Alienware's 34-inch QD-OLED Monitor Gets a Price

[trsttte]

View attachment 236555

Your point being?

I suppose I'm old, but the cringe level on that video is over 9000 even just seeing those two duckfaces on the thumbnail. Holy crap please shoot me off to Mars already.

Nice panel. Too bad about the marketing
One of the lines in the vid:
'Hi, what do you do?'
'I'm a Youtuber'

This species is fked.

Oh I have no idea, I was just looking for a product page of some kind and found this stream and skipped around until I found the product announcement

 

[Dammeron]

I'll get the 42" LG OLED TV instead. No 32" is coming this year. I also like the much lighter housing LG is using this year, finally LG OLED TVs would be a total pain to get in and out of the package or move around.

While LG OLEDs can be great as monitors, especially the upcoming 42" one, there's one minor problem - TVs don't have the "sleep/wake-up" function, when You do anything on Your PC. So everytime You walk away from Your computer You'd have to remember to turn the screen off (don't wanna any burn-ins) and then turn it on again after You return.

IPS to better OLED in just $100. Doesn't sound too bad until you notice how garbage monitor price is in general compared to TVs or even mobiles.

It's mostly about the 4k 120Hz+ displays - their price is just ridiculous. Lower res models are acceptable - I just got Gigabyte M32Q (1440p 170Hz with wide gamut) for ~350$.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Your point being?

That this version of HDR is still nonsense.

 

[Chomiq]

While LG OLEDs can be great as monitors, especially the upcoming 42" one, there's one minor problem - TVs don't have the "sleep/wake-up" function, when You do anything on Your PC. So everytime You walk away from Your computer You'd have to remember to turn the screen off (don't wanna any burn-ins) and then turn it on again after You return.


It's mostly about the 4k 120Hz+ displays - their price is just ridiculous. Lower res models are acceptable - I just got Gigabyte M32Q (1440p 170Hz with wide gamut) for ~350$.

Screensavers are your friend. Other than that these Samsung panels will probably still need to run compensation cycles in standby so turning display off whenever you're away might be a no-no.

Like @TheLostSwede said, QD-OLED is a new tech, it will take time before we'll get first reports on actual burn-in issues.

 

[trsttte]

That this version of HDR is still nonsense.

I disagree, this is very far from what HDR400 or 600 are able to deliver. If you look at the specs, the most significat downgrade you get from HDR1000 is peak luminance required but you also get a massive upgrade in the contrast requirements - mainly because they do a better test.

If anything, HDR should be scrapped entirely and be replaced by True Black that fixes some of it's initial flaws. HDR1000 has been rare in the monitor space imo because monitor manufacturers have been surprisingly honest at not trying to make a mockery of the standard but as has been seen a couple times it's not that difficult to pass even HDR1000 certification with a sub par crappy edge lit panel (Sceptre C345B-QUN168 as an example)

 

[Dr_b_]

Does anyone else prefer flat screens vs curved? Having tried 2 different curved widescreens, and gone back to flat, for some reason didn't appreciate the curve

 

[xtreemchaos]

very nice, good price too shame i havnt the eyes for it .

 

[Udyr]

While LG OLEDs can be great as monitors, especially the upcoming 42" one, there's one minor problem - TVs don't have the "sleep/wake-up" function, when You do anything on Your PC. So everytime You walk away from Your computer You'd have to remember to turn the screen off (don't wanna any burn-ins) and then turn it on again after You return.


It's mostly about the 4k 120Hz+ displays - their price is just ridiculous. Lower res models are acceptable - I just got Gigabyte M32Q (1440p 170Hz with wide gamut) for ~350$.

I set my PC to turn off the display after 15 minutes, my old (2014) Samsung TV goes to "no display detected" and turns off automatically after another 10 minutes or so (depending on how long I set it on).

 

[Tomorrow]

$1300 i very competitive. Especially considering that the G-Sync module costs about $200 by itself and Alienware is always higher priced compared to other monitor manufacturers in the gaming category (well except ASUS perhaps).
Thankfully Samsung Display is allowed to sell QD-OLED panels to others so i have no doubt we will see cheaper alternatives. Perhaps even under $999 (tho not by much).

