# Philips 40” 4k display owners...



## whinecellar (Jun 19, 2018)

I know a number of us have the Philips BDM4065UC display. I’ve had mine for over two years and I loved it first, but it is starting to show some weird issues and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Mine is showing some random dark splotches around the display – almost as if there’s something between the back light panel and the front plane of the display. Frankly it looks like crap, and I’m about to ditch this thing. At the time there was no other large 4K display on the market for anywhere near the price, so I guess you get what you pay for - time to start looking for something decent!

Anyway, not the end of the world - just frustrating on a monitor that’s barely two years old and cost $800. And of course Phillips USA is impossible to get ahold of...

Thanks!


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## Wunderhorn (Jun 19, 2018)

I have the same screen. And I have had it for... maybe 3 years now and it is still in good shape. However, I am well aware that these kind of monitors are cheaply made and probably are not to be expected to live very long. 

Unfortunately, there is no - let's say $1500-$2000 market segment with better quality screens as an alternative. At this size they are all just about the same, whether Iiyama, Dell, Philips, Viewsonic, LG...

It doesn't mean they are bad... I use mine for some really heavy-duty design and digital illustration projects. I'd rather have the bigger size than more accurate brightness to be honest.

BTW I just saw the newer Philips edition of this screen on Amazon for $500. Every once in a while one of these screens get this cheap (except when we really need one).

You might also go to Philip's Facebook page, I was lucky there before, sending them a message and they replied.


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## whinecellar (Jun 19, 2018)

Thanks @Wunderhorn for the reply. Yeah, there are still very few options when it comes to large 4k "monitors" out there. I did see the 43" Philips on Amazon for $499 right now - it's half tempting, but I'm not going to throw any more money at a cheap display like this. My previous display was a Samsung TV (1080p LCD) that was absolutely gorgeous and 100% solid for 8 years. It's hard to find a TV that works well as a monitor, but it can be done.

In addition to the blotches on the Philips, it also takes forever to wake from sleep or power up, randomly shuts off during the first 20 minutes of use, and has a weird sub pixel layout rather than the RGB norm, so text looks slightly fuzzy. Finally, a monitor this size at 2 feet away really needs to be curved, so I'm gonna look for a good 4k curved panel.

There ya have it!


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## Wunderhorn (Jun 19, 2018)

Yes, the 43" onAmazon is the successor of the one you and I have. I don't think you'll find a better display at 40-43" with 3840 x 2160px. As far as I know they all share the same technology, some even the very same panel. Consider it an expensive light bulb that goes out after a few years.

I still have my old HP3065 (30") as a second screen and it still does well after more than 12 years. I will not expect the Philips to hold this long which is bad for the environment and I would pay more for the same thing if it was better quality... If you can find one on your research I'll be all ears!

Actually, ideally I would like to have a 100" at 8K, but that is not quite within reach... First, Apple needs to give us a new Mac Pro that actually can drive such a thing and I think those sleeping pills are still completely without a plan. Next year will tell.

In the end $500 for a new display every 2 or 3 years isn't so bad... I remember paying $2.000+ in the old days for a high-end 21" CRT monitor...


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## whinecellar (Jun 20, 2018)

Wunderhorn said:


> ... If you can find one on your research I'll be all ears!
> 
> ... I remember paying $2.000+ in the old days for a high-end 21" CRT monitor...



Yep, if you look at it that way it’s not too bad, but I do think there are far better options for similar money, if not a little more. Samsung, LG, and Sony all make far better panels than the Philips-level stuff, and curved with proper RGB pixel layout. The only trick is finding one with Mac-friendly inputs (or buying an inexpensive converter) and one that lets you bypass any consumer-oriented processing. It can be done - I’ll keep you posted


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## samphony (Jun 20, 2018)

Jim most of the non tv screen panels have DisplayPort input and/or hdmi 2.0 which should be compatible with your setup.


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## J Royles-Atkins (Jun 20, 2018)

I have this monitor too. I've had two, dropped an iPad on the first one.. Don't ask me how hahaha, insurance got me another and the second one has a very faint version of what you have, always has. On mine however, the top 3 rows of pixels sometimes are out of sync with the rest, and about a second later than the rest. So about half of the toolbar at the top of the monitor looks strange if I move my mouse up there! 

Love this monitor though, had it around 3 years, will never go back, a huge 4k main monitor is the way for me! Also - played Bioshock Infinite on it in 4k and it was breath-taking!


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## whinecellar (Jun 20, 2018)

samphony said:


> Jim most of the non tv screen panels have DisplayPort input and/or hdmi 2.0 which should be compatible with your setup.



