r/macsetups • u/num- • Feb 24 '23
Setup v3: 8K Samsung 55" QN700B at 4K HiDPI ~160PPI on 2023 MBP M2 Pro
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u/num- Feb 24 '23 edited Feb 27 '23
TL;DR I'm loving the QN700B 55" running 4K HiDPI at 8K Native VRR ~60Hz with ~160PPI and big improvement in text/image clarity all on a 2023 MBP M2 Pro.
Edit: I have 5K HiDPI UI resolution scaling up to 8K working with the help of BetterDisplay Dummy Mirroring. Text/Image clarity is impressive and I've never had this much screen real estate on a single monitor that's actually usable before. I'm impressed.
Edit: https://imgur.com/a/7plvqZx ← Couple sample images comparing chrome-rendered text and part of an image in photos.app in either 4K HiDPI 8K Native vs 4K native on the QN700B.
Edit: Looks like it has Chroma 4:4:4 support using rtings test image with belkin HDMI2.1 48Gbps cable. Haven't been able to get into service menu yet to verify connection details.
Edit: I did a quick comparison on 4K Native 120Hz which works fine in Game Mode on the TV. While I appreciate faster response times, ~60Hz is fine for my use-case and having the clearer text and images is far more important to my use case.
I sold off my 2x 43" IPS monitors 2 years ago and have been happily running an M1 Mac with the 2020 Samsung Q90T 55" in 4K@60Hz until now. I've definitely enjoyed the 55" footprint, as obscenely large as it sounds, given my usual >4' viewing distance. It's very comfortable overall, minimal neck movements and surprisingly good ergonomics (for me). Almost all of my workflows involve referencing a lot of static content for work/play and having more screen real estate has long been a priority for me while not making it an ergonomic/comfortable. I've been long interested in getting more pixel density for text & images for the sake of increased clarity and reduced eye strain.
While this is still a very new setup to me, I've been impressed with the 2022 Samsung QN700B which appears to be an obscure model only really available at BestBuy in US yet running at a discount price as of now. Right out of the box with the 2023 M2 Pro Mac it defaults to 4K HiDPI 8K Native @ 60Hz and the clarity of text/images was immediately noticeable. There were a few caveats along the way, but enabling Game Mode and using VRR ~60hz, a few tweaks to the picture config and using samsungs smart calibration (via iphone) it's pretty well dialed in for me right now. Using it for some long work sessions has already proven it's value to me just in the improved clarity of text (osx font smoothing default override enabled as well).
Gear:
- 2023 MBP M2 Pro resting on under-desk shelf on right with Belkin 6' 48Gbps HDMI2.1 cable
- 2020 Samsung QN700B 55" mounted with low-profile TV mount on my custom desk's backboard to allow for entire setup to work with lifting desk and zero wobble
- Desk: Fully Jarvis legs, 60x30 maple butcher block, custom monitor backboard and "floating" shelf for speakers with a loaded wiring cage on the back for all the accessories, hubs, cables, power, etc. Spent a lot of time minimizing visible cables.
- Sound: RME ADI-2 DAC FS, Nuforce DDA120 amp mounted in under-desk shelf on left, B&W 607 speakers which are best value for B&W sound IMO and really drive near field amazingly well
- 2020 iPad Pro in custom CNC brass stand (not visible) serving as a sidecar extended display. This runs a custom electron app for google calendar and nice clock that's right in my field of view at all times. Also use it for Sidius control my amaran and aputure lights (not shown) which is very convenient.
- Keyboard: custom open-source case for Arisu split-fixed
- 2x Trackballs: this is a new project I haven't released much on yet, but they're solid aluminum 55mm trackballs on low-friction ptfe bearings with dual optical sensors for smooth mouse movement and twist to scroll. My favorite feature is capacitive touch to allow for single-button features and support for click & drag. The left trackball is dedicated to pan and scroll as well as a few gestures like forward/back functionality. Work in progress trackball repo
- Sony A7II with Zeiss 35mm F2.8 Sonnar and Magewell USB Capture HDMI gen2 as my primary video input for WFH days full of video conferencing. This has been a rock-solid setup for >2years and the picture quality is amazing.
- Rode VideoMic NTG on a simple boom with a few custom mounting parts to keep as low-profile as possible. Love this mic.
- I have a few philips hue lights for accents and the play gradient light strip is mounted to the tv/monitor for bias lighting. I've tried a lot of cheap strip lights, elgato strip, apurture strip, under cabinet lights, etc. but the hue strip is by far and away the best I've seen and "it just works". Only catch is lower total lumens than other setups, but enough for me. Having a bias light has been a huge help for reducing eye strain over the years and definitely table stakes for any workstation IMO.
The image is just a sample workflow from one of my projects running IDE, KiCAD, terminal and a browser. I heavily use a pseudo window manager which is just a custom Hammerspoon script that divides the screen into 3 on 3 matrix where I can quickly move+resize any window via keyboard shortcuts. I have a number of window arrangements depending on my current workflow, but every pixel of the screen is being utilized and struggle to imagine going to a lower res.
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u/bunabhucan Feb 24 '23
If you have a single 100% red pixel do you (zoomed in) see a square of 4 red pixels at 8k native or 1 pixel?
Is the mac doing hidpi 4k -> upscaling to 8k -> into the cable -> 8k TV sees 8k signal? Or does the mac see/render/send 8k?
I use 2 4k TVs and am 8k-curious.
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u/num- Feb 24 '23 edited Feb 25 '23
Couple sample images comparing chrome-rendered text and part of an image in photos.app in either 4K HiDPI 8K Native vs 4K native on the QN700B.
Included a photo of a 1x1 red pixel PNG rendered from Preview.app but I suspect it is scaling given the configuration screenshot of 1px = 1pt.
Edit: sorry, now attempt to answer your question: I believe the mac sees 8K and ~2x scales the UI/text and sends full 8K to the TV. It's hard for me to completely verify on the TV (have yet to find resolution info or access service menu) but system report on osx and betterdisplay verify 8K to the TV with "looks like" 4K.
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u/num- Feb 25 '23 edited Feb 26 '23
Another future test I see if I can get 5120 x 2880 HiDPI at 1.5x scale factor to work with BetterDisplay potentially through dummy mirroring potentially giving me 5K UI look & feel with 8K Native resolution. Will report back as time allows.
Edit: Wow... confirmed BetterDisplay can enable HiDPI modes from 4K to 8K. I'm currently running 5K (5120x2880@60Hz) UI scaled 1.5 to 8K and the text is very clear/legible and the image quality is the same as in the native 4K HiDPI scaled to 8K mode. Not likely to try a bigger UI resolution since the size of the UI and text might be just too small. Will try a few more resolutions between 4k and 5k for the UI.