Im rather suprised tho at the supposedly weak HDR performance of this panel. It seems like LCD's still hold and edge in terms of brightness. Especially Mini-LED ones that are supposed to be half step between LED and Micro-LED.
But for a first generation product QD-OLED seems to be pretty strong overall. Im sure they will increase brightness with 2nd gen panels.

Nvidia should get off its ass and produce an updated G-Sync module that has HDMI 2.1 and DP 2.0 included. Because currently the only advantage a native G-Sync module has compared to G-Sync compatible certification is variable overdrive. Meaning a consistant experience across the refresh range. Diplays that lack variable overdrive often suffer at lower refresh rates in terms of ghosting or other artifacts related to overdrive.
Tho it is possible to properly tune the overdrive to play nice across the range without the module. Problem is that most manufactures dont bother doing it.

 

[dir_d]

ill keep my 48 c1, I want to see a 2nd gen 16:9, flat monitor with HDMI 2.1

 

[Dammeron]

I set my PC to turn off the display after 15 minutes, my old (2014) Samsung TV goes to "no display detected" and turns off automatically after another 10 minutes or so (depending on how long I set it on).

Still - for the 15min Your display can show nice white planes and tables in excel, or some light coloured website. Whether we want it, or not, OLEDs still do require some care if we want them to work their best.

 

[Udyr]

Still - for the 15min Your display can show nice white planes and tables in excel, or some light coloured website. Whether we want it, or not, OLEDs still do require some care if we want them to work their best.

Absolutely. The 15 minutes was an example, cause that's what I set up to, but you can set it up to as low as 1 minute. The TV will go to no display and turn off.

 

[Nater]

I actually expected a higher price, this isn't too bad.

Right!

I was fully expecting an "if you have to ask..." price.

 

[Valantar]

That this version of HDR is still nonsense.

Is it though? HDR is mainly about colour space and dynamic range after all, not absolute brightness, and lowering the black level is the easiest way of increasing overall dynamic range (halving the black point is a much smaller change than doubling peak white, after all). I'd imagine even HDR400 True Black can exceed the HDR-minimum 13 stops of DR easily. At 1 nit of minimum brightness you'll need 1000 nits peak just to reach 10 stops (and 2000 for 11 stops, etc.), but cutting that to even 0,02 nits - 40 times brighter than the HDR400 true black permissible black level - sees you hitting 13 stops at just ~160 nits, and 15 stops at ~650 nits. Of course you'll need a reasonably dark room to experience this, and it certainly isn't suited for a brightly lit room. But whether something is true HDR or not is quite separate from whether it's able to display perceptible HDR in any given setting. So if this has decent near-black performance and can hit 1000 nits for small flashes of light, it's probably going to deliver a pretty great HDR experience as long as the room isn't too bright. All the while, most high-end FALD LCDs can at best reach black levels of 0.05 nits, meaning they need much higher peak brightness to display the same dynamic range - ~410 nits to hit 13 stops, and 1600 nits for 15. OLEDs still really struggle in brightly lit rooms - that's why we went Samsung QLED in our living room - but you can't deny their HDR prowess.

Regular HDR400 is pretty much nonsense, especially as those monitors rarely have anything like FALD and thus don't come even remotely close to 0,05 nits black on a screen with a bright spot, but HDR400 True Black can deliver pretty good HDR as long as the room isn't too bright.

(For anyone wondering: contrast ratio is a pretty decent indicator of HDR performance for non-FALD displays, as it maps directly to dynamic range. 1000:1 contrast ratio = ~10 stops of dynamic range, 3000:1 = ~11.5 stops, etc. For true HDR you need at least 8000:1 effective contrast ratio, though that's highly dependent on how close your two measurement points are and the dimming zones of the monitor. Techspot/Hardware Unboxed's bar of 50 000:1 best case single frame contrast and 5 000:1 checkerboard contrast is a pretty good bar for good HDR - and AFAIK the only monitors to hit that bar are the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 and that insane $4000 Asus one, with the Predator X35 coming very close, while an LG C1 48" hits it easily.)

