Samsung Odyssey ARK 55" 4K Gaming monitor

[xDiVolatilX]

They will prolly fix the hdmi issue and allow 3 different sources into the the display at the same time. But the real issue is the 3500 dollar price tag? It's just not worth it considering. Also 55 is just too big. 50 is the absolute MAX for me who loves big ass displays lol

 

[kasakka]

They will prolly fix the hdmi issue and allow 3 different sources into the the display at the same time. But the real issue is the 3500 dollar price tag? It's just not worth it considering. Also 55 is just too big. 50 is the absolute MAX for me who loves big ass displays lol

Why do you think they would do that? My guess is the display simply does not have the hardware to run multiple HDMI sources.

Remember the 55" is heavily curved so it becomes a different situation from a flat 55". With the curvature you can keep it a bit closer. I don't disagree that it's larger than I'd like (under 50" would be nicer) but I guess they expect people to use this somewhere between 80-100 cm viewing distance and mostly as multiple screens. The PPI is kinda low even then but maybe it's a comfortable size with 100% scaling since this doesn't suffer from issues with text rendering like OLEDs do.

 

[MistaSparkul]

Why do you think they would do that? My guess is the display simply does not have the hardware to run multiple HDMI sources.

Remember the 55" is heavily curved so it becomes a different situation from a flat 55". With the curvature you can keep it a bit closer. I don't disagree that it's larger than I'd like (under 50" would be nicer) but I guess they expect people to use this somewhere between 80-100 cm viewing distance and mostly as multiple screens. The PPI is kinda low even then but maybe it's a comfortable size with 100% scaling since this doesn't suffer from issues with text rendering like OLEDs do.

That's assuming it's RGB stripe subpixels, but it could very well be BGR which is just as bad if not worst than WRGB found on LG OLEDs.

 

[DoubleTap]

This is a dumb product with what might be a game changer feature: virtualized inputs
It's too wide to have speakers on my desk (they would be too far apart)
The vert mode is a chiropractors dream
Refresh rate too low

but if you can run virtualized inputs on a high refresh, high rez panel and move and scale the inputs at will - that is the leap we need in screen tech.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

Why do you think they would do that? My guess is the display simply does not have the hardware to run multiple HDMI sources.

Remember the 55" is heavily curved so it becomes a different situation from a flat 55". With the curvature you can keep it a bit closer. I don't disagree that it's larger than I'd like (under 50" would be nicer) but I guess they expect people to use this somewhere between 80-100 cm viewing distance and mostly as multiple screens. The PPI is kinda low even then but maybe it's a comfortable size with 100% scaling since this doesn't suffer from issues with text rendering like OLEDs do.

Not sure it was a pretty big oversight not to allow multiple sources or it was too complicated to pull it off. Seems much easier to split multi-screen through windows by itself I presume.

Yea I figured the curve would help, but not enough to overcome the size at 55". I have the 50 and have had a 50 about the last 10 years with the exception of a 32" in between. I tried the 55 once and immediately returned it. The difference from 50 to 55 might not seem like much but in practice it actually is a very substantial difference. With the 50 I feel like it is the maximum immersion where you forget about the size and are into the game while being able to see all 4 corners relatively comfortably from your peripheral (remember I've been rocking 50s for years stretching way back to when 3D TVs were all the rage, so I am very comfortable with 50s) but the 55 is completely out of the question lol. Also 100 scaling would be impossible because you don't want the screen that close to your face because you wouldn't be able to appreciate the brightness it has to offer in HDR. There is a balance of 150 scaling in windows at a certain 30-40 inches 100 scaling would be too small unless you have Supermans vision lol.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

This is a dumb product with what might be a game changer feature: virtualized inputs
It's too wide to have speakers on my desk (they would be too far apart)
The vert mode is a chiropractors dream
Refresh rate too low

but if you can run virtualized inputs on a high refresh, high rez panel and move and scale the inputs at will - that is the leap we need in screen tech.

Refresh rate is not too low It's 165hz heck even 144hz is perfect for 4k lol you're a bit overzealous 240 is for hardcore competitive shooters otherwise it is negligible to even appreciate it combined with likely next gen gpus won't be able to push 240 hz at 4k even if they can the CPU will be stressing to keep up.

 

[DoubleTap]

Refresh rate is not too low It's 165hz heck even 144hz is perfect for 4k lol you're a bit overzealous 240 is for hardcore competitive shooters otherwise it is negligible to even appreciate it combined with likely next gen gpus won't be able to push 240 hz at 4k even if they can the CPU will be stressing to keep up.

Not everyone is so easily pleased.
Regardless, this is probably the future of monitors and could be a good reason for getting an 8k panel - if it lets you run multiple, virtualized/scaled inputs.
In 5 years or so, we may see monitors that let you run portions at 240 hz and other portions at a lower refresh rate.

 

[kasakka]

Not everyone is so easily pleased.
Regardless, this is probably the future of monitors and could be a good reason for getting an 8k panel - if it lets you run multiple, virtualized/scaled inputs.
In 5 years or so, we may see monitors that let you run portions at 240 hz and other portions at a lower refresh rate.

I can already run my Samsung CRG9 at different refresh rates in Picture by Picture mode if needed but it's just nicer to run both at the max 100 Hz it supports in that mode. So the tech exists but it just needs to trickle down and be made better.

My ideal display would be a 8K screen somewhere in the 40" region capable of multiple simultaneous inputs and also capable of higher refresh rates at lower resolutions since integer scaling is possible at 4K, 1440p and 1080p. Use desktop at 8K, game at lower res. I'm hoping that once Displayport 2.0 is more common we start to see something like this as the 8K option at the moment are stupid - 32" display panels and then 70+" TVs.

I would also love to see operating systems allow virtual desktop regions for swapping between desktops so using multiple inputs would not be necessary to get multiple virtual desktops.

 

[DoubleTap]

I can already run my Samsung CRG9 at different refresh rates in Picture by Picture mode if needed but it's just nicer to run both at the max 100 Hz it supports in that mode. So the tech exists but it just needs to trickle down and be made better.

My ideal display would be a 8K screen somewhere in the 40" region capable of multiple simultaneous inputs and also capable of higher refresh rates at lower resolutions since integer scaling is possible at 4K, 1440p and 1080p. Use desktop at 8K, game at lower res. I'm hoping that once Displayport 2.0 is more common we start to see something like this as the 8K option at the moment are stupid - 32" display panels and then 70+" TVs.

I would also love to see operating systems allow virtual desktop regions for swapping between desktops so using multiple inputs would not be necessary to get multiple virtual desktops.

My understanding was that on the CRG9 (and most/all P by P monitors) that you are generally locked to 60hz when you run multiple inputs.