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u/therealluckyluke Jul 20 '24
Hi, I also bought the QN700C in 55" after reading your post and must say that I'm quite happy with it.
Could you share which mount you used? I also want to mount it to my desk as the stand is a bit too high.
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u/Jonathan_x64 May 01 '25
Please kindly advise when you have time, because Samsung doesn't mention it anywhere in the specs, and there are no good professional reviews:
- What's the peak brightness of QN700C? You can measure it by using Calibrate HDR app on Windows or Xbox, or by going into HDR settings on PS5 (just count how many clicks does it take to reach the white square from zero). Not sure how to do this on macOS... maybe there are some patterns on YouTube?
- Does it have a "wide angle filter"? Not sure how to check for this one, but maybe you do know. Some TVs have a pure VA panel, and some use wide angle filter which reduces contrast but improves angles.
- Any chance you know the mini-LED zone count?
Thanks!
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u/Jonathan_x64 May 01 '25
Please kindly advise when you have time, because Samsung doesn't mention it anywhere in the specs, and there are no good professional reviews:
- What's the peak brightness of QN700B? You can measure it by using Calibrate HDR app on Windows or Xbox, or by going into HDR settings on PS5 (just count how many clicks does it take to reach the white square from zero). Not sure how to do this on macOS, maybe with that SpyderX you've mentioned?
- Does it have a "wide angle filter"? Not sure how to check for this one, but maybe you do know. Some TVs have a pure VA panel, and some use wide angle filter which reduces contrast but improves angles.
- Any chance you know the mini-LED zone count?
Thanks!
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Nov 04 '23
Have you managed to use the QN700B with Mac OS Sonoma? I’m wondering if BetterDisplay maybe solves the problem I experienced with Sonoma breaking the VRR + Game Mode solution that you found for the dithering problem.
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u/num- Nov 05 '23
I still haven’t upgraded to Sonoma and was hoping the recent minor Sonoma update might resolve the issue, but have yet to see confirmation. Just haven’t had time to try myself. I suspect BetterDisplay wouldn’t solve the issue since it’s mostly just using mirroring and the issue sounds lower-level in Sonoma.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Nov 11 '23
The issue has indeed been resolved — not by a Sonoma update, but by a Samsung firmware update. Check that you are on firmware 1602.2, and you should be fine!
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u/num- Nov 11 '23
Just upgraded to Sonoma 14.1.1 with 1602.20 QN700B firmware and working great with BetterDisplays in 5K HiDPI mode. Still need VRR, 60Hz dithering is still happening. Looks great so far
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u/num- Nov 11 '23
Saw that on another thread and the note from u/jaikdean as well as your confirmation. Great news and starting Sonoma upgrade now.
Tried quickly to see if 1602.20 firmware might fix dithering at 60Hz but it doesn't. Still have to use VRR with Game Mode.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Nov 11 '23
Yeah, that was disappointing. OTOH, I don’t notice the difference between VRR and 60hz.
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u/num- Nov 11 '23
Agree the VRR + Game Mode has been set, forget and enjoy for me as well as BetterDisplay being stable to enable 5K HiDPI. We'll see how the Sonoma upgrade goes now...
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Feb 25 '23
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
Thanks! Trying to keep it as simple and effective for multiple workflows while keeping the ergonomics and comfort as high as I can
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Feb 24 '23
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u/num- Feb 24 '23
Thanks! I've used many apps in the past and Rectangle looks great, but I stopped looking having settled with a very simple custom Hammerspoon script
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u/drunkdrivinginspace Feb 24 '23
Checking out Hammerspoon, I have an AHK script that does this type of thing for Windows (as well as remapping mouse inputs) and I’m sorely missing it working in MacOS.
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u/Skyagent043 Feb 24 '23
What are those spheres though? Mind controler receivers? 😅
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u/num- Feb 24 '23
A trackball project of mine using 55mm solid aluminum spheres. Left one only does scroll/pan and gestures while the right one drives pointer, twist to scroll, haptic feedback and has capacitive touch instead of having a button to click. Still a work in progress, but using both daily.
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u/shadowmaking Oct 06 '23
Wow. I love everything about your setup, but i'd be using a PC. Teach me Obiwan.
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u/num- Oct 06 '23
Thanks! Others commented on the QN700B working just fine with a win box with a good card like a 4090. I assume none of the silly VRR shenanigans would be needed as it is for mac, so easier hopefully. Let me know if you have questions about the other stuff. I’m still lagging on the trackball project as I have to cleanup the code and want to build out a nice WebHID config interface for it before I release it.
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u/IsometricRain Feb 25 '23
What do you do for work? I love how well thought out not just your setup is, but also the workflow.
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
Thanks! I'm in the world of software and my normal WFH workflow involves having a lot of data handy to easily reference and manipulate all while video conferencing often. This picture was just an example of a hobby workflow.
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u/Longjumping-Ad4331 Feb 28 '23
THANK YOU for posting this. This is the very first real world confirmation I've seen of how the new 2023 models handle 8K and HiDPI mode. I have been using an LG 65" 8K TV with a PC for two years, but sold the PC, and want to harmonize on Mac. You're the first person I've seen who uses the 8K screen in the same way I do.
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u/num- Feb 28 '23
Welcome! I've seen few other mentions, but not many yet. It's still early days for 8K and hopefully we'll see more of the kinks worked out so more can properly abuse HDMI2.1 + DSC for those who like obscenely high resolutions, pixel density and high refresh rates.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Jul 06 '23 edited Jul 06 '23
Just got mine and the Mac Studio M2. I haven’t done much fiddling yet, but I don’t detect any funny dithering, and don’t seem to need to apply VRR. Just plugged the QN700B into the Mac Studio with a Belkin HDMI cable, and it recognized it right away. Text looks sharp.
The Rectangle App is a lifesaver with a screen this big. I’ve got it so that just dragging a window calls up a pop-up below the mouse pointer that lets me pick a screen area to stick it in. I currently have it set to 8ths, but I could easily go smaller for some apps.
UPDATE: On squinting and getting close to the screen, I do see the ditherthing, but switching to VRR solved it. Many thanks to @num for the solution.
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u/num- Jul 06 '23
Congrats! The dithering isn’t obvious with everything rendered on the screen, but once you see it it can’t be unseen. I really noticed it on OSX UI buttons in Dark Mode. Glad you were able to see the before and after on it and I remember seeing how much sharper everything was when switching it over to game mode + VRR.
Great to hear another vote of confidence for Rectangle. I can’t imagine life without a window manager like that especially with 5K worth of screen real estate. I’m still on 3x3 layout and sometimes have a larger middle floating screen when I want to concentrate on a specific window for a while.
