Where have all the large monitors gone?

Question

Back in about 2016, I bought a 4K 40" display from one of those no-name South Korean brands on ebay (the AMH A399U), for just under $500. Great monitor, served me well for years, couldn't bring it with me in my last move.Fast forward to 2024, and I'd like a replacement (and ideally after a decade there'd be an option with a higher-than-60Hz refresh rate, and/or higher-than-300nits brightness). On doing some research there is... very little like that on the market.4K displays have all shrunk to 32 inches (or even 27), which I find too small for a large desk setup. All the >32 inch displays are in weird widescreen aspect ratios, and most of them sacrifice significant vertical resolution. Or one can go up to 43"+, where all the panels seem to be repruposed TVs, many of them with text rendering issues (no 4:4:4 chroma), and/or OLEDs with text rendering issues + burn-in risk, which makes them kind of suspect for coding work.Is there any surviving (even off-brand) source of 38"+ 4K displays in a standard 16:9 aspect ratio?

mg · Accepted Answer

I maintain this comparison chart of currently available large monitors:https://www.productchart.com/monitors/largeMaybe it helps. If a specific large monitor is missing, let me know.

gtirloni · Answer

Ergonomics suggests most people should sit almost 2 meters away from a 40+ monitors. Not many people have desks with that depth so manufacturers probably don't sell a lot of these units (this lower availability).

jnwatson · Answer

OLED is by far the best type of monitor for text. New OLEDs have about the same burn-in risk as old CRTs.I use a 43 inch LG C3 TV. It is "smart", but at least the smarts are slightly useful, in that I have automations that control it.

nonamesleft · Answer

38"? ASUS ROG PG38UQ, 144Hz ips 4k (bought one recently as i wanted a >35" 4k ips with atleast then 120Hz), and from what i can gather it is the only ips screen those specs so far. (I am afraid of oled burnin as i tend to use my monitors for decade+.)

karmakaze · Answer

I have an older version of this LG 42.5" 4k monitor[0]. This version has 60W USB-C PD along with being an a/v input. It's good for office-type use. Not great if you want a wide color gamut or deep blacks. I find that I don't use the full height, but there's really nothing in-between this and 21:9 monitors. I also have a 34" 21:9 but find it a bit short. Next time I might go with a 32" 16:9 with VA pixels (or IPS Black from LG/Dell).[0] https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-43un700-b-4k-uhd-led-monit...

mstaoru · Answer

I'm using a 40" 5K Lenovo P40w-20, it's a 21:9 (5120x2160) IPS panel with 75 Hz refresh rate.
The problem with 2 monitors is that for me it inevitably falls into a "primary" and "one I occasionally glance at" pair.
With 21:9 I split into 3 columns which are 7:9 each and still have enough pixels (~1700x2160) for crisp text. Browser on the left, IDE in the middle, and terminal on the right. I very rarely use any other windows, so having everything accessible at a glance is great.
It also charges my laptop at 96W via Thunderbolt 4.
The only issue is that this panel (used in Dell and LG 40" too) is somewhat dim.

LorenPechtel · Answer

How about multiple monitors? That's been my solution--I'm currently running with my main monitors being 3x 19" @ 1280x1024. These screens are ancient, these days I see nothing comparable.

ben_cog · Answer

Dell UltraSharp 43" 4K (@60Hz) Monitor. Have been buying them for years, will likely keep doing so.

MichaelMug · Answer

I don't have a solution for you. But a question: what scale do you use with a 40" 4k monitor? 100%, 150%, 200%?Also, I've been using an LG OLED C2 which has Chroma 444. Another issue with OLED is "pixel shift" to counter to burn in. I'm fairly sure I can tell when it happens, or something else is happening and I don't know what.

coumbaya · Answer

I got an LG UltraFine 43UN700-B 3 years ago, couldn't be happier (well, maybe with a higher refresh rate, but for dev it's enough). 43 seems big at first glance but I got used to it super fast.

scotty79 · Answer

Lg oled tv is a cool replacement for a monitor.Hdmi 2.1 output required for 4k 120hz

sans_souse · Answer

"Smart" happened. I miss my dumb electronics.

ssivark · Answer

Could someone elaborate on why large TVs don&rsquo;t make good monitors, and what aspects one should check for when trying to repurpose one?

johnea · Answer

I'm using a 75" 4K "monitor" as I type this.For some reason they call it a "TV", whatever that is...

aosaigh · Answer

Last I checked there weren&rsquo;t even any decent non-Apple high-density 32&rdquo; monitors available, let alone 40&rdquo;

Where have all the large monitors gone?

I maintain this comparison chart of currently available large monitors:
https://www.productchart.com/monitors/large
Maybe it helps. If a specific large monitor is missing, let me know.

Ergonomics suggests most people should sit almost 2 meters away from a 40+ monitors. Not many people have desks with that depth so manufacturers probably don't sell a lot of these units (this lower availability).

OLED is by far the best type of monitor for text. New OLEDs have about the same burn-in risk as old CRTs.
I use a 43 inch LG C3 TV. It is "smart", but at least the smarts are slightly useful, in that I have automations that control it.

38"? ASUS ROG PG38UQ, 144Hz ips 4k (bought one recently as i wanted a >35" 4k ips with atleast then 120Hz), and from what i can gather it is the only ips screen those specs so far. (I am afraid of oled burnin as i tend to use my monitors for decade+.)

How about multiple monitors? That's been my solution--I'm currently running with my main monitors being 3x 19" @ 1280x1024. These screens are ancient, these days I see nothing comparable.

Dell UltraSharp 43" 4K (@60Hz) Monitor. Have been buying them for years, will likely keep doing so.

I got an LG UltraFine 43UN700-B 3 years ago, couldn't be happier (well, maybe with a higher refresh rate, but for dev it's enough). 43 seems big at first glance but I got used to it super fast.

Lg oled tv is a cool replacement for a monitor.
Hdmi 2.1 output required for 4k 120hz

"Smart" happened. I miss my dumb electronics.

Could someone elaborate on why large TVs don’t make good monitors, and what aspects one should check for when trying to repurpose one?

I'm using a 75" 4K "monitor" as I type this.
For some reason they call it a "TV", whatever that is...

Last I checked there weren’t even any decent non-Apple high-density 32” monitors available, let alone 40”