This kind of system would be the killer app for an 8k display but personally, I think wide aspect ratios are always better on the desktop because that 55" ARK sits way too high and is going t hurt your neck. A panel that is about 50% wider than a normal 40-42" 4K monitor would be about right in my opinion. And I love that Samsung lets you multi the smart tv stuff with your PC.

 

[kasakka]

My understanding was that on the CRG9 (and most/all P by P monitors) that you are generally locked to 60hz when you run multiple inputs.

This kind of system would be the killer app for an 8k display but personally, I think wide aspect ratios are always better on the desktop because that 55" ARK sits way too high and is going t hurt your neck. A panel that is about 50% wider than a normal 40-42" 4K monitor would be about right in my opinion. And I love that Samsung lets you multi the smart tv stuff with your PC.

Not the case. The CRG9 drops from 120 -> 100 Hz and you get no HDR or VRR but otherwise it works fine. You can also set the refresh rate separate for each input and they seem to work together with e.g 100 Hz + 60 Hz.

Yeah the ARK seems way too high to me too in portrait mode.

 

[Vega]

I've been tossing around trying this out but not until a decent review with measurements come out. Ie: the pixel transition speed isn't awful, it can get really bright in HDR, the blooming isn't terrible etc.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

I've been tossing around trying this out but not until a decent review with measurements come out. Ie: the pixel transition speed isn't awful, it can get really bright in HDR, the blooming isn't terrible etc.

Yea it is definitely a badass monitor but not 3500 dollars plus tax badass lol considering i got a QN90B for 1175 the 50" model and it does pretty much the same HDR and same image quality and almost as fast at 144hz for 1/3 the price just without the curve I would say the QN90B is leaps and bounds ahead the better deal. The curve and 21 more fps aren't worth the extra couple grand more lol

 

[Vega]

Yea it is definitely a badass monitor but not 3500 dollars plus tax badass lol considering i got a QN90B for 1175 the 50" model and it does pretty much the same HDR and same image quality and almost as fast at 144hz for 1/3 the price just without the curve I would say the QN90B is leaps and bounds ahead the better deal. The curve and 21 more fps aren't worth the extra couple grand more lol

How is the blooming on the QN90B FALD in game mode? RTings says the separate zone count drops a lot.

 

[SoCali]

How is the blooming on the QN90B FALD in game mode? RTings says the separate zone count drops a lot.

If you thought the Neo G8 was bad the QN90B is far worse. It has 1/3 the zone count on a much bigger display that further homogenizes them in game mode.

 

[Vega]

Zone count isn't the end-all-be-all. My 85" QN90A in the living room picture quality and blooming levels with only slightly more zones (1320) absolutely destroys the G8.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

How is the blooming on the QN90B FALD in game mode? RTings says the separate zone count drops a lot.

I have both the QN90À in the living room and the QN90B in the PC room and honestly I can't tell the difference between them they both look fantastic. The only reason I bought the QN90B is because I literally punched a hole through the older Samsung TV we had in the living room so instead of buying a POS TV for the living room I just swapped the QN90À from the PC room to the living room and bought the QN90B for the PC room and honestly it was the best decision I made. Both TVs are gems I love them both lol.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

If you thought the Neo G8 was bad the QN90B is far worse. It has 1/3 the zone count on a much bigger display that further homogenizes them in game mode.

Lol dude you're ridiculous haha I have NEVER noticed blooming. Not even once lol I think It's hilarious how you type nonsense into threads about image quality when in reality whatever you say is non-existent and is not even an issue in the slightest bit but hey man It's a free country think what you want meanwhile I love my mini led TV's and wouldn't trade them for any other oled or "monitor" to me the QN series from Samsungs are in a league of their own and couldn't be happier that I have not 1 but 2 of them lol

 

[xDiVolatilX]

Zone count isn't the end-all-be-all. My 85" QN90A in the living room picture quality and blooming levels with only slightly more zones (1320) absolutely destroys the G8.

I agree the QN series looks noticably better than the G series monitors where as I can't tell a difference between the 90A or 90B. I'm sure there are subtle technical differences between the 90A and 90B but It's not even worth considering the differences because they are both phenomenal and bulletproof.

 

[Vega]

What sizes are your Q90A and B? On the B's, the 43 and 50" are a bit different technically versus the 55" and larger.

Quite hard to find information specific to the 43 and 50" besides they allow 144Hz whereas the 55+ are only 120 Hz and have Samsungs wide viewing angle tech.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

What sizes are your Q90A and B? On the B's, the 43 and 50" are a bit different technically versus the 55" and larger.

Quite hard to find information specific to the 43 and 50" besides they allow 144Hz whereas the 55+ are only 120 Hz and have Samsungs wide viewing angle tech.

I have the 50 for both. The 43 QNA is only 60hz and the 43 QNB has the pixel interference/light bleeding AOU defective panels that all 43 panels suffer from the Asus the gigabyte the Sammy's all of them are the same panels so the 43s are basically out of the question for me for one reason or another not just that I've realized that I appreciate the larger 50 size and believe it or not the 43 feels a bit too small lol.


Yea the 144hz on the 50 is sweet I love it especially at 4k It's right at the sweet spot. As far as information I wouldn't worry about it like the silly wannabe troll above posting trolling posts in every display thread with technical images about this and that measurements I've read all the tests all the numbers all the reviews don't need to be overly obsessed with meaningless measurement numbers to come and have pissing contests on the forums like the professional troll above lmao As you know the QN series is badass and you'll love it just as much as you appreciate your QNA with minor improvements *thumbs up*

 

[kasakka]

Yea the 144hz on the 50 is sweet I love it especially at 4k It's right at the sweet spot. As far as information I wouldn't worry about it like the silly wannabe troll above posting trolling posts in every display thread with technical images about this and that measurements I've read all the tests all the numbers all the reviews don't need to be overly obsessed with meaningless measurement numbers to come and have pissing contests on the forums like the professional troll above lmao As you know the QN series is badass and you'll love it just as much as you appreciate your QNA with minor improvements *thumbs up*

You are allowed to like something without having to become defensive about its flaws or call people trolls for highlighting those issues. Reviews exist so we can compare the measured results and decide what compromises are acceptable. If you are happy with the performance of your displays just keep using them.

For example I like both my Samsung CRG9 and G70A. The CRG9 has plenty of issues of its own and the G70A is complete crap for HDR. I still like both monitors a lot for different reasons.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

You are allowed to like something without having to become defensive about its flaws or call people trolls for highlighting those issues. Reviews exist so we can compare the measured results and decide what compromises are acceptable. If you are happy with the performance of your displays just keep using them.

For example I like both my Samsung CRG9 and G70A. The CRG9 has plenty of issues of its own and the G70A is complete crap for HDR. I still like both monitors a lot for different reasons.