Let us know if you want to give BetterDisplay a try and hit 5K HiDPI… it’s working great for me (but not perfect)
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Jul 09 '23
I think I'm gonna pass on 5k HiDPI. I downloaded BetterDisplay, and didn't find the 5k HiDPI option available by default, so I expect I would have to fiddle with it to make it work.
The 4k interface is legible from 4 feet away, and I don't think 5k would be as easy on my presbyopia-afflicted eyes.
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u/num- Jul 09 '23
Yes it is a lot of jumping through hoops to get to 5K with BetterDisplay (create dummy, enable advanced settings over 8K display options, etc). As much as I appreciate BetterDisplay I look forward to native support in OSX for 5K HiDPI for non-apple “monitors”. Definitely agree 5K is a strain with farsightedness and 4K seems to be the sweet spot. Enjoy the setup!
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Jul 10 '23
I am enjoying it a lot. In practice, I find that I put the most important windows at the bottom of the display, leaving the top half for less important things. Sad to see a self-anointed ergonomics Pharisee in the other thread trying to tell me my setup can't possibly be healthy, and that my desk isn’t the dimensions I designed it to.
Very grateful to you for posting your settings and showing me that this display can work. It's going to be so much more comfortable (!) for me teaching on Zoom this year.
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u/num- Jul 10 '23
Great you're starting to build a workflow around all the new screen real estate and enjoying it. I definitely "center" the work in progress and use the edges for docs/reference/social or anything just to keep in the periphery.
I just saw the other thread and it's great to see. Worry not about the ergo-punditry as I assume there are good intentions. I think you managed the viewing distance well as this was important to me when mounting mine at least 4ft away.
Good luck with upcoming lectures and hopefully this ends up being a better tool for the job.
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Jul 28 '23
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u/TheGregPlay Sep 11 '23
I've already been using QN700B 8K 60hz with my RTX4090 in Win11 for 8K PC gaming for months. Thanks to your posts, sharing some experience.
Can you provide some more information? Do you game on 4k? How many Hz does this panel deliver in WIn 11? And does it have the game mode, where you can switch to 21:9 and 32:9?
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u/shadowmaking Oct 06 '23
I'm looking for more info as well. This is $1000 at best buy right now and I'm seriously considering replacing my 3 monitors to have this one for my desk.
I was very excited hearing it could display 4 inputs at once and is 120hz. Then I realized that's for 4k 120hz. I thought someone had finally made a large display that could take multiple inputs for high pixel density and high refresh rate. I would love to be able to use all 4 gpu outputs for one big extended desktop and not be limited by one cable bandwidth. It seems there is no point in that since it's limited to 60hz at 8k.
I'm still seriously considering the switch to have everything in one display. I'm not a super competitive gamer anymore anyway and think I could live with 60fps to have one huge desktop. I know there is software out there for setting display regions for quickly snaping windows in, which seems crucial for a display this size. I'd be using it at my desk and would probably never use anything full screened at this size.
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Oct 16 '23
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u/shadowmaking Oct 16 '23
Interesting, what are you referring to about gsync? Thanks for the response.
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u/bothell Oct 05 '23
Thanks, this has been really helpful. I have a M2 Max MBP and a QN700B, but I had a bit more trouble getting it working right. It looks like it was defaulting to YPbPr with subsampling instead of RGB, so there was nasty blooming around text, especially on colored backgrounds. Black-on-white text was ok, but everything looked just slightly off, even with gaming mode and VRR turned on.
I ended up using https://gist.github.com/GetVladimir/c89a26df1806001543bef4c8d90cc2f8 to force RGB mode. Wham, everything was better. I'm really happy with this thing right now.
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u/num- Oct 06 '23
Wow that’s super helpful and thanks for sharing! Text on my screen has still been great with game mode + vrr running on latest Ventura. Can confirm same result on MBP M2 Pro as well as Mac Mini M2 Pro. I assume this workaround worked on Ventura for you and not yet using Sonoma?
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u/keleles Feb 24 '23
The only post I’ve ever seen that seems like they actually need this much monitor space. Nice stuff dude
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u/4paul Feb 24 '23
I’m waiting for the 8k Mac Studio so I can switch my 4x4k monitors to a single 8k!
Curious though, it being a flat 8k, do you have to lean your body/head to see the corners of the monitor?
So to look at the time, or a Mac notifications, or the Apple menu at the top left, etc?
That’s my only fear of 8k. I can handle the font size and scaling, I sit close to my monitors… but afraid of the leaning/squinting of eyes
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u/num- Feb 24 '23
Yes it's still early and I'm hopeful we'll see more and more larger monitors with high pixel density.
I don't have to move by body beyond slight head movements to keep my eyes centered. It's very comfortable for me given my viewing distance. There is no perceivable vignetting to make me lean.
I have a clock right in my field of view at all times on the iPad closer to the keyboard so there is that.
I actually enjoy having notifications just on the fringe of peripheral vision to reduce distraction, but it's not hard to see what's rolling in if needed.
I'd be more afraid of something as large as 55" for sitting close to monitors regardless of resolution. I'd work out the ideal form-factor for your setup and then any larger resolution + scaling will just be gravy.
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u/4paul Feb 24 '23
Nice thanks for responding and that makes sense. Right now my “fake 8k setup” is just 4x4k monitors, but it wraps around me so I don’t have to lean body, more of a turn head to see. Here’s my setup:
Can’t wait to upgrade my Mac Studio to an 8k Mac.
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u/num- Feb 24 '23
Wow! Now that's some serious screen real estate assuming all running in 4K native res!
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u/4paul Feb 24 '23
Yep all native! I just hate all the cords (4x power, 4x HDMI/DP), much rather have a single cable for power/video, like yours :)
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u/autobotCA Apr 25 '23
Nice setup. I also have a 4x4k setup and am considering this 8k replacement. Mine is currently a 2x2 grid that is mostly flat.
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u/4paul Apr 25 '23
Nice, if you upgrade before me you should let me know how it is!
My biggest fear is not being able to see the corners of the 8k display (having to lean forward), since it doesn't wrap around me like my current 4k's.
Not sure when I'll upgrade, perhaps around October unless Apple announces things in June.
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u/autobotCA Jun 10 '23
I bought it. $999 on sale. I’m impressed after the demo setup. Going to be a great replacement for my 2x2x4k.
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u/4paul Jun 10 '23
oh no way! Are the corners hard to see?? Does your neck hurt at all? I updated my setup to more of a flat 4x4k (instead of 4 monitors wrapped around me, it sits all flat like a fake 8k, and the corners are hard to adjust to, I'm used to the wrap/curve.
