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Comment by sz4kerto | Hacker News Reader

Don't buy a cheap TV for programming if you're not constrained by money. You can get 40" monitors for a bit more, and you won't need to fight the firmware and also you can get a better panel. Also, PWM is worse if you're sitting close. Uniformity of backlight (bleed) also matters.

Currently the display you want to get around 40" is the Philips BDM4037UW, which has no PWM, relatively low input lag and backlight bleed is low.

There are some cheap 43" 4K monitors (Philips and LG), but they're lower quality e.g. LGs have PWM.

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Just as an alternative - I have one of these[0] iiyama panels after hearing bad things about the Phillips.

Have to say I'm very happy with it.

No ghosting, really excellent colour (once calibrated), minimal backlight bleed (it's not an IPS panel so has less bleed anyway) and 4k at 60hz.

Been using it for just over a year now. Only thing it does is pure blacks on pure whites can streak a little when scrolling. So very large and thick pure black text on pure white background will leave a very short trail. Normal text doesn't do this, it has to be large areas of black on white. It's actually not annoyed me much as it use this happened only very very rarely on some websites but it's a limitation.

Not sure it's best for gaming (though I've played Mass Effect and Rocket League with no issues) but for productivity work it's been great.

Pretty cheap too!

[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/iiyama-X4071UHSU-B1-ProLite-MVA-Mon...

Reviews on Amazon suggest the Philips BDM4037UW isn't a good choice due to significant ghosting issues:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-BDM4037UW-00-40-Inch-Monito...

Big caveat emptor on this one.

I have it on my desk right now and ghosting is really, really bad. Static contrast ratio is best in class, second only to oled monitors.

If you are looking for large office/work monitor only or you can borrow one with no strings attached, go for it. Otherwise stay away.

Yep, I specifically meant it for programming / office work.

I jumped on the Philips BMD40 train immediately at launch for £600 a few years back, the ghosting is an absolute nightmare.

A huge boon for productivity having come from multiple 27" 1440p monitors before, and the BDM40 is something I might recommend for somebody looking to get in and get in cheap.

I'll definitely be splurging for something better next time however.

LG has supposedly increased the PWM frequency of the 43UD79-B from 120 Hz to 480 Hz through a firmware update, which should eliminate the flickering (http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/2475954/blog/40499741/).

There’s also the latency between the input coming over HDMI and actual rendering on screen. Some of the cheaper TVs are in the 70-150ms range, and you will notice that when your mouse keeps moving after your hand stops.

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