Socali is a troll though he just called me "blind" how did you miss that yet notice me calling him out being a troll??? lol I have seen all the reviews and compared all the specs vs all the competition i know exactly it's strong/weak points no need to call anyone "blind" because that is literally trolling others being defensive about the point you are trying to make right? I'm not defensive I'm happy as can be haha he is the troll police and you are policing me calling him out for being a troll this was a good laugh lol

 

[xDiVolatilX]

Neo G8 objectively far out performs it as much as the blind guy above or yourself think otherwise.

Troll calls people blind all defensively yeah cool story dude go ahead and like his offending post lol

 

[Vega]

It is when comparing the rudimentary FALD algorithm of the G8 to a TV that actually is doing processing for zone transitions/content on screen.

Unlike the guy above who is utterly blind, the QN90B 43" is a bloomfest. The lightsabers in Obi Wan are huge spot lights on this TV.

Not to mention its atrociously slow in pixel response with lots of visible overshoot making the 144hz pointless:

View attachment 506994

Neo G8 objectively far out performs it as much as the blind guy above or yourself think otherwise. 7000:1 with FALD in game mode vs 22000:1 and far less blooming all while having pixel response as close to OLED as a non TN based LCD has ever come.

Look for yourself:

https://www.rtings.com/monitor/tool...s32bg85/33238/33710?usage=3623&threshold=0.10

EDIT: Forgot to mention the DSE on the 43" QN90B is laughably bad. My friend went through 4 and gave up. FALD grid on some, splotches everywhere, vertical bars, you name it.

I would give this Ark thing a try but I'm not dealing with hauling/unboxing such a huge and heavy display and then dealing with selling it locally when I realize I hate it.

Ya, not interested in purchasing the 43". 43" TV/Monitors have those trash BGR panels. G8 is out as once I saw those horrid scan lines, they cannot be un-seen. Not to mention the terrible AR sparkle film.

I have the 50 for both. The 43 QNA is only 60hz and the 43 QNB has the pixel interference/light bleeding AOU defective panels that all 43 panels suffer from the Asus the gigabyte the Sammy's all of them are the same panels so the 43s are basically out of the question for me for one reason or another not just that I've realized that I appreciate the larger 50 size and believe it or not the 43 feels a bit too small lol.


Yea the 144hz on the 50 is sweet I love it especially at 4k It's right at the sweet spot. As far as information I wouldn't worry about it like the silly wannabe troll above posting trolling posts in every display thread with technical images about this and that measurements I've read all the tests all the numbers all the reviews don't need to be overly obsessed with meaningless measurement numbers to come and have pissing contests on the forums like the professional troll above lmao As you know the QN series is badass and you'll love it just as much as you appreciate your QNA with minor improvements *thumbs up*

Can you confirm the 50" is RGB pixels? I cannot find any reliable/testing on the 50" specific panel.

EDIT: found this:



~1,000 nit HDR on the 50" isn't enough to make me switch.

 

[elvn]

Regarding the portrait mode scenario and the screen/window management tech:

I've been using a 43" 4k VA in portrait mode (tall) on heavy monitor arms on each side of my 48" OLED (and previously other central monitor) for years.

You can use a stream deck with a few stream deck plugins (and optionally also displayfusion if you want to get a little more functionality) - to manage app/window positions on the fly using the stream deck's buttons. I've essentially been doing what this screen can do sorting-wise, and what windows 11's window sorting popup does, for years now but with a lot more functionality. Still it's great to see similar functionality coming to more people who never thought to or bothered to take my route.


With the stream deck method, you get a lot more ability to customize your "tiles" or cell layouts. For example, I can do a single 2/3rds of the screen size bottom window and a 1/3rd top, or 60% / 40% breakdown or 40%/60% or whatever else I decide to define if I want to someday. I can also swap whatever is the active app window to a bunch of pre-set locations on the fly.

My side screens are samsung nu6900 4k VA 60hz screens with 6100:1 contrast ratio and accompanying black depth. Used for static apps and media windows and never having to drag windows around or resize them anymore (since I'm using the streamdeck to manage window positions), 60hz doesn't matter at all for the side screens.. I game on the center 48CX OLED "stage" screen. I spent about $350 - $390 for each of the portrait mode screens, plus a heavy stand. You can get a thin spine floor stand for about $150 that has full portrait mode spin. So a single 43" side 4k portrait mode screen and stand for~ $550 + (+ a $125 stream deck if you didn't have one already - though you get a lot more use out of one than window management really). My side screens are always fixed in portrait mode so why spend all of that early adoption money on the gaming features of the samsung curved 55" as a portrait mode screen? Why rotate and shrink your viewable gaming/media window when you could just put a different screen on the side in portrait mode?

The only thing is has over my method is the multiple inputs for PiP I guess. If I really wanted that I could do a video capture device and put that input in a window.


I could see it for central landscape gaming and media screen. You don't get the curved arch at the top in portrait mode when using flat screens like I am but like most reviewers said - you generally keep your lowest priority content on the top cell when stacking 3 high, and at the right view distance and tilt you really don't need that overarching curve in the first place vertically. I do recommend a good chair with a full headrest that supports your head in the neutral position though, and a chair with arms that can align fully with your desk/peripheral surface and support your elbows, forearms and wrists fully. I sit back 38"+ up to 48" away from my large screens.

A 1000R curve is a fixed focal point of 1000mm or 39.4" viewing distance. That's only around 61 PPD on this 55" screen - which is just "good enough" for aggressive AA and massaged text subsampling to compensate enough. Still it could be better. 900R capable 42" 4k screens are at 70PPD for example and when viewed at 1000R curvature are 77PPD.

I've been tossing around trying this out but not until a decent review with measurements come out. Ie: the pixel transition speed isn't awful, it can get really bright in HDR, the blooming isn't terrible etc.

I'd have to rewatch but I think some of the video reviews of this said it had bright HDR and not bad blooming. Idk about the transition speed. The PPD isn't great though imo and since it's a fixed focal point of the curve at ~ 39.4" view distance you are stuck at 61 PPD. It would have been better on a 48" or even 42" screen imo at 4k rez. Someday a giant wall of 8k rez might make sense with the ability to run a smaller (~ 4k) gaming rez letterboxed in the middle (or scaled 4k to full screen) for higher FPS and Hz bandwidth but this isn't it.

 

[xDiVolatilX]

Ya, not interested in purchasing the 43". 43" TV/Monitors have those trash BGR panels. G8 is out as once I saw those horrid scan lines, they cannot be un-seen. Not to mention the terrible AR sparkle film.



Can you confirm the 50" is RGB pixels? I cannot find any reliable/testing on the 50" specific panel.