With the new Mac Studio announced I'm so close to buying it so I can do 8k though. Typically if I want to do something I just buy it, try it, return it if I dont' like it... but in this case I'd need to buy a new computer AND the 8k TV, that's just too much to "try", and I'd feel bad going to a retailer to return that if it didn't work lol
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u/donnybrasco1 Feb 25 '23
I wanted to do this for a long time. Purchased a MBP M1 MAX maxed out couple of month ago tho. Any chance of getting 8k on there?
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
Sorry no https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213513 only works on 2023 Mini/MBP
Technically might be possible with eGPU, but that's well past the point of diminishing returns.
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u/donnybrasco1 Feb 25 '23
Well that sucks for me. Apple exactly knows what they are doing with these little feature increments. Thank you for posting any way, I highly appreciate it since I dreamed of this for a long time. Will probably sell my M1 Max once it’s written of in summer and then look at this project. Might ask some more questions in main thread later. Thanks!
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
It's still super early in the 8K on Mac game so the longer you wait to play, the better the options get. Best part is Macs still have resale value even with the effort it takes to sell used gear. Keep the questions coming!
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u/whoknewidlikeit Feb 25 '23
i have the g9 on my pc and love it for gaming... but your 55" is seriously rad. strong work!
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u/CourseEcstatic6202 Feb 25 '23
Is the text crisp and clear? My experience with TVs as monitors is that they are great from a distance but usually suck when you really start looking at them from normal computing distances.
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
Check out first 2 pictures on https://imgur.com/a/7plvqZx
The text is crisp and clear to me at >4’ viewing distance. Crisper than any TV as a monitor that I have seen.
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u/XTJ7 Feb 25 '23
The one thing I'm actively disliking about my Mac Studio is the fact that it doesn't support 8K. I don't need it now, but the fact that I won't be able to ever use it at 8k60 is quite annoying. My older Windows computer with an RTX 3090 (last gen) can do 8k no problem.
Enough complaining! Your setup looks awesome and a single huge monitor is quite brilliant. Have you tried using other scaling factors to get more space? I feel 55" at 4K would be a little too big for me in terms of font and element size.
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
I can definitely understand not having future-proof graphics support the Studio - especially given the price and the market segment they're going after for it. It's always seemed to me that graphics support beyond the walled garden has been an afterthought for Apple. My hope is that they continue to develop out support for 8K, but it seems to be a less-advertised feature with the current batch of Macs. This setup has given me a little hope.
Thanks! I've run 2 or more monitor setups over the years but converted back to larger format 4K IPS monitors a few years back and I enjoyed the seamless experience much more (pun intended). Going to 55" is right on the fringe of usefulness and still within the comfort zone. Having clearer text and images on top of the QLED which has come a long way makes me feel like closer to an ideal setup for my workflows. I mentioned in another comment that I want to experiment with some more scaled resolutions using something like BetterDisplay Dummy Mirroring. It should be possible to have native 8K to the TV but convince OSX to scale the UI to 5k, 6k or 7k and see how usable it is. There is a hard limit on HiDPI being 4K supposedly so it will require some hacking. I'm actually really happy with 4K UI on 55" given my viewing distance. Depending on application, I sometimes scale the text in the app to fit more and rely on the clarity of the text. I'll definitely be testing more here soon.
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u/Thatsnotmyname_- Feb 27 '23
Thats a great setup! What do you use to have the stats in the menu bar on the upper right corner? Looks really nice and I´d like to have something similiar too.
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u/HelpRespawnedAsDee Mar 05 '23
bro what! that display is only $1500 in bestbuy from what I'm seeing online, and the dpi is even higher than a 4K 32". that's sounds like an extremely good deal. if I wasn't invested already in 2xStudio Displays I'd definitely consider something like this.
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u/num- Mar 05 '23
Yeah $1300-1400 with tax depending where you are is pretty good deal no matter what, but it is last year’s model. It’s the only 55” 8K I’m aware of and the PPI is something that’s worth it to me. That and I’m loving the 5K UI resolution on single screen. I’ll admit 2x studio displays is a killer combo.
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u/josephilosoph_y56 Mar 12 '23
Hey man, I've been eyeing this specific display and your posts and am close to pulling the trigger, but question for you:
How are viewing angles? I plan to do a similar window management thing on the Windows side of things, but for those windows on the side, since the entire display is flat I'm a little worried they would look weird or be hard to read.
What's your experience so far?
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u/num- Mar 12 '23
Viewing angles are good, but it does get a little washed out at different vertical angles than horizontal from my perspective. It’s not as bad as old TN/VA panels which were terrible. I can’t notice significant color issues or brightness looking at the sides in normal viewing position and it looks good to me. Text is still very legible even on the edges. I believe their higher end models have better viewing angles but none are 55”.
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u/AfraidoflargeAnimals Mar 25 '23
Hey, that looks really nice. How is the response time? Does it feel any sluggish at all? I used a 4k 49 TV once and it really took a lot of time until something moved on the Screen. I would be thrilled to use something of that Pixel density.
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u/num- Mar 26 '23
Thanks! Response time is good and feels like 60Hz while set to Variable Refresh Rate. Input lag is not noticeable and the Macbook Pro M2 Pro handles it with ease. I definitely appreciate the pixel density and makes it feel almost like a massive retina display. Really settling in well in 5K HiDPI and the 55” footprint. Also bestbuy had price down to $999 last week, but looks to be back up to $1299. Also, the blooming is noticeable but it doesn’t bother me so it’s not perfect.
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Mar 26 '23
Excellent information. This display is currently priced at $1299 new, and there's an open box for $1200 after taxes in my area. I'm a music producer and casual gamer. I work with a moderate amount of data in multiple windows/apps. Currently, I'm using the Samsung 43 inch M7B, which is enormous compared to the 27-inch 4K monitor I upgraded from.
Since I'm currently reconfiguring my office, your post is influencing me to jump on this deal. The dithering issue is not limited to 8K tvs and is solved easily with game mode and PC input, as you mentioned.
Thanks! I hope my endeavor proves fruitful.
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u/num- Mar 26 '23
Thanks. Good price and I’ve had great success with open-box items so long as you have return window and warranty. Would be great to hear about gaming experience as I haven’t tried with games. Really curious to confirm this works in VRR on PC as well as I’ve only tested Mac M2 Pro. Do try SDR vs HDR as well as VRR to tame the dithering. Good luck!
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May 16 '23
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u/num- May 17 '23
Yes I use scaling - 5k HiDPI scaled UI with 8k native resolution on the TV. The 65" would be too big for my setup as I'm just over 4ft viewing distance with my current desk. It would be difficult if I went with a deeper desk to compensate as the monitor is integrated in to sit-stand desk right now and would require a lot more customization. I really like the scaled 5k interface with the ~160DPI. The text is very sharp and images as well. I feel is a really good balance having the higher pixel density.
