Confused and unable to choose between a curved vs a flat screen TV? Worry not, we’re here to educate you enough so that you can easily judge between the two TV screen styles and choose which one is best for you.
We won’t pick one for you, we’ll only guide you so you are able to make an informed decision.
Let’s dig in!
What Is a Curved TV and How Does It Work?
This is all about not-flat TVs - they don’t have to be flat. Curved televisions first made their debut at CES 2013 may not be apparent, but the trend started there. Manufacturers were trying to figure out how to implement OLED, which was still relatively new at the time.
It was IMAX projectors that came up with the idea for a curve. With their overwhelming panoramic displays, they have mimicked human eyes to extend the impact of the experience. In fact, consumers should be able to enjoy exactly the same experience in their living rooms thanks to companies like Samsung and LG.
We were not able to accomplish what we had hoped. With an IMAX projection, you see everything on the screen, while a 55-inch TV in your living room shows you just part of it. Nevertheless, consumers concluded that was the case, and sales numbers were low as a result. Although you can still find some Samsung curved TVs here and there, the company started moving away from them a few years ago.
It is more difficult to view a curved TV using a flat screen, and they exhibit poorer viewing angles. A curved screen also means steeper prices, however most of this cost is due to the fact that only TVs of higher price ranges feature them. It’s mainly the design that attracts you to curved televisions.
A curved TV does not handle reflections the same way as a flat TV due to its shape. As the curved TV is curved, it covers a greater area with light. In contrast, flat screens have harsher reflections since the light reflects directly back and does not span the entire screen when it reflects.
Advantages Of Curved TVs
Curved screens provide more depth and a wider field of view as they move closer to the edges of the screen.
Besides improving the viewing experience, this improves the eye’s health as well since you have to move your eyes less.
For this to be utilized to its full potential, a TV would need to be very large, over 85 inches diagonally is what we are talking about. The degree of immersion is subtle when viewing curved TVs because modern curved TVs are 55-inch or 65-inch monitors.
Disadvantages Of Curved TVs
It is recommended that you should watch your curved TV from a particular angle and distance. A curved TV aligned as a circle would have the ideal viewing distance if it were at its center.
With a curvature radius of 4200R, a TV’s screen center would be 14.78 feet away from 4.2 meters (*13 meters).
As one sits further away from the screen, the curvature is less obvious. As one sits too close, the TV appears too big and defeats the purpose of the curved picture.
Moreover, curved TVs provide the best viewing experience when someone is sitting directly in front of them, so when multiple people are watching the screen at different angles, that extra immersion is lost.
In summary, curved TVs usually look better than flat ones, but mounted on the wall they look odd, but this is entirely up to the individual.
What is a flat TV and how does it work?
There are different types of flat-screen panels that have different viewing angles. The viewing angles on IPS panels are better than on VA panels for TVs. The image quality of OLED televisions stays the same when viewed from a different angle. If you have a glossy screen, reflections are rarely an issue with flat TVs as well.
A flat screen television’s design blends seamlessly with its surroundings. Straight lines can also be found on your Blu-ray player, audio system, and console. This flat design is ideal for wall-mounted TVs. That’s fine, if you like it. Thinner TVs make excellent wall paintings because they are so easy to hang.
There are many different options available if you choose a flat television. There are all kinds of flat TVs. Whether you want a TV that meets your budget, your interior design, or your image-quality needs, you can easily find a television that can meet your needs. If you want the best image quality, go for a model at a higher price. They also have more image-enhancing technologies, just like curved televisions do.
Advantages of Flat Screen TVs
There is a wide variety of native resolutions available with plasmas and LCDs. With plasma, you get more contrast, deeper blacks, and somewhat oversaturated colors as compared to CRT.
The LCD display, however, has (from our testing so far) a more realistic, natural balance, better color accuracy, and a more detailed display. If you are a videophile, LCD can therefore offer a lot.
LCDs and plasma both are capable of producing beautiful images, but their qualities differ. Both are equally good. Ultimately, deciding whether plasma or LCD, as well as a non-flat screen alternative, is best for you will depend on what type of image you want to see, as well as other factors like size and cost.
With flatscreen TVs, there is no need to darken the room, as is necessary with front-projectors. Just like traditional televisions, these units can perform well in open areas. The brightness of LCDs is usually higher than that of plasma, but this is not likely to be the deciding factor when choosing between the two technologies.
A flat screen TV’s slim design is especially appealing to apartment dwellers and homeowners with small homes. Hanging a plasma or LCD TV on the wall takes up no floor space, because they are no thicker than 4 inches.
It is possible to view flat screen televisions horizontally or vertically while observing them at oblique angles without too much degradation of image quality. This allows them to accommodate viewers who view the screen from wide angles while in the viewing room. Consequently, they can better be viewed head-on at eye level than rear-projection TVs that require a direct gaze.
The use of multi-speaker surround sound systems is also very popular with people going to large screen displays. Flatscreen TVs, however, generally have better audio than old televisions, so you don’t need to make that upgrade if you don’t want to. You don’t have to install a surround sound system all at once even if you do want one in the future. On the other hand, the audio component needs to be set up along with the front projection system from the start.
Disadvantages of Flat Screen TVs
Flatscreen TVs are by far the most expensive video products on the market in terms of their cost per diagonal inch of screen surface. Currently, LCDs are more expensive than plasmas. There is now a $1,100 difference in pricing between 42″ plasma and LCD televisions. However, this price difference is expected to shrink in the coming months as LCD flat screens become more affordable.
A LCD flatscreen has a higher resolution than a plasma at the time of writing this. There is presently no plasma television or LCD TV on the market with a native 1080-line resolution like Sharp’s 45-inch LCD TV. The maximum resolution of plasmas at the moment is 1366×768.
There are currently four different sizes of LCD TV on the market, going from a gigantic 45″ diagonal to a modest 13″. The smallest plasma TV currently available is 37″ diagonal, and they go up to about 65″. (In fact, they can go all the way down to wrist watch size, depending on how loosely you define “television.”).
Currently, LCD and plasma televisions are available for 37″ to 45″ screens, although there are differences between these sizes. Below 37″, LCDs only, and above 50″, plasma only. Plasma and LCD televisions will undoubtedly get bigger in the future. Front-projectors are the only cost-effective way to display an image with a diagonal of 80 inches or larger.
Curved vs Flat TV: So Which One to Choose?
Choosing curved screens over flat screens really involves personal preference, and some people may simply prefer the way they handle reflections.
Curved screen TVs were once the rage, but manufacturers have since returned to flat screens. If you have a wide seating arrangement, curved screens are actually a worse choice because you cannot see the edges properly from the side. Curved screens look better, but they don’t offer any improved picture quality over flat screens.
Compared with a flat screen, the curved screen has a few advantages, such as appearing larger if you sit close to it, and reflecting light less strongly. These characteristics are not as important as they might seem. It’s likely that your next television will be flat, since there are only a handful of curved TVs coming out in 2021.
If you ask us to decide for you, we’d say that you definitely should go with a flat screen TV, and the reason(s) for this you already know from reading the article.