EDIT: found this:



~1,000 nit HDR on the 50" isn't enough to make me switch.

Yea I agree I would not switch from the 90A to the 90B either. Just if you needed another whole display for another room then I would go for the 90B if you can find it for a good deal (open box best buy)

 

[NukeDukem]

Available now for the bargain price of $3499.99!

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsun...-gaming-monitor-black/6510927.p?skuId=6510927

 

[elvn]

BGR / RGB
===========

I never remember having a problem with the 43" TCL BGR panel I had one one side at one point, at ~ 75 to 80 PPD view distance. I used it in landscape for awhile before I flipped it to portrait. I have had two samsung nu6900 4k 60hz VA's in portrait mode for a long time now and they are RGB (well, not really in my orientation).


- The TCL(from my memory) and the RGB samsung's look good to me. I even flipped the BGR one upside down in landscape mode to make it RGB aligned for testing purposes and it didn't make an obvious difference at my view distance. Half of TCL's backlights died after I had it awhile so I replaced it with a second samsung nu6900, which is RGB but I'm running it sideways anyway The thing that really screws tv screens to me is if you allow them to revert back away from RGB/444 "pc icon" mode after a fw update or if the power plug or hdmi cable got pulled. Then text looks tattered and horrible and it's a very obvious slap to your eyeballs.

A lot of people use portrait mode monitors without issues and that spins RGB onto it's side one way or the other. That applies to the ark if you spin it to portrait too.

BBB
GGG
RRRR

or

RRR
GGG
BBB

. . . . . . . . .

I suspect that a lot of people are sitting too close to WOLED screens in particular PPD wise (60PPD and less) - which will exacerbate fringing/aliasing of graphics and text. The lower the resolution and effective PPD, the more fringing and aliasing will be prominent on any screen but especially if there is some extra edge rendering issue when viewed "under a microscope" or at too near of a distance. At ~ 60PPD you have to massage text subsampling as much as you possibly can because the PPD really isn't that great. Also benefit from using more aggressive AA similarly. I sit more like 70 to 80ppd from my screens. I more or less dedicate my central OLED to being a media/gaming "stage" anyway rather than a heavier on text static app and browser screen.. It's my big star-trek bridge viewscreen. I use other screens as workstation/static app screens but since they are large as well, greater view distance comes into play for finer pixels and subpixels in effect.

There is that LG Dualup screen I'd been looking at though, which could replace my 1/3 taller 43" portrait screens and would remain RGB in their default tall orientation.

Dualup screen is 16:18 aspect ratio 2,560x2,880 resolution, 19.0" wide x 21.6" tall
43" 4k screens are 9:16, 2160x3840 resolution, 22.5 x 38" (in portrait mode)

I'd lose 1040px vertical rez but gain +400px width if I ever swapped 43" 4k to LG Dualup. A big tradeoff with the Dualup is that it's only 300nit so it really wouldn't be capable of watching HDR, e.g. a hdr video in a window or a HDR slideshow on the side in a multi-screen setup. I'd take HDR performance, or the complete lack of more accurately, into consideration on any screen I considered upgrading to at this point.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Some Samsung Ark measurements:
===========================

Found this from trustedreview site here:
(boldface added by me for emphasis)

In HDR mode the Samsung delivered a peak brightness level of 1226 nits alongside a black point of 0.02cd/m2. Those figures combine for a contrast ratio of 61300:1. That’s a great result and it shows that the Quantum Mini LEDs work well. That said, flagship OLED TVs will be even better, and Samsung’s smaller Neo G8 is a little superior too.

Also from this review https://www.wepc.com/gaming-monitor/review/samsung-odyssey-ark/

Preset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	Maximum ΔE*00	Gamma
IDEAL	6500K	0.00cd/m²	Infinite	0.00	0.00	2.2
Calibrated Profile	6579K	0.0987 cd/m²	3288:1	0.4	1.89	2.23

Using the calibration tool resulted in a large uplift in overall color accuracy. As you can see from the results above, white balance was much more realistic now, scoring 6579K. Black depth did increase slightly, but nothing overly problematic. Most impressive, however, was the 0.4 average deltaE which we now recorded – making the Ark a perfectly feasible option for editing video and images within the sRGB spectrum.

Here below are the values they measured for the stock named presets before they did the calibrated one above. So the black depth raised from 0.033, 0.023, 0.029 to almost 0.10

P.reset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	Gamma	Luminance
IDEAL	6500K	0.00cd/m²	Infinite	0.00	2.2	120cd/m^2
Graphic mode	7110K	0.0331 cd/m²	3091:1	1.2	2.22	102.30cd/m2
Entertainment mode	7021K	0.226 cd/m²	2993:1	4.25	1.78	671.32cd/m2
Game Mode	6967K	0.0292 cd/m²	4057:1	2.87	2.05	129cd/m2

color section of wepc review:

As you can see from the graph above, the Samsung Odyssey Ark didn’t quite live up to its 95% DCI-P3 color gamut. Instead, it produced a fairly lackluster 73.4% – far less than other monitors utilizing the same Mini LED Quantum backlight technology.
We recorded a 94.3% sRGB gamut coverage which, again, is far less than you might expect from this technology.

This screen seems pretty good but I'd prefer it if the curve's 1000R, 1000mm, vs rez and physical size would be like a curved 42" --> around 70ppd.

42" bendable 4k
900R: "fixed" focal point = 35.4" view distance (900mm) = 70PPD
1000R: "fixed" focal point = 39.4" view distance (1000mm) = 77PPD


55" 4k
1000R: fixed focal point = 39.4" view distance (1000mm) = ~ 61 PPD

At $3500 (early adopter fee, granted) it would have to tick a lot of boxes. OLEDs and their per pixel emissivity + down to ultra/infinite black depth are still very appealing for a media and gaming screens so it has a lot of competition.

 

[StryderxX]

OK who's picking up the Arc? I want to see this thing setup in someone's home space.

 

[elvn]

I like the peak HDR brightness a lot but the ppd is a little under for me and the curve is fixed - and that price is a bit crazy (though it will prob drop some in a year or so). Prob not me for the aforementioned reasons but I'm still keeping it in mind.

OK who's picking up the Arc? I want to see this thing setup in someone's home space.

I don't own one but there are a bunch of pics online of a few people's setups already so I added some in this reply.

Coming from having flat 43" screens in portrait mode (+ window management/"tiling", etc. via a stream deck) and after looking at some pics of the portrait orientation of the fixed curve of the ark I decided that I don't like the look of the fixed curve on the vertical orientation. It might look a little better in person rather than the possible effect of the camera lens but the vertical feature seems gimmicky with that curve radius..

Pics from BB review gallery:

.....................

Like most people seem to do with big screens, the sitting position and peripherals in several of the pictures in reviews I found looked way too close.