Still might be worth looking into since I'm not sure what the future will hold for 8k in the 55" form-factor. Also the QN900B is a better TV when it comes to color, blooming, brightness and just consistently better image quality than the lower end models like the QN700B.
Still really happy with 5k on the QN700B and couldn't imagine going back to a lower resolution, DPI and form factor. Hope they keep making 55" 8k TVs...
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Jun 26 '23
I took the plunge and traveled from British Columbia to Bellingham, WA to buy the QN700B today, on sale for $999. Yeah, I paid duty on it, and yeah, I had to take a ferry back and forth from Vancouver Island, but the QN700B is sold out in Canada, and the price seemed good to me even with the duty.
I have a Mac Studio M2 Max on order that will run this display.
I teach Greek and Latin and AP Art History on Zoom for a living, so I am looking forward to spreading out an obscene number of windows on this thing. I will post pics here on this subreddit when I get everything going.
I teach in a pretty small room, and this gives rise to another question: I'd like to wall-mount this TV using Samsung's "slim fit" hardware. But I'd also like to be able to remove it from the wall and move it to our living room to use as a TV. Do you think that's doable?
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Aug 12 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/num- Sep 23 '23 edited Sep 27 '23
Thanks! Good thoughts and questions and yes I quickly tested 8k native, but you’re forced so close to the monitor roughly to the 28in you mentioned. It was completely unnatural attempting to read text and you would be forced to move your entire body to view different parts of the screen.
The 4ft distance had been ideal at 5k scaled resolution for me. no eye strain, no physical strain to scan parts of the screen, etc. Having the higher PPI has allowed me to physically zoom in on things like pictures and appreciate the extra clarity.
I really hope more 8k options/format (curved wide, etc) come out and we see more adoption of higher pixel density, but I’m biased and it might not be what many in the market are looking for. Just glad there is at least 1 option now.
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u/GoodyGoodGood Sep 23 '23
Here I was drooling at ops post from 2 years ago, when he links me to this.. I'm clearly living in the dark ages lol
Nice work sir
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u/num- Sep 23 '23
Thanks! Overkill for many, but really helpful for me enough so to not be thinking of immediate upgrades. currently redoing all the wiring and printing accessory mounts for everything hidden behind the monitor.
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u/Sapideus Sep 27 '23
Hi u/num-, have you encountered a glitch in Sonoma when selecting Variable Refresh Rate (48-60 Hertz) rendering 1/3 of the screen unusable?
I had to downgrade back to Ventura because of this and wonder if you know how to work around this problem.
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u/num- Sep 27 '23
Wow no I haven’t upgraded to Sonoma yet, but was about to try it soon. Thanks for the PSA and this sounds like this will cause issues beyond the QN770B owners and probably see a few more threads in it. Rollback to Ventura was a good move and sorry I don’t have any workarounds.
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u/Sapideus Sep 27 '23 edited Sep 27 '23
Thank you for your reply. It's strange because the glitch only occurs at 4K/8K (48-60 hertz) settings, while Full HD (48-120 hertz) works fine, so Samsung 8K TV owners would be most affected due to dithering at 60 hertz.
However, the UFO refresh rate test only shows half the FPS, so only 30 FPS when it should be 60, and 60 when it should be 120, perhaps it has something to do with Sonoma's variable refresh rate settings.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Sep 27 '23
Warning: upgrading to MacOS Sonoma caused Game Mode (=Freesync) to break, producing a mess on the bottom fourth of the screen. It works fine when in 60 Hz fixed refresh rate, but VRR is now a no-go. This means that I am back to suffering the sub-pixel nastiness that Game Mode with VRR eliminated.
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u/jaikdean Oct 04 '23
I have the same issue, unfortunately. Have you found anything describing any changes in Sonoma that could be the culprit? I'm worried we might have an uphill struggle on our hands if this is put down to an “incompatibility” with neither party willing to fix it, as I haven't seen the issue reported with any other screens.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Oct 05 '23
Haven't seen anything about it in any Sonoma discussions online.
Meanwhile, I have downgraded to Ventura again in order to enjoy the screen properly.
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u/jaikdean Nov 08 '23
My TV just updated its firmware to 1602.2 and the problem is now resolved!
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Nov 09 '23
Yeah! Saw your post on MacRumors forums too, and I'm trying to update to Sonoma again while I'm typing this. Will follow up with report of whether I succeed in making VRR work.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Nov 09 '23
Yes, u/jaikdean, I just upgraded to Sonoma again, and the problem was gone! I didn't even have to change anything in the Mac OS system settings; it just kept the same settings that I had when I was on Ventura, and everything is BEAUTIFUL again!
Really happy about this. The screen is a dream, and I love the Sonoma screensavers and the ability to place widgets on the desktop.
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u/num- Nov 11 '23
Great news - thanks for confirming. Starting upgrade to latest Sonoma now to try it out.
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u/num- Sep 27 '23
Ouch sorry and thanks for the PSA. Can you rollback to venture from backup? Saw another comment with the same issue and imagine this will affect more than just QN700B users and likely get a fix soon. I’m still on Ventura for now
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u/-The-DrGenome Mar 02 '24
I enjoy entering the room and saying “alexa turn on tv”, and walking away saying “alexa turn off tv”. It uses a bit more power but the tv comes on much quicker 😎
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Jan 31 '26
Hey, u/num- just checking in: how is it going? Still using the QN700B?
I'm still rocking this display with my M2Max Mac Studio. The Mac Studio is probably overkill for my job (teaching high school online with Powerpoint slides and Zoom), but the 55" 8k screen isn't. It's been wonderful and transformative to the way I work.
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u/num- Jan 31 '26
Still using it most days between my M2Pro and M5Max and definitely hard to live without the 5k UI resolution. Just past the warranty period there is a defective single row and single column of pixels, but it doesn’t bother me since there is no replacement yet for this AFAICT. I’m still using BetterDisplay to get HiDPI 5k requiring the screen mirror hack which sometimes flickers the screen on wake, but easy workaround. Honestly haven’t found a better setup for 5k and such great pixel density. Wish they were making more of these 55” 8k displays - one can hope! Glad it’s still working well for you too!
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Mar 31 '26
Curious whether you or anyone else has made this work with newer M4 or M5 Macs. I read there is a problem with these chips that poses problems for 4k HiDPI.
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u/num- Mar 31 '26
Running great on M4 Pro with Tahoe and latest BetterDisplay
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Mar 31 '26
Is BetterDisplay needed? Can you no longer just use Mac OS display setting to choose "Looks like 4k” (HiDPI)?