This chart illustrates well how LCDs struggle to achieve good HDR results without cranking the brightness, while OLEDs can do it without breaking a sweat:

 

[Fluffmeister]

Price doesn't seem too bad considering it's such new tech, bodes well for future releases I guess.

While LG OLEDs can be great as monitors, especially the upcoming 42" one, there's one minor problem - TVs don't have the "sleep/wake-up" function, when You do anything on Your PC. So everytime You walk away from Your computer You'd have to remember to turn the screen off (don't wanna any burn-ins) and then turn it on again after You return.


It's mostly about the 4k 120Hz+ displays - their price is just ridiculous. Lower res models are acceptable - I just got Gigabyte M32Q (1440p 170Hz with wide gamut) for ~350$.

One of the reasons I went for a QN90A is I did want to have to worry about burn in (or uneven wear) as I bought it specifially to used as a monitor, despite all the screen real estate I always have the habit of keeping my browser window centered too, which would make me uncomfortable on a OLED day in day out. Tick all the other boxes too of 4K, 120Hz, VRR, great HDR etc.

 

[Tomorrow]

Anther good mitigation is using dark themes whenever possible. It's easier on the eyes (especially at night or after waking up) but also lowers power consumption and extends monitor lifetime (even LCD's not just OLED's).

The first thing i do on an LCD is lower the brightness to 30-50%. By default they come out of factory with 100%. 400nits is too much. Around 150-200 is much better for daily use. Especially combined with dark mode.

 

[trsttte]

Anther good mitigation is using dark themes whenever possible. It's easier on the eyes (especially at night or after waking up) but also lowers power consumption and extends monitor lifetime (even LCD's not just OLED's).

The first thing i do on an LCD is lower the brightness to 30-50%. By default they come out of factory with 100%. 400nits is too much. Around 150-200 is much better for daily use. Especially combined with dark mode.

I keep my monitor at 100% pretty much always but it's also only a 250 nits panel

I'll replace it as soon as there's something worth buying (anything would be an upgrade but I'm not into insane refresh rates and don't want to waste money on the same expensive rehashed panels that have been out for years with barely any improvements - qd-oled might very well be it).

 

[goodeedidid]

Might be better just top get the new LG C2 42-inch than this.

 

[Makaveli]

Does anyone else prefer flat screens vs curved? Having tried 2 different curved widescreens, and gone back to flat, for some reason didn't appreciate the curve

My Current Ultrawide has a 1900R curve which is very mild. I don't like1000R which is a very aggressive curve.

 

[THU31]

Prices of these monitors are ridiculous. You can get an OLED TV at this price (or cheaper), run a custom 3840x1600 res on it and get 120 Hz, perfect blacks and awesome HDR.

 

[goodeedidid]

Prices of these monitors are ridiculous. You can get an OLED TV at this price (or cheaper), run a custom 3840x1600 res on it and get 120 Hz, perfect blacks and awesome HDR.

That is why the LG C2 42-inch will be a wicked option for gaming.. you get so much more than just a simple computer monitor

 

[Tomorrow]

Might be better just top get the new LG C2 42-inch than this.

Not everyone has space for a tall 42" model. Plus it has agressive auto brightness that cant be turned off.

Prices of these monitors are ridiculous. You can get an OLED TV at this price (or cheaper), run a custom 3840x1600 res on it and get 120 Hz, perfect blacks and awesome HDR.

How so? 1300 (1100 without the G-Sync module) is roughly the same price is see the current 48" CX model being sold. Even cheaper than higher size OLED's.
So the price is very competitive like others have said. Sure it has slightly lower resolution (3440x1440) but it's also more compact to fit on a desk and has higher 175Hz refreshrate.

 

[lexluthermiester]

That this version of HDR is still nonsense.

I'm not as impressed with HDR as most seem to be. To me, it's not the killer feature it's being made out as.

 

[Totally]

I'll wait for the AW382# version to be released.

Not everyone has space for a tall 42" model. Plus it has agressive auto brightness that cant be turned off.

How so? 1300 (1100 without the G-Sync module) is roughly the same price is see the current 48" CX model being sold. Even cheaper than higher size OLED's.
So the price is very competitive like others have said. Sure it has slightly lower resolution (3440x1440) but it's also more compact to fit on a desk and has higher 175Hz refreshrate.