Samsung recommends a view distance of over 80cm which equates to over 31.5". They are likely stretching the limit there vs what is actually the sweet spot in order to accommodate more setups. 31.5" could be for gaming/immersion on a flat UW rez or typical flat screen of smaller size and higher pixel density than this but with this fixed curve and size you'd be pushing the sides out of your focal view. Sitting nearer than ~ 39.5" and the screen/curve surface wouldn't be equidistant from you anymore (the radius) and at 31.5" your PPD would drop to 55.3 PPD which in my opinion is poor in relation to perceived pixel sizes, fringing, aliasing. 60PPD can compensate just enough with sub-sampling massaged as much as possible and with aggressive AA but I'd prefer more like 70 - 80 PPD personally. Sitting any farther than ~ 39.5" and you are outside of the curve's radius again.
The focal point of a 1000R curve is 1000mm. 55" 4k 1000R: fixed focal point = 39.4" view distance (1000mm) = ~ 61 PPD


Way too close:

A full shot of browsers and text:

Hard to tell with the camera angle and lens distortion on this shot below but the larger corner desk seems like it might be at a sitting distance of over 32" and you could probably get to 39.5" view distance to your eyeballs somehow. I used to put a screen on it's own pillar/hutch style wooden microwave stand behind my corner desk at one point for a little extra distance.

It looks like it might be like this Interion 48"w corner desk.

I'd prefer to sit up inside of the curve with the peripherals on this desk surface more like the ark pictured one rather than using the keyboard tray pictured below. 39.4" view distance (1000mm) is the radius of the curve of the screen itself so that might be hard to reach even with this very deep desk.

If you jammed the corner of this desk right up into an actual corner/walls you wouldn't have room for the width of a larger screen near the corner anymore though so space is still a big consideration. In the samsung Ark reviewer's picture this desk isn't right up against the wall, there is a gap.


I got curious about that desk scenario so I tried to get a better idea of the view distance of the curved part with this edit below.

Edit: recalculated the diagonal here so it is quite a deep desk

Each colored bar below is around ~17" so where she is sitting when using the keyboard tray is about 51"+ to where the large screen would be (when not crammed against walls). Sitting a lot nearer without the keyboard tray, inside of the desk's curve with your hands up on the desk surface/peripherals as I prefer to use desks could still be enough to reach 39.5" radius of the screen's curve, depending how far back you are able to set the screen to the corner.. Two and a third bars is about (17x2) 34" + ~5.7" to screen as pictured makes it almost exact to 39.5.

Personally I'd just use a desk as an island with peripherals on it and put any large screen on it's own stand (metal spine/rail floor stands with a flat foot or caster wheels), pole mount or wall mount, or a separate narrow bench style desk or table to support the stock heavy stand for very heavy models, or a narrow bench type desk or table with monitor arm for lighter vesa screens, etc. However after I figured it out the interion 48" corner desk looks like it's deep enough as long as it's not against walls cramping the width of a large screen.

 

[elvn]

I looked into it at a few sites and apparently despite the very heavy custom stand on this, the screen itself is capable of being VESA mounted to a suitably strong wall mount and I'd assume alternately to a strong enough rail spine floor stand or pole mount that could handle very large and heavy screens ~ 50 Lb. In case anyone was wondering.

From a BB review:

Samsung also includes the necessary adapter to use a VESA wall mount while maintaining its ability to rotate.

 

[Vega]

Has anyone found an actual review with measurements on this thing instead of all this trite fluff piece crap all over the place?

 

[elvn]

Has anyone found an actual review with measurements on this thing instead of all this trite fluff piece crap all over the place?

Just what I posted links to and excerpts from 2 of my replies back.

https://hardforum.com/threads/samsung-odyssey-ark-55-4k-gaming-monitor.2016984/post-1045448647

Some Samsung Ark measurements:
===========================

Found this from trustedreview site here:
(boldface added by me for emphasis)

In HDR mode the Samsung delivered a peak brightness level of 1226 nits alongside a black point of 0.02cd/m2. Those figures combine for a contrast ratio of 61300:1. That’s a great result and it shows that the Quantum Mini LEDs work well. That said, flagship OLED TVs will be even better, and Samsung’s smaller Neo G8 is a little superior too.

Also from this review https://www.wepc.com/gaming-monitor/review/samsung-odyssey-ark/

Preset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	Maximum ΔE*00	Gamma
IDEAL	6500K	0.00cd/m²	Infinite	0.00	0.00	2.2
Calibrated Profile	6579K	0.0987 cd/m²	3288:1	0.4	1.89	2.23

Using the calibration tool resulted in a large uplift in overall color accuracy. As you can see from the results above, white balance was much more realistic now, scoring 6579K. Black depth did increase slightly, but nothing overly problematic. Most impressive, however, was the 0.4 average deltaE which we now recorded – making the Ark a perfectly feasible option for editing video and images within the sRGB spectrum.

Here below are the values they measured for the stock named presets before they did the calibrated one above. So the black depth raised from 0.033, 0.023, 0.029 to almost 0.10

P.reset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	Gamma	Luminance
IDEAL	6500K	0.00cd/m²	Infinite	0.00	2.2	120cd/m^2
Graphic mode	7110K	0.0331 cd/m²	3091:1	1.2	2.22	102.30cd/m2
Entertainment mode	7021K	0.226 cd/m²	2993:1	4.25	1.78	671.32cd/m2
Game Mode	6967K	0.0292 cd/m²	4057:1	2.87	2.05	129cd/m2

color section of wepc review:

As you can see from the graph above, the Samsung Odyssey Ark didn’t quite live up to its 95% DCI-P3 color gamut. Instead, it produced a fairly lackluster 73.4% – far less than other monitors utilizing the same Mini LED Quantum backlight technology.
We recorded a 94.3% sRGB gamut coverage which, again, is far less than you might expect from this technology.

This screen seems pretty good but I'd prefer it if the curve's 1000R, 1000mm, vs rez and physical size would be like a curved 42" --> around 70ppd.

42" bendable 4k
900R: "fixed" focal point = 35.4" view distance (900mm) = 70PPD
1000R: "fixed" focal point = 39.4" view distance (1000mm) = 77PPD


55" 4k
1000R: fixed focal point = 39.4" view distance (1000mm) = ~ 61 PPD

At $3500 (early adopter fee, granted) it would have to tick a lot of boxes. OLEDs and their per pixel emissivity + down to ultra/infinite black depth are still very appealing for a media and gaming screens so it has a lot of competition.

Mostly so far it's "hands on" and "early immpressions" stuff but at least those links and the quotes from them did show some pre and post calibration results in detail.

I do look forward to a more extensive review or two of this thing though for sure. Hopefully with some pursuit camera testing, etc.

