the two-up datasheet that my code is written against.

    Courtesy of my 4K monitor, I finally have a real desktop. As much simultaneous information and workspace as if I was spreading papers on a desk (plus I still have my desk for printouts).
    It's wonderful, and it's the 4K low-PPI big panel that does it. 8K twice-the-PPI would look nicer and sharper, but not really improve how much I see and do.