I don't even understand why the comparison is being made. They're two different products with staggered production cycles. This isn't replacing the 38" it's replacing the previous 34" that was discontinued last year. The current 38 is most likely going to be discontinued this year and refreshed the following.

 

[Vayra86]

Is it though? HDR is mainly about colour space and dynamic range after all, not absolute brightness, and lowering the black level is the easiest way of increasing overall dynamic range (halving the black point is a much smaller change than doubling peak white, after all). I'd imagine even HDR400 True Black can exceed the HDR-minimum 13 stops of DR easily. At 1 nit of minimum brightness you'll need 1000 nits peak just to reach 10 stops (and 2000 for 11 stops, etc.), but cutting that to even 0,02 nits - 40 times brighter than the HDR400 true black permissible black level - sees you hitting 13 stops at just ~160 nits, and 15 stops at ~650 nits. Of course you'll need a reasonably dark room to experience this, and it certainly isn't suited for a brightly lit room. But whether something is true HDR or not is quite separate from whether it's able to display perceptible HDR in any given setting. So if this has decent near-black performance and can hit 1000 nits for small flashes of light, it's probably going to deliver a pretty great HDR experience as long as the room isn't too bright. All the while, most high-end FALD LCDs can at best reach black levels of 0.05 nits, meaning they need much higher peak brightness to display the same dynamic range - ~410 nits to hit 13 stops, and 1600 nits for 15. OLEDs still really struggle in brightly lit rooms - that's why we went Samsung QLED in our living room - but you can't deny their HDR prowess.

Regular HDR400 is pretty much nonsense, especially as those monitors rarely have anything like FALD and thus don't come even remotely close to 0,05 nits black on a screen with a bright spot, but HDR400 True Black can deliver pretty good HDR as long as the room isn't too bright.

(For anyone wondering: contrast ratio is a pretty decent indicator of HDR performance for non-FALD displays, as it maps directly to dynamic range. 1000:1 contrast ratio = ~10 stops of dynamic range, 3000:1 = ~11.5 stops, etc. For true HDR you need at least 8000:1 effective contrast ratio, though that's highly dependent on how close your two measurement points are and the dimming zones of the monitor. Techspot/Hardware Unboxed's bar of 50 000:1 best case single frame contrast and 5 000:1 checkerboard contrast is a pretty good bar for good HDR - and AFAIK the only monitors to hit that bar are the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 and that insane $4000 Asus one, with the Predator X35 coming very close, while an LG C1 48" hits it easily.)

This chart illustrates well how LCDs struggle to achieve good HDR results without cranking the brightness, while OLEDs can do it without breaking a sweat:

Exactly this.

When VESA started their DisplayHDR spec it was clear as day - literally - that it served shitty LCDs with overtuned backlights. Even so they 'needed' 4-5 different labels to create product segmentation where anything up to and IMHO including HDR600 was just a total PoS, or more of the same nonsense we saw ever since marketing invented 'dynamic brightness'. Its just the next step really to fool us into thinking what we have now is some sort of standard...

Meanwhile after several decades of 'innovation' the only real gain over CRT is resolution and perhaps color accuracy. Not motion response; not black levels and not even static contrast. All those are thrown in the shitter with LCD no matter how many cool stickers you invent.

Vesa then saw OLED enter the market and finally managed to adopt a real standard... even still needing several stickers but now the standard is in fact 'honest' - it provides limitations for a tangible improvement in your viewing experience. True Black is really just 'any self emissive display' and yet, by being yet another sticker in the VESA stickerworld, fooled customers compare it to LCD stickers as if that is even remotely comparable. And VESA achieved some level if credibility and even premium 'feel' for so called 'top' HDR1000 screens.

LCD is still inferior as it always will be. 1000 nits meant nothing other than more fools and money parted while looking straight into a light bulb. Common sense, really, should have dictated extreme peak brightness is never going to be comfortable looking at. The real differentiatior was always 'static contrast'; the reason VA was a nice in between over IPS.

HDR is ultimately 'contrast steps'. If your black 'floor' is low, you have much better control over the entire brightness range. Its a total no brainer OLED is most capable here.