Not exactly scientific testing methodology here, just the reviewer's impressions in the wepc link:

We wasted no time and loaded up CS:GO to get a taste of just how responsive this 165Hz 1ms VA panel was. Playing CS:GO did produce a smooth, fluid gaming experience. Picture clarity and image sharpness of fast-moving images were quite impressive considering its massive size. Furthermore, with the Ark being a VA panel, you’d expect it to feature some visual artifacts such as ghosting and smearing – but that wasn’t the case.

I'll keep an eye out for any more extensive reviews. Hopefully one will pop up in the following weeks.

 

[elvn]

Not any kind of detailed review so this isn't related to or replying to that at all. However I think this vid is one of the best examples I've seen so far of showing the spacialization of the screen in use in a room. Also shows a driving game that would benefit a lot from the curve and size.




From someone's replies the comments though:

It can't handle more than 1 HDMI input at a time. Considering the nature of the screen & the price, that's a friggin joke. My Samsung CHG90 is already 4 years old & it can handle 2x HDMI. Plus it only cost me $1k. Obviously the immersion factor & the controllers are cool, but Samsung is going to have to get me on the next go around. The damn thing doesn't even have QLED display. As an artist & avid gamer, I will never go back to the muddy black levels & desaturated colors of non OLED or QLED panels.

* I think he meant qd-oled. The black depths and per pixel emissivity of OLEDs are very impactful for sure. FALD displays can be pretty high end performance wise now though (esp. something like the ~ $3000 to $3500 ASUS-Swift-Gaming-PG32UQX or ucx pro art type models) so take that saltiness with a grain of salt. There are tradeoffs with both techs.


This below is what I've gathered and my thoughts so far

.............................................................................

The main draws of this Ark screen:

• has the huge immersion factor of the curve, (and it's viewing angles with nearer seating than otherwise)
• it can be run in ultrawide resolutions so you can get curved ultrawide gameplay in that scenario rather than flat
• really the ((Curve)) is a huge factor . . . (though there are other curved screens hitting the market)
• that it can do sustained high HDR brightness levels with fairly high density FALD without suffering OLED's lower peaks, even lower sustained, and quick/aggressive ABL.
• can do hdr color volumes up to 1225nit while still being capable of respectable ~ 0,02 to 0.03 nit black depths (again with the fairly high density FALD array)
• won't require work-arounds people use to avoid the burn-in risk (really the lifetime "burn-down" of OLED's reserved 25% brightness buffer depending how much you abuse the screen - the wear-evening routine running over time) e.g. dark themes, hiding taskbar, "Turn off the screen" (emitters) trick when afk, black wallpapers, etc etc.
• the window management system and control module if you are into that (though a stream deck with window management plugins has been able to do that kind of thing similarly, even better, for years)
• size and distance if you like a command center/media station view, and size for viewing movies/media (though the focal point still remains at ~39.5")
• I guess the spin and tiered windows thing if you find that novel for some reason. I've done that, and better, with side 43" screen(s) + stream deck window management for years now so it's nothing new to me (outside of the curve, which could be a detriment really in that orientation depending)

Some of the downsides:

.. It lacks dolby vision HDR support

.. it might have a glow or dim halo on very fine bright edges and pinpoints on dark backgrounds (white text on black background, bright mouse pointer on black background, starfields or similar on dark backgrounds like blackness of outer spaces, etc). [Need more detailed reviews to test this]

.. according to wepc site: "didn’t quite live up to its 95% DCI-P3 color gamut. Instead, it produced a fairly lackluster 73.4% – far less than other monitors utilizing the same Mini LED Quantum backlight technology.
We recorded a 94.3% sRGB gamut coverage which, again, is far less than you might expect from this technology. "

.. according to trustedreview site: "In HDR mode the Samsung delivered a peak brightness level of 1226 nits alongside a black point of 0.02cd/m2. Those figures combine for a contrast ratio of 61300:1. That’s a great result and it shows that the Quantum Mini LEDs work well. That said, flagship OLED TVs will be even better, and Samsung’s smaller Neo G8 is a little superior too."

... the space requirement in order to use it at the proper view distance in relation to the curve (the radius) - though much nearer with the curve at ~39.5" than the 45-55deg viewing angle req to see the whole of a flat 55" which could require approaching a~54" view distance

... The resulting PPD sitting ~ 39.5" at the focal point of the 1000mm curve would have been higher if this was a somewhat smaller screen size. If the screen size was 48" it would be 69 PPD at that distance and if it was a 42" screen it would be 77PPD at that distance. A tradeoff for immersion factor perhaps. (Someday we might get 8k screens to double the respective PPDs for text/apps, and prob run 4k games in 8k with some kind of scaling).

...while the controller and OSD window management is neat, using a TV OSD web browser is not good compared to using one in a window on your pc security wise and quality of life via addons wise. You can instead use a stream deck with a handful of window management plugins to similar or greater effect

..the breakout box is more like a hdmi switch, it can't do things like downscaling multiple 4k hdmi sources into smaller resolution windows to fit for example (e.g. four 4k sources downscaled to 1080p windows so that it would fit the bandwidth of the single umbilical cord cable to the tv.).

... it's not glossy, has some kind of anti-glare matte coating. (Sidelong view from a reviewer here).

... the current price is pretty heavy, it prob should be more like $2500 - $2800

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[JMCB]

I made a quick video comparing the LG C1 48" and the Samsung Odyssey Ark picture quality. I'll have a full review once I play around with the settings more. Out of the box I did not like the Ark...

 

[elvn]

I made a quick video comparing the LG C1 48" and the Samsung Odyssey Ark picture quality. I'll have a full review once I play around with the settings more. Out of the box I did not like the Ark...

Look forward to your impressions or report. Thanks.

Just one thing I noticed when I scrubbed through the video. The ark is samsung and doesn't support Dolby Vision at all. The video you were watching said dolby vision at the top. It only supports HDR 10 and HDR10+. One of the major downsides of this screen imo.

I don't know what all those video streams were but a fairer comparison might be HDR10 vs HDR10 , or DV vs HDR10+.

Some comparisons of or personal impressions of how soon ABL kicks on with bright HDR scenes would be valuable too (e.g. ice or snowscape mountains, very bright beach or dune sands, etc.), and overall sustained brightness %'s of screen/color volumes, etc.

Also, more interested in your take after tweaking it a bit. Cameras have a lot of biases as do picture and video formats. So do all of our different screens and settings.

I'm interested in how HDR games and AutoHDR perform and whether they can take advantage of the 1225nit peaks without issues.

 

[elvn]

Here's a question crib sheet if anyone can answer even some of these:

I'm curious about:

........................................................