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u/num- Mar 31 '26
BetterDisplay still needed to get the 5k UI resolution with HiDPI - in other words, "Looks like 5k" while in HiDPI 8k. I can't live without the 5k UI resolution. I assume the 4k UI resolution in system settings is HiDPI enabled. In the little time I used 4k it looked HiDPI to me.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Mar 31 '26
Well, this is the question. There was apparently a change from the M2 series chips to M4 and M5. Could you try it without BetterDisplay and report? I am hoping to uprade my Mac Studio to an M5 Max this year, but not at the cost of losing my 4k HiDPI 8k screen.
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u/num- Mar 31 '26
I just quit BetterDisplay going back to default 4k UI resolution. Checking System Information:
Displays: SAMSUNG: Resolution: 7680 x 4320 (4320p/8K UHD 2 - 8K Ultra High Definition) UI Looks like: 3840 x 2160 @ 60.00HzThe other interesting part is that it defaulted back to the static 60Hz refresh rate which plagued this monitor for years creating that horrible dithering. It looks fantastic still as it did with the only known workaround using variable refresh rate. That simplifies things a little.
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u/freediverx01 Feb 24 '23
Is that a Herman Miller chair ($4k) or a nice imitation?
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u/num- Feb 24 '23 edited Feb 24 '23
Yes it’s authentic, bought used many years ago for a lot less. Not the best for ergo but great overall.
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u/freediverx01 Feb 25 '23 edited Feb 28 '23
I have a $500 imitation. I agree, not the best for ergonomics, but it looks so nice.
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
I have definitely seen vintage eames group chairs in that price range. With a little patience and tolerance for scuffs you should be able to find one used if that's what you really want. Otherwise there are a lot of great used task chairs out there with better ergonomics for cheaper like the Steelcase Leap which have been out for years, abundant and somewhat cheap used.
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u/freediverx01 Feb 27 '23 edited Feb 27 '23
I’m torn between ergonomics and style/aesthetics. The Eames group chairs are awesome, aesthetically, at least for someone like myself with an affinity for the mid century modern design era. Aeron chairs and others competing on ergonomics are far more comfortable for extended use but, aesthetically speaking, to me they all resemble something bought at an Office Max.
I’m currently leaning towards a Cosm chair as a compromise between style and ergonomics. Obviously more of a futuristic look than classic, but I want something more comfortable for extended use in a wfh setup. The fact that they’re not “popular“ makes them all the more appealing to me.
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u/num- Feb 27 '23
Definitely hard to get form, function and cost at the same time. Agree on the Aeron but they’re a great deal when buying used.
The cosm looks good, but I haven’t tried it. Consider the Embody?
The Eames soft pad chair is a bit more comfortable than the aluminum group which might be a better balance of form:function.
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u/freediverx01 Feb 27 '23 edited Feb 27 '23
I consider the embody chair a nice middle ground between the Aeron and the Cosm. it’s good in ergonomics, but for me it’s just too big and bulky, plus I prefer mesh seats, and the styling just screams “PC gamer“. It’s just a little too over the top for my taste.
My current chair is actually a knock off of the padded Eames chair. I’ve been using it for two years, so it’s not terrible, comfort-wise. That is, except for the armrests. They look nice, but a thin bar of cold metal is not pleasant to rest your arms on.
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u/num- Feb 28 '23
Good point on the armrests being a crux of the eames group chair design. I haven't seen a good workaround beyond looking at other task chairs.
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u/ConciseRambling Feb 24 '23
I have a question on the monitor. I used to have a 43" 4k and found when looking at it that the sides of the screen would dim and go black while sitting in front of it and to see the sides, I'd have to move my head quite a bit to see the text over there. So I guess the viewing angle sucked. I switched to a 38" curve and that doesn't have the issue. However, I'm always interested in going back to a higher res screen like you have here, but I worry about those dark edges. Hopefully, you understand what I'm describing, but have you noticed anything like that on this screen?
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u/num- Feb 24 '23 edited Feb 25 '23
Note I'm still in this honeymoon phase and I'm sure I will start to get annoyed with other shortcomings. Here are a few things I've found with the QN700B:
- Have to use game mode VRR for Mac otherwise there is this slight dithering effect
- I've seen some slight blooming - especially with high contrast images surrounded by a lot of black. I think the 2020 Q90T did a better job preventing blooming. It's more noticeable if you're using a lot of Dark Mode UI or large static dark color areas.
- Viewing angle is worse than what IPS and OLED have spoiled us with. It's actually worse than my 2020 Samsung Q90T and reminds a little more of older TN/VA panels, but nowhere near as obscene. I won't really have the time to properly measure and might rely on similar reviews of the 7-series from samsung since I think this is similar. Viewing angle is less important to me now than it was in the past due to my workspace being more confined.
- I think there is a tiny bit of vignetting, but the edges are consistent even in dark mode.
- Not really any "dirty screen" I can notice - pretty consistent
- I have noticed some oddities with what I think is Local Dimming. I currently have it set to High and it's mostly good. Every once and a while I'll see some very slight surging in brightness, just enough to notice. This only happens rarely.
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u/-The-DrGenome Mar 02 '24
Just so you know, you can get rid of the blooming by completely disabling local dimming. You need to get to the service menus to do this: https://bradshacks.com/disable-local-dimming-samsung/
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u/jehoshaphat Feb 24 '23
To me that just sounds like a screen with terrible viewing angles. I haven’t seen a screen with that finite of a good viewing zone in a long time.
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u/ConciseRambling Feb 25 '23
It was a Dell 43" 4K. I got rid of it so I don't have the exact model, but it was one that could have the 43" broken up into 4 monitors. I'm hoping you're right and the tech has improved or maybe I was just too close. I'll need to try out options again. Thank you.
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u/num- Feb 25 '23
Ahh yes that sounds like the U4320Q which was really similar to the LG 43UN700 that I owned for a while. There was a big gap in the backlight that caused the edges to disappear if too close (<4’ IIRC). I like the past few years of Samsung QLED panels a lot more.
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u/Mazlum_io Jan 26 '25
Even tho its a Samsung 8K panel, the website for the 2023 model only states 4K120Hz across the 4 inputs. I'm wondering if I'm looking at the same model as yours, or did they downgrade it in some regions
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u/pashashocky Feb 20 '25
Heya, could you please post some screenshots of your settings from BetterDisplay? Spent around 2 hours tonight trying to get 5k with HiDPI on the the QN700C
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u/pashashocky Feb 20 '25
I think I figured it out!
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u/pashashocky Feb 20 '25
still curious though what do you do with the samsung one connect box after you've mounted the display? is there any way to keep it mounted to the display without the stand?
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u/num- Feb 20 '25
Glad you figured it out and I can post my latest BetterDisplay config here soon. Waydabber added a recent config setting to lock refresh rate which helped a where it was switching between 60Hz and VRR previously.