Yes indeed. The problem is that most (if not all) of the large 4k monitors with DisplayPort inputs use the cheap panel components like the Philips. It’s ironic that the really good panels (Samsung, Sony, LG) are all in TVs, and almost all of those use HDMI only, hence the need for a DP > HDMI adapter.

Having used a large 4K display up close for two years now, I really have seen the need for a curved panel, and unfortunately such a thing does not exist in a pro monitor, other than a few non-standard resolutions like the new batch of 21x9’s. But I want full 4k


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## samphony (Jun 20, 2018)

What about a curved 38“ LG? It’s close to 40“.


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## whinecellar (Jun 20, 2018)

samphony said:


> What about a curved 38“ LG? It’s close to 40“.



For my eyesight and setup I’m gonna want at least a 50” curved panel.


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## Dewdman42 (Jun 20, 2018)

do you guys have any photos of your current monitors? I'm badly in need to upgrade mine and not sure whether to go with dual monitors or one super big one and what the options are...maybe I'll have to upgrade the card on my 2010 mac pro too, I'm not sure.. I'm definitely going to follow this thread.


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## asinclaire (Jun 23, 2018)

Has anyone tried some the newer TV sets as their monitors? What's the downside of HDMI?


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## whinecellar (Jun 23, 2018)

asinclaire said:


> Has anyone tried some the newer TV sets as their monitors? What's the downside of HDMI?



There are several things you have to watch out for with TVs: you want 4.4.4 chroma subsampling, minimum 60 Hz refresh rate over HDMI (should be standard by now), and most importantly, no consumer-oriented processing (often called PC mode or something like that), or the ability to bypass it. I see so many guys using TVs for monitors and it looks utterly atrocious and cartoon-like.


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## asinclaire (Jun 23, 2018)

whinecellar said:


> There are several things you have to watch out for with TVs: you want 4.4.4 chroma subsampling, minimum 60 Hz refresh rate over HDMI (should be standard by now), and most importantly, no consumer-oriented processing (often called PC mode or something like that), or the ability to bypass it. I see so many guys using TVs for monitors and it looks utterly atrocious and cartoon-like.



I think most TVs have PC/Game Mode. Why is the chroma subsampling important, though? 

I know I should also take a look at input lag and response time.


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## whinecellar (Jun 23, 2018)

asinclaire said:


> I think most TVs have PC/Game Mode. Why is the chroma subsampling important, though?
> 
> I know I should also take a look at input lag and response time.



Oh yes, input lag is a big deal too - probably one of the most important factors. However, most decent brands should be really low these days. 

4.4.4 chroma subsampling translates roughly to sharper text and images, if that’s important to you. Post #12 on this thread explains it well:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/how-important-is-4-4-4-chroma-to-you.1308591/


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## RCsound (Jul 1, 2018)

Wrong Thread, my post is located here:

40" 4K monitors, anyone?


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## whinecellar (Jul 2, 2018)

I’m going to take my MB Pro to Best Buy this week and audition a few big (55-65”) curved TVs to see if I can find one that works well as a monitor. I had a Samsung 1080p for 10 years before my Philips and it was gorgeous - and allowed bypassing all the consumer-oriented processing. Hoping to find a modern 4k curved version! I’ll keep you posted!


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## Dewdman42 (Jul 13, 2018)

did you come to any conclusions about a new monitor? I'm shopping for one now too. 43" probably, but maybe 50" if I can find one with Display Port and 4:4:4. I will be sitting 3-4 feet away..so it needs to be clear, but it also needs to be big enough from that distance to read an excel spreadsheet, etc.


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## whinecellar (Jul 13, 2018)

Dewdman42 said:


> did you come to any conclusions about a new monitor? I'm shopping for one now too. 43" probably, but maybe 50" if I can find one with Display Port and 4:4:4. I will be sitting 3-4 feet away..so it needs to be clear, but it also needs to be big enough from that distance to read an excel spreadsheet, etc.



No, I didn't. Best Buy won't let you bring in a laptop and hook up to their display units anymore - they said "just buy one and take it home - if it doesn't work, bring it back." I don't have time for that right now. And also, it's either a 40" monitor to fit my workstation desk, or a 55"-60" several feet back, which visually would be about the same. And I really want my next monitor to be curved, so I may actually look into that - but options are few. Will probably be late August until I can get to it.


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## Dewdman42 (Jul 13, 2018)

This LG 43 inch seems to be the one I am seeing most people talking about. wondering thoughts from anyone here:

https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-43UD79-B-4k-uhd-led-monitor


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## Dewdman42 (Jul 13, 2018)

ps - went to Best Buy today and the sales guy wouldn't work with me either...and he didn't even know anything at all about DisplayPort. They just aren't in the business to sell large computer monitors like this.


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