..how obvious is FALD's dim/glow "halo" bleeding outside of pinpoints of light or bright text on dark backgrounds (when viewed at ~39.5" view distance radius of the curve) ..how is the text quality ? Any noticeable fringing of default text size font edges at ~ 39.5" view distance (61PPD), or any halo glow issues?

..does the AG coating make the screen look less like "wet ice" and more like a light "haze on ice" ? Does it impact the richness of the screen (richness of saturation and/or richness of blacks) as compared to a glossy (e.g. OLED) screen coating wise (or vs. a glossy tablet or phone, even ips glossy screens) ?

..How is the screen uniformity? Any shaded areas (common to VA screens when viewing off-center), specifically when viewing from the 1000mm, ~ 39.5" radius of the curve. If you aren't sitting at the ~39.5" radius or focal point of the curve, then you won't be equidistant from all points on the screen surface anymore so I'm more interested in the proper, equidistant viewing angle's results.

..is there noticeable VA trailing/black smearing trailing shadow behind moving objects at high speed, especially in gaming at 120Hz in a game with over 100fps average? (again, at the 1000R, 1000mm curve radius' focal point of ~39.5").

..how responsive is it in games input wise? (LG OLEDs are around 5.x response time at 4k 120hz which is good imo).

......................

..How is the color in general and the HDR color volume/HDR performance? Not expecting a colorimeter/calibration report here, but maybe an impression if you've had other high end monitors or TVs to compare with.

..How do you feel about this screen lacking DolbyVisionHDR? some people have DV titles and some games even support DV I guess.

..How do some games run in HDR on this so far? Have you been able to use display configs in games to utilize the ~ 1225 peak nit color effectively with the ark's .02 to .03 black depths effectively?

..How does win11's auto HDR behave with the higher peaks of this screen?

.................................

..what the wifi speed on this thing is

.. is the ethernet port gigabit or not (LG OLED's skimped on gigabit ethernet port so it wouldn't surprise me if most tv OS style screens still do)

..how laggy is the wifi mirroring using the other pc's desktop on the ark? ..are you able to mirror your other pc over the Ark's ethernet port instead? (and as asked above, is that port gigabit?) If so, is it laggy?

..have you tried using remote desktop software in your windows environment instead? If so, how does it compare to the mirroring method?

..have you tried using a 4k usb 3 capture device (only max 60hz hdmi 2.0b models are available for now) in a window on your desktop pc?

..How do you feel about the two or three above usage scenarios considering the one connect breakout box can't do multiple inputs at the same time?

..................................

..How do you like the environmental/animated backgrounds when using a smaller screen space? ..Can you fill the animated backgrounds/wallpapers behind all OSD window tiles so you never have black bars? ..Do the moving pinpoints or small spheres/globes of light in some of the animated OSD backgrounds/wallpapers suffer from FALD haloing?

..Can you modify your OSD window orientation "tiles" so that you maximize the smaller windows' sizes enough to prevent letterbox framing? e.g. in landscape orientation of the screen - two 1920x 1080p windows on top of a 3840px wide by 1080p high screen space/window on the bottom with no bars/black framing around any of them.

..Might be quibbling a little here but: Is there any way in the current firmware and screen's OSD to run a 21:10uw rez at 3840x1600 instead of 21:9uw at 1440 high? If not, I'd have to run that resolution in my full screen windows environment I guess (full screen or in a window), but maybe they'd support that in the future inside of the OSD. 3840x1600 would still allow 560px high on the top band for other windows.

..How many degrees can the screen tilt downward on it's mount? I'm curious about mounting it a bit higher and tilting it downward. A vesa stand would likely allow a little tilt on it's own part of the mount but I'd like to know if the samsung mount has some downward tilt already in landscape mode on it's regular stand/rear mount section.

..how robust is the app shop? Can you run 3rd party youtube clients like you can on android? Are there home streaming apps like emby or plex? (I can run emby on my LGWebOs, though it can be laggy at times). 3rd party twitch app ? etc. (any others you can think of).

..Is there distortion in portrait/vertical mode of the windows near and at the middle of the curve? Some pictures seem to show distortion, almost pinching or warping effect in the middle but this could be an artifact of the camera lens. Curious what your impression is in person.

I guess that's all I can think of for the moment. Sorry if it is a lot to ask.

 

[JMCB]

So I have sRGB looking amazing, but HDR in PC gaming is TRASH. Anyone have this monitor mind sharing their HDR windows settings as well as what is on their Ark?

 

[elvn]

So I have sRGB looking amazing, but HDR in PC gaming is TRASH. Anyone have this monitor mind sharing their HDR windows settings as well as what is on their Ark?

I don't have this display. Can you describe what exactly is "trash" in more detail? Is the screen pale/washed out looking? Are details crushed or clipped on the brighter areas? Is the color saturation poor?

What games are you playing? Some games lack a hdr peak brightness slider so they clip detail on the high end and might look pale when using the wrong curve values/compression ranges. With the ~ 1225nit peak brightness of this screen you might be running into that or other related issues. The game should use it's own HDR curve once it's launched so window's own HDR settings prob shouldn't matter as long as HDR is enabled. That windows slider affects the HDR desktop. However, you might have to use CRU edit app to set the peak nit of the gpu driver in windows for games that lack a hdr (peak) brightness slider.

I know elden ring has a hdr peak brightness slider and a middle brightness slider (and a saturation slider) but some games don't have that much control because some game's Devs drop the ball on PC HDR support in way like that.. I think tombraider is a game people often reference to show HDR performance so that might be worth trying. For me some of the games with good HDR visuals included jedi fallen order, nioh2, assassin's creed odyssey, fenyx rising, and Elden Ring among others.

Also of course make sure you are in game mode. I did find that the SDR game mode's color saturation was somewhat dull on the LG CX's personally though so I went into the named mode settings and bumped the color slider up some (and further tweak with reshade on a per game basis). HDR uses it's own curve so that shouldn't be an issue. I would avoid using dynamic tone mapping/ dynamic HDR as it will lose range and compress the top end losing detail. Hgig is best if you can enable that.


======================================
Some CRU edit info from one of my replies in the LG 48CX thread below. The ark would probably be set to 1000nit or 1225nit peak with the appropriate luminance values. Not certain which. Use at your own risk.

My machines are all windows 11 but as far as I know CRU worked in window 10.

It's supposed to be edited like this:

CRU HDR tone map for HGiG. [CX/C1/C2] 128 or [G2] 138.

To end up like this in the driver reports:

Windows 11 HDR tone map confirmation. Run dxdiag.exe & Save All Information... or open DisplayHDR Test app.