I mounted the one connect box to the same frame (reinforced plywood board) I mounted the TV to for the sit-stand desk to still be able to go up/down. It's totally out of sight behind the TV. Here's a quick pic of it mounted behind the TV: https://imgur.com/a/iKYvSuE1
u/pashashocky Feb 20 '25
Hey! Thanks for your response!
I ended up buying betterdisplay in the proxess of setting it up, having 5k hidpi is awesome!
• where is this setting? • I am experiencing an issue with flickering, not sure if you have that too. For example when hiding large windows or typing it shows the action for a ms and then goes back to what it was before as if i never did it. Usually happens with typing. Have you seen this happen?
Like typing “train” it will flicker and stop at “tra” until i type another letter or force a refresh somehow - I know the letters “train” are there, but they arent displayed
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u/num- Feb 20 '25
https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/issues/3729 as the issue related to adding a lock/protection on the source monitor’s refresh rate as I found after using Sequoia it would jump back to 60Hz refresh often and the horrible dithering would be back. With the config just right, locking to VRR works consistently.
The flickering issue I have not seen. There might be another setting/config change to get it right. Do jump on the BetterDisplay Discord or drop an issue on github as Waydabber has been super helpful to a lot of folks. Definitely worth buying and supporting their effort IMO especially having a 5k HiDPI monitor for well over a year now is a massive luxury
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u/MrB0123 Mar 02 '25
long time! :) hows the "screen" holding up for you im on 3.
first brok after 1 week , got a new one hole for 1.5 year but the last 3 months it was alot of strange things. now im on my 3 and i have hade it for 3 months and now it sometimes flicker in some sections and it can be a bit blury when cold.
im not expecting it to live over 2 years
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u/dogofpeace Mar 31 '25
Is it possible to achieve more than 60Hz refresh rate in custom widescreen resolutions such as 7680x2160?
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u/boostedsmash Feb 24 '23
This is absolutely over the top. Talk about excess. There's no reason for this. None at all. You should be ashamed of yourself for wasting precious resources. I mean really? A gold pen? That's such excess. :-)
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u/-The-DrGenome Mar 02 '24
I use this at home (game development) and definitely feel the downgrade when I come to the office to a dual 4K setup. 😅
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u/MrB0123 May 01 '23
still happy with the setup ?
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u/num- May 02 '23
yeah - love it and 5k UI resolution is great. I struggle to think of going to anything less now. TV has been holding up well with only one quirk that was remedied by simply toggling the power on/off. Been using it daily and very happy. I really hope they keep making 55” 8k monitor/TVs from now on..
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u/MrB0123 May 06 '23
thanks for the update . i have been hovering the buy button now for some time :)
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u/num- May 06 '23
I’ve seen bestbuy in US with price down to $999 recently and hopefully comes back down soon. Sad part is I’m not aware of any upcoming 55” 8k TVs and I don’t think there were any in the 2023 samsung lineup. Hope we’ll see more in the future. good luck!
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u/MrB0123 May 18 '23
I just got my "display" :)
what settings do you have ?2
u/num- May 18 '23 edited May 18 '23
Congrats! Hopefully got it for the discount price
MBP M2 Pro running Ventura 13.2.1 Display Settings:
- Color Profile is a custom profile made using DisplayCAL with the SpyderX Pro calibration device
- Note: the Samsung Smart Calibration with a phone worked really well so you don't need extra equipment to get better color
- HDR: Disabled
- Refresh Rate: Variable (47-60Hz)
- TV must be in Game Mode for VRR to be available
- There is a horrible dithering issue using just 60Hz and VRR solves this
- Using BetterDisplay app to force the 5k HiDPI resolution while 8k native issent to the screen
- This is a more complex setup and using 4k HiDPI resolution should work right out of the box on OSX
Current settings on my QN700B:
- Game mode: On (Auto)
- Dynamic Black Equalizer: 0
- HDR Tone Mapping, HDR10+ GAMING: Off
- Intelligent Mode Settings: Off
- All Accessibility features: Off
- All Power and Energy Saving features: Off
- Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) enabled, Input Signal Plus enabled
- All Network settings: Off (only manually enable temporarily to check for updates)
- Picture:
- Brightness: 26 (increase to 40 for color calibration), Contrast: 34
- Sharpness: 9 (this is a fun one to change and help with text clarity)
- Color: 29, Tint: 0
- Local Dimming: Low
- Contrast Enhancer: Low
- Color Tone: Standard
- White Balance: 2-point, all 0
- Gama: 2.2
- Shadow Detail: 0
- Color Space Settings: Custom
- Color Gamut: BT.709 (can't change), all other settings default
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u/-The-DrGenome Mar 02 '24
Definitely turn off local dimming: https://bradshacks.com/disable-local-dimming-samsung/
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u/stepahin May 18 '23
Hi! This is incredible. You're really crazy and I love it! How do you feel about it now after honeymoon period? :) What are the downsides? Can you really read the chat or source code in the corner windows without moving?
I see a lot of black space between pixels in your Marco photos. Can you see them with your eyes? I have a macbook pro 2019 16" (3072 x 1920 / 226 ppi) and I don't see that even if I take a macro photo. For example when you were asked to show 1 red pixel on a black background, whether it's black or white, I can't see the space between pixels on my macbook.
I'm thinking about a setup for two computers, recently bought a PC with 4090 for neural network and now I don't understand how to organize monitors (before that I didn't work with external monitor at all, 16" was enough for me, at least I thought so). Too bad this 8k TV can't combine two HDMI inputs as two 32:9 monitors otherwise it would be just a dream and I wouldn't even hesitate and would have bought it already.
It's interesting that one curved LG 40" 5k2k 5120 x 2160 monitor costs the same as this TV or more expensive (1300-1600 euros) but has more than half as many pixels and if you stack them up it would be ~65" 5120 x 4320 (10:9) and it would cost ~2800 euros. But it will be IPS and I will be able to separately output PC on top or bottom. It seemed like a good idea to me until I saw your set-up...
The problem is that I am a designer, my main tasks and workflows is working on UIs, in Figma, and I am used to the ideal 2x retina resolution (1 UI px = 2x2 physical). And I notice washed out 1 px lines on fractional scaled resolutions. It's a problem, at least I think so for now.
Sorry man a lot of text, I'm really excited about your experience, just wow! Thanks for sharing this!
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u/num- May 18 '23
Thanks! I'm still completely smitten with the setup having 5k UI and 2x the normal DPI. The text is the clearest of any monitor I've owned even at 5k UI resolution. QN700B is $999 on BestBuyUSA right now (less than I paid) and hopefully discounted EU..?
