Tech Talk

Figured a blanket thread for tech questions might be useful instead of posting everything in Random Thoughts, so here goes.

What do you guys think of this monitor?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D1DSXW17?tag=rtings-mn-r-amazon-20&ie=UTF8&th=1
Mainly for PS5 Pro, although I have a decent desktop too if I ever decide to play something other than FFXI on it. Any strong feelings for OLED vs. UHD 4k?

Right now I have a Sony Inzone M9 I got when I bought my regular PS5. It's been good except for the sound when I don't feel like using headphones.

I recommend using https://www.rtings.com/ and looking at color and HDR nits
Those specs seem decent but I was missing out on a whole world until I purchased a 9.3 vs a 6.0 in those categories

Thanks, that was where I found that particular monitor. What did you buy?

Open box pg48uq

Very nice! I've been mostly out of the loop for a while on tech so lots of reading to do, but that site is quite nice for explaining options.

I think a more pertinent question here might be, what do you expect to get out of the new monitor? Obviously your budget for discretionary spending is comparatively high, since you're looking at a $1k~ monitor here. An Inzone M9 is already quite a good monitor. If you need a different size, or you feel like the darks aren't quite dark enough, and you're ok with spending that much for a slight improvement then you'll probably be happy with the Odyssey G8. It's a good monitor.

But, if you aren't in the small percent of people who are extremely discerning on image quality, you're probably not going to notice much of a difference. The 240hz refresh rate is a considerable upgrade if you have a top end PC capable of handling it, but a PS5 pro won't even consistantly max the 144hz your current monitor has.

UHD is a resolution. Your current monitor is the same resolution, so both are UHD.

OLED is a technology. OLED monitors are set up so that each pixel can be individually dimmed, which results in far darker darks and greater contrast. It's great for illustrating dimly lit areas. It does allow burn-in, so should be careful about long term static images on it (there is technology like pixel shifting to help, but it still happens). OLED is generally considered the best lighting method.

Your current monitor uses full array local dimming, which means that the monitor's colors are lit by a series of backlights spread behind the image. This means that instead of each individual pixel producing it's own light, brightness is controlled by the backlight for a region of nearby pixels. The pixel sets the color, the backlight sets the brightness. This means that dimming effects cannot be localized to individual pixels.

QLED is a sidegrade that uses a sort of filtering on the backlight to produce brighter colors than full array local dimming, but also lacks dimming on a per-pixel basis. It does not burn in. I use a QLED TV personally, because I did not trust my gf not to burn in UI elements (she leaves games on it all the time). I can't say that I personally regret not going OLED, but I am not the most discerning viewer around.

I do all my gaming in the dark when possible, that was one of the things that I was interested in OLED for despite the potential for burn in. Otherwise, I'm mainly going off a recommendation for OLED to really get the most out of the PS5 Pro.

My desktop has an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT which is a decent midrange card, but I can always upgrade that down the road too.

Your best bet is to compare the two choices on ratings
See if you are truly gaining anything

OLED has the advantages of "infinite levels blacks" for colors and shading

When I sought out a new monitor I personally was lacking in HDR and sdr color on my old monitor, I was sick of ultra wide incompatibility as well

Things like size
HDR
Refresh rate 120
Resolution choice 2k 4k
Response time

Are all easy to find and filter values these days
Color and HDR brightness is something that varies greatly right now
Matte vs shiny

Went with the monitor in the OP and man, there is no comparison with my old one. This thing is simply better in every way. I can only imagine what some of the ultra high end displays and cards are capable of.

I'm thinking of switching back to 16:9 as I am over 21:9 incompatability as well. I have a Nvidia Shield Pro on my living room TV and I can't have my "default" monitor set to my ultrawide because it refuses to change the resolution before it casts.

Does anybody know why OLED everything is crazy on sale recently?

One more question. I've had this curved monitor for so long, I'm not sure how I'd feel going to a 32" flat panel. Anybody have input on curved vs flat?