=========================================================================

The full guide also recommends doing the following steps and includes screenshots but you can get the screenshots off the entire guide here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/OLED_Gaming/comments/mbpiwy/lg_oled_gamingpc_monitor_recommended_settings/

1: Home Dashboard PC mode

2: Get CRUedit off of ToastyX's thread in the monitortests.com forum or Microsoft Store apps

3: CRU HDR tone map for HGiG. [CX/C1/C2] 128 or [G2] 138. <the first image I posted above in this reply>

4: Windows 11 HDR tone map confirmation. Run dxdiag.exe & Save All Information... or open DisplayHDR Test app. <the second set of images I posted above in this reply>

5: CRU delete all 4096x2160

6: [CX] CRU enable 48 Gbps FRL

7: NVCP ultrawide 3840x1620 120 Hz

8: NVCP Summary

9: (Optional) NPI GSYNC Fullscreen and Windowed

10: nVidia/AMD latency recommendation

11: Color Control

12: LGTV Companion

13: (Optional) MacType

What's the purpose of this? 6: [CX] CRU enable 48 Gbps FRL

Also I'd add that 3200x1800 can be a useful custom resolution if DLSS/FSR/game resolution scale slider is not available and you need more performance. Before the 1.04 patch I used this in Elden Ring to get a more stable framerate since the graphics settings do almost nothing.

You could send 4k/120hz/ycbcr444/12bpc to display which requires 48 Gbps. 40 Gbps limit is 10bpc. Not sure if there are benefits since LG CX/C1 would still show 10 bit image. There is discussion on reddit with this hack and setting BT2020 mode on Lg colors would be better. There is also a comment that this could cause frame skipping.
https://www.reddit.com/r/OLED_Gaming/comments/kdj5f5/i_managed_to_get_48gbps_on_lg_cx/

Meh, not worth it IMO when the panel is 10-bit. I have put my C9 and CX head to head and just can't tell any real difference with C9 at 12-bit.

Yeah I wasn't saying that was necessary, I just copied the whole list of modifications listed in the reddit link I provided. The HDR luminance to 800 nit with cru edit was the big one that might help poor HDR implementation games in windows where you can't manually set the in game HDR settings to a max HDR brightness of 800.

 

[JMCB]

Review I just submitted on Amazon...

Odyssey Ark has finally arrive (despite being a day late). It’s really massive and despite the warnings to set up with two people, I was able to do it myself (not recommended at all) First impressions were initially mixed but after a week of using this thing I've grown quite fond of it despite its quirks.

Pros-
The 1000R screen I can easily see everything going on despite the screen being larger than the 48” it replaced and with 165hz refresh rate at 4k it’s a great gaming experience. I don’t notice any noticeable color shift in the panel so it’s very uniform. Backlight bleed exists but if you make sure Local Dimming is on you'll never see it with a black screen (all noticeable on a full black screen with it turned off). It's still a VA panel after all. And the 165hz at 10-bit color looks amazing and games play fast and smooth with no ghosting or flicker. GSync works great and VRR is detected when enabled with no issues. And as a TV the picture look fabulous out of game mode in Netflix and on the web browser.

The stand is heavy and solid, and is very easy to move the monitor into the different positions. Moving from landscape to vertical is easy; just lift up the screen and turn. Never had an issue.

The sound is absolutely amazing for computer speakers. I’m going to use this for night gaming instead of headphones. I'm using this with speaker setup with optical in and I've had no issues.

Ark Dial is fun and seemed easy to use (and despite what you may have read there is volume control on the dial). It's very satisfying to use and works very well. Changing the screen ratio was fast and easy and worked as intended. Switching the aspect ratios with the dial made the game much more manageable for playing FPS games.

After fiddling around with picture quality, I was able to finally get it to my standards. Having previously used an OLED, that contrast ratio is hard to beat, but this does come close. I do plan on getting an HDR calibration tool to make adjustments in the near future.

Also this is a monitor, and one of the drawbacks to using an OLED TV is burn-in risk, and we don't have to worry about that here.

Cons -
For starters, it is an LED panel. Previously using an LG C1 OLED contrast made the picture richer. I couldn't duplicate the quality not matter how hard I tried in the settings. This is very important to me because soon curved OLED monitors are coming and you might get a better experience with those (expect the price tag to be about the same despite C2's being cheaper). And forget using the Samsung Calibration software - it doesn't work. I tried to get it to work on an iPhone 14 Pro Max and it just won't come up.

Switching sources is a little laggy. Switching between sRGB and HDR is laggy (and you get a blue screen for a second). Multiple sources at once are bad. As one of the main selling features, I noticed considerable lag playing in this mode and it was unusable playing an FPS, or since it didn't change the resolution even text wasn't legible. Hopefully this gets resolved in an updated. Again, maybe I need to play around with the settings more but I planned on using this frequently and as it stands it’s unusable. I tried using it as "two" monitors on windows - one as HDMI and one as a wireless, and I was somewhat successful in getting it working. Launched correctly, could use multiple programs on both monitors no problem, but when I tried to play a game on HDMI the whole thing crashed, and I had to restart the monitor. For getting use out of vertical mode, I had better luck with Windows latest update and snap windows and the hot key switching it to vertical - works much better since you cannot use more than 1 HDMI port at at time (which would be amazing). So because of the latest Windows 11 update, I found it more useful (Samsung also has a software on their Ark page to download but it's useless with the new update since it does the same thing). I also programmed my Razer Stream Deck to have a Vertical/Horizontal key so I don't have to mess with the Ark (which isn't hard to use at all, but this makes it even faster to swap).

RGB colors are mixed. Yeah, they work and the settings aren't difficult to set up, but the colors don't quite match what was on screen, and having my PC mainly be a white colored setup, I couldn't get white to show up (would look blue-ish). I noticed this with a few other colors as well - colors were just not accurate. Maybe this is just my panel, but I don't ever plan to use it since it's quite bright.

The price tag is hefty. Samsung/Amazon dropped the price by $200 and gave out $100 credit. I contacted Amazon support and after a little escalation they gave me the price adjustment and the credit. Good on Amazon support for that call. But for the price you can get smaller monitors or OLED TV's and it can be hard to justify unless you want to pay for the experience.

Verdict -
Overall, it's a great concept of a monitor/tv, but at times it still feels like a concept instead of a polished product. I hope with some future firmware updates Samsung can really make this panel shine more. Gaming with that 55" curve is amazing, the response of the panel is incredible for 4k/165hz/10-bit color (you need a beefy graphics card to hit even close to this - my 3090 Ti still struggles). The sound is quite simply the best TV/Monitor sound I've ever heard. And the picture quality the most immersive experience and is one of the best I've seen in years outside of OLED TVs. For $3200 after discounts, this is a great monitor if you want to have a whole new experience on your PC... abet with the early adoption fee that comes along with trying something new. It's a much better value at the discounted price.