A screen that has no successor

This is a side story about how computer displays follow the TV mainstream.

Curved TVs no more

Curved TVs were discontinued years ago, and big curved 16:9 computer screens went with them. TVs are watched from a distance, while curvature works best up close, so the industry was right to stop making curved TVs.

Production lines split

Computer displays need curvature and TVs don’t, so their technologies and manufacturing processes went separate ways. Somehow entertainment won over productivity, and ultra-wide screens came to dominate big computer displays. Ultra-wide is better for cinema movies, games and video editing.

Without the TV industry behind them, displays like mine - a 40-inch 16:9 Philips - can’t be bought new anymore. Today the biggest curved 16:9 display I’ve seen is a 32-inch Samsung.

Why a big 16:9?

A better question is who it’s for: anybody who works with code, text or websites. Text and websites need vertical space more than horizontal - websites especially, as the tall smartphone layout dominates the web. A huge 16:9 is the most versatile: it works like two big, almost square screens side by side, or like a single TV. An ultra-wide only fits more windows, while a huge 16:9 can also give each window more content.

Thank God 3:2 laptops are getting more popular, so at least one window on them has a proper height.

Hail to the BDM4037UW

It’s getting old and its response time is sluggish, but the blacks and colours are still great, and it’s curved and huge (no scaling needed - like four 20-inch Full HD screens without bezels). For work, movies, self-development and casual gaming it still has no competition, and used units often sell for more than they cost new.

I’d like to see a modern panel that is even bigger and more curved. I probably need to wait for 8K to become mainstream :(.

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