# What monitor are you using?



## K9Kirk (Feb 4, 2020)

I ask because I'm using a 1080P TV as my monitor and other than it not providing good 4k res. for picture viewing it's lacking other nice features that come standard with most 4k TV's. Flicker-free being one of the, my eyes are killing me! 
Thanks for looking and for any suggestions/reviews for a decent 4k monitor under $300.


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## TWX (Feb 4, 2020)

Flicker might be the result of the refresh rate that the OS has chosen for a monitor, rather than the monitor itself, which may support higher refresh rates.  You should check if you can change the refresh rate in the display control panel, buried somewhere in the advanced settings.

It also could be that you're sitting closer to the display than the manufacturer intended when it designed the display, such that any artifacting or other undesirable image traits are visible that wouldn't be visible at the viewing distance it was designed for.  Think of the problems with distortion with wide-angle lenses in some settings.

In your shoes I'd try backing up from the monitor a bit, and since it's a television, I'd play with any of the color and brightness settings it has available.  My wife and I adjust these on our regular 32" television throughout the day as necessary, brighter during the day when the ambient light requires, and dimmer evenings and at night when a bright image would be hard on the eyes.  Even if you intend to replace your display anyway, you may still want to do this first, just to see what kind of improvements you could make regardless of brand, resolution, or size.  You might find that you can optimize your settings enough to make it pleasant again, and that you'd likewise want to try such optimization on a future, higher resolution display as well.


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## K9Kirk (Feb 4, 2020)

TWX said:


> Flicker might be the result of the refresh rate that the OS has chosen for a monitor, rather than the monitor itself, which may support higher refresh rates.  You should check if you can change the refresh rate in the display control panel, buried somewhere in the advanced settings.
> 
> It also could be that you're sitting closer to the display than the manufacturer intended when it designed the display, such that any artifacting or other undesirable image traits are visible that wouldn't be visible at the viewing distance it was designed for.  Think of the problems with distortion with wide-angle lenses in some settings.
> 
> In your shoes I'd try backing up from the monitor a bit, and since it's a television, I'd play with any of the color and brightness settings it has available.  My wife and I adjust these on our regular 32" television throughout the day as necessary, brighter during the day when the ambient light requires, and dimmer evenings and at night when a bright image would be hard on the eyes.  Even if you intend to replace your display anyway, you may still want to do this first, just to see what kind of improvements you could make regardless of brand, resolution, or size.  You might find that you can optimize your settings enough to make it pleasant again, and that you'd likewise want to try such optimization on a future, higher resolution display as well.



Thanks for the taking the time to help out, I appreciate it. I checked my mhz. and it was set to 59 and the only other option was an increase to 60 mhz. Dimming the screen to what feels comfortable on the eyes helps and would be good for everything I do except for 'post editing' because as you probably already know, darkens the colors to where they're inaccurate. I just received a pair of blue light blocking computer glasses which will help with editing when I have to increase the light to see the true colors but I found that they also give everything a slight yellow tint that I'm not crazy about but what else is there to do? I either wear them and risk bad editing (maybe I do that anyway, lol!) or I don't and suffer the consequences.

All this is good but I feel I'm missing out with a monitor that only produces 1080P resolution at best and the newer 4k Monitors also have better color, etc. (I'm eyeing on with over a billion colors) Yeah, I can live with this but the desire to see mine and other people's pictures in much better detail is really tugging hard at me. I also can't help but think that if others are looking at my pics with 4k monitors the appearance of my pics to them can only improve if I can edit them on a 4k that will increase my ability to see the detail better. Do you have a 4k monitor or know of one that you would recommend? I can google everything but it's nice hearing from individuals that have some personal experience with them. Thanks again!


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## zulu42 (Feb 4, 2020)

I have a BenQ similar to this:
https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-2560x14...946&sprefix=benq+photo+monitor,aps,199&sr=8-4

I switched from a TV a couple years ago and the difference in eye fatigue and color/contrast reproduction is huge. Huge. Do it.


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## K9Kirk (Feb 4, 2020)

zulu42 said:


> I have a BenQ similar to this:
> https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-2560x1440-PD2700Q-Animation-Flicker-Free/dp/B01K1INYWG/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2IPHZ35J89QDX&keywords=benq+photo+monitor&qid=1580839946&sprefix=benq+photo+monitor,aps,199&sr=8-4
> 
> I switched from a TV a couple years ago and the difference in eye fatigue and color/contrast reproduction is huge. Huge. Do it.



Thanks for responding! The more I think about it the more it seems like the thing to do. All those pros that swear by them can't be wrong.


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## CherylL (Feb 4, 2020)

My new monitor I picked up in November with the sales
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-U2717D-UltraSharp-InfinityEdge-Widescreen/dp/B01D402Z28


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## Derrel (Feb 4, 2020)

My 2011 iMac gave up the ghost this summer. I am now back to using my old 2006 30 inch Apple Cinema display.

I run it at 2560x 1900 resolution. Last night I watched the movie Bad Moms and the first half hour of The Accountant on it.


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## Jeff15 (Feb 4, 2020)

You have all made me want to look for a new monitor now............


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## K9Kirk (Feb 4, 2020)

Derrel said:


> My 2011 iMac gave up the ghost this summer. I am now back to using my old 2006 30 inch Apple Cinema display.
> 
> I run it at 2560x 1900 resolution. Last night I watched the movie Bad Moms and the first half hour of The Accountant on it.


 I have the movie, the accountant, it's pretty good. Are you going to watch the rest or did you not like what you saw?


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## Derrel (Feb 4, 2020)

I saw it once, just re-watching.


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## RVT1K (Feb 5, 2020)

zulu42 said:


> I have a BenQ similar to this:
> https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-2560x1440-PD2700Q-Animation-Flicker-Free/dp/B01K1INYWG/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2IPHZ35J89QDX&keywords=benq+photo+monitor&qid=1580839946&sprefix=benq+photo+monitor,aps,199&sr=8-4
> 
> I switched from a TV a couple years ago and the difference in eye fatigue and color/contrast reproduction is huge. Huge. Do it.




I've got a 27" BenQ (I'll have to get home to check the exact model #) and I've been nothing but happy with it.


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## K9Kirk (Feb 5, 2020)

RVT1K said:


> zulu42 said:
> 
> 
> > I have a BenQ similar to this:
> ...



From everything I've read they are very popular and maybe top of the line. I've seen a few for right around 300 clams and they're nice. There are some others with the same features but I fear they may not be as reliable.


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## Original katomi (Feb 5, 2020)

I don’t know if this will help
In the past I have used a projector to edit my pics, esp when I am pixel peeping. I project the image up to 2.5 m wide
On the wall, I know the colour will be off but I can sit and look ahead, no eye or back strain


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