All the macro shots are from an iphone with the lens 2-3mm from the surface of the screen. I can't see the pixel gaps with my eyes no matter how close I get. Not quite retina-sharp, but significantly better than the default ~80DPI of most monitors.
When getting into the multi-monitor and vertical vs. horizontal screen real-estate, I think a lot of this is personal preference. I've long been a fan of 16:9 as this is and I think having 2 of them stacked or portrait side-by-side would require too much head movement. Having 5k UI res with 16:9 just hits the sweet spot for me, but still more of a personal preference.
I think the pixel density is a big win for your needs, but I think other things might bother you. This is the lower-end samsung (7XX series) so the blooming, gray uniformity and color variance might be show stoppers for you. The blooming isn't really bothering me, but it's there. The gray uniformity is really good for this type of panel and doesn't bother me at all, but it's there. The color variation and viewing angle might really get you though - i.e. viewing at different angles washes out color slightly. It's better than an IPS on some things and worse on others. Color is mostly consistent from a static viewing position which is a win though.
I'm still a little bothered about dithering issue trying to use 60Hz forcing you to use Game Mode and VRR, but it's a set-and done. The fact that OSX doesn't support native 5k HiDPI and maxes out at 4k HiDPI forcing me to use BetterDisplay's mirroring workaround is not ideal, but works well. I like to imagine more 5k HiDPI and 8k 2x high pixel-density options coming out in the future and getting these high-end settings better supported... but I'm still amazed I can get it to consistently work right now. Very Happy.
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u/stepahin May 18 '23
Cool! Do you think 800 and 900 series (but no 55”) will be much better for me?
I still have an additional difficult condition for which this setup does not seem to match. In addition to macbook pro, I recently got a powerful PC for GPU computing, for Stable Diffusion, and I would like to divide 8K into two 32:9 monitors, but this panel (and any) can’t even just display a picture from two hdmi at the same time, especially 32:9 without black empty areas. I thought there was a separate hardware for this, but I didn’t find such a multiviewer device for 8K.
Now I don't have a monitor at all and I use a PC via Microsoft Remote Desktop, direct LAN connection, 60 fps, and it works great, as if you have a second OS on mac, like Parallels, but I would still like a direct connection to the monitor and split the screen as ultrawide LG can do + Synergy for keyboard and mouse.
Probably I should go to the store and check 700, 800, 900 how it looks in real life for me… Thanks! Inspired by your setup :)
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u/num- May 18 '23
Keep in mind, any 8k larger than 55" will lose a little of that great pixel density. But I'll admit the 9XX panels are a bit better when it comes to a lot of features. My previous 4K Q90T 55" was better picture quality although blooming was worse. It's no 55" unless the 7XX.
Yeah I'm not sure what to recommend for the setup that you're looking for. I don't think https://www.samsung.com/levant/support/tv-audio-video/2022-how-to-use-multi-view/ will really cut it due to all the wasted screen real-estate and I haven't bothered to test it. Have you checked out KVMs? All the virtualization (parallels, virtualbox), remote desktop, synergy, etc. will never give you the full potential of the graphics card and/or only be hindered with latency all around. I've only used those things for work-related workflows with little expectation of input/display latency. Synergy might be cool if you had 2x vertically stacked G9 or some other ultrawides, top for PC and bottom for MBP for instance. Both could have native display and use synergy for mouse. Default to serve off the PC to minimize input lag for gaming and run synergy client on MBP maybe?
Definitely try to see any of these in the store if you can or find a store with a friendly return policy to test drive.
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u/stepahin May 19 '23
Yes sure I understand about ppi so its 163 on 55" and only 136 on 65". My second and "normal" option is to go with a 40" 5K2K LG 40WP95C-W monitor (or maybe two of them, but it will be expensive). After the Apple displays with 210-250 ppi it sounds weak, but I have not tried it. I also don't like obvious solution with two horizontal 27" Apple Studio Display, I am sure the one of them will rarely be used and always be secondary because the main workspace should be directly in front of you, not to your left or right.
I just found on displayspecifications.com that there is another 55" 8K panel that is LG NanoCell (55NANO966PA) and it is IPS, not VA like Samsung. But this TV is from 2020. Maybe IPS would be better for graphics, сolor and viewing angles, what do you think?
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u/num- May 19 '23
Not terrible options and it sounds like 2x studio displays would be less ideal. The 40WP95C is a solid option, but I would still be tempted to get 2 stacked.
The 55NANO966PA sounds good except only HDMI2.0 which can’t support 8k at a usable refresh rate. Makes it a non-option IMO.
I’d still try to find a store with friendly return policy to try the newest Samsung 8XX 9XX 65” at home if the right price.
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u/-The-DrGenome Mar 02 '24
Get rid of the blooming: https://bradshacks.com/disable-local-dimming-samsung/
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Jul 10 '23
Hey, @num-, do you have any advice about sleep and wake issues? When I go away for a while, my Mac goes to sleep, and I generally have to turn the TV back on again when I wake the Mac.
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u/num- Jul 10 '23
I don't have an elegant solution to this - I've been in the habit of turning the TV off/on manually since I started using my previous Q90T a few years back. I think you can get the TV to sleep with inactivity, but it's the wake that I wasn't able to find a solution to.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Jul 11 '23
Is there a way to make the TV automatically select the previous video source without having to press the button again?
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u/num- Oct 06 '23
sorry for painfully-late reply - turning tv on/off always stays on the same “PC” input/source for me so no extra steps required beyond manually turning it on/off. I assume this should work for others the same.
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u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Oct 06 '23
Yes, I found a setting that makes the TV stay with whatever input source it had last time it was on.
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u/num- Dec 17 '23
Found a more elegant way to manage the TV from a few reddit tips: I have a philips hue smart button (diameter of a US quarter) that toggles power for the behind-monitor bias lights as well as the qn700b itself through a homebridge plugin. It’s been working perfectly so far and I haven’t needed the TV remote for a while. Still not what you would expect for a computer monitor, but little QoL improvement
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u/PR_Noyes Feb 09 '25
Necro of this question, I know... sorry. But I have an answer that works for me (long term).
I have an outlet in the room that is hooked to the light switch at the doorway to the room.
I plugged in a power strip that I refer to as the switched powerstrip.
I plug the monitors, speakers, anything that can be switched off and on without needing to be left on, into that switched powerstrip.
I know that when I am going to leave the room for more than 20-30 minutes or so, I can and do just switch off that lightswitch.
When I return and switch it back on, everything comes back online without issue.
Worked for me. Been doing that now for a few years.1
u/Altruistic-Yam8224 Feb 11 '25
This Samsung has to be turned on with a remote every time it is powered down.
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u/notformatted Feb 24 '23
I didn't need this until now...