Web developers - what screen size ?

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xpd

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#316281 2-Oct-2024 09:19

Been asked by someone who wants to do web development, to organize 2x 42" 4k TV screens for them.

My immediate thoughts are.....

1) Why 2x screens of that size ?

2) Neck/eye issues from using them as monitors (they'd have them on a desk, so less than 1m away from them)

Anyone (apart from gamers) use this sort of setup for their daily work ?

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#3289904 2-Oct-2024 10:04

developer here. I have two machines with a a 49" 32:9 ultra wides each. one is a 3840x1080 and one is a err 5120x1440 (something like that). I prefer the 5120 one. I use to have 3 24" monitors. So could have code in the middle, app running on one and browser for into on another. I switched to declutter the cables mostly.

I would not want a 16:9 42" screen, let alone two of them. but if theyre not 16:9 and are wider, then I could see how 2 would be useful.

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#3289907 2-Oct-2024 10:06

I've seen large 4k used in paired programming (XP) but for anything else I would have thought 32" 4K is about the useful limit.

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#3289943 2-Oct-2024 10:55

xpd:

Anyone (apart from gamers) use this sort of setup for their daily work ?

I don't really see any issue with that for any sort of dev like tech job, there's no such thing as too much desktop real estate. I use a quad setup of dual 34's and dual 24's myself.

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#3289987 2-Oct-2024 11:58

I have 2 x 4K monitors I use for development. But they're only 27" (actually would prefer a 30") not 42"! That seems excessive to me. If I were setting things up again I'd probably do it differently. 1080p is too restrictive but 4K is a bit much. So something like 2 or 3 1440p panels would probably be better for me. 4K is crap for screen sharing if the others are on 1080p too.

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#3289994 2-Oct-2024 12:24

One is usually okay, two might be awkward if one is off to the side.

Put it this way, each of them are like four 21” 1080p monitors in a 2x2 grid. If you are using proper scaling this isn’t really as bad as it seems at a 1m distance with decent eyesight.

Of course you get issues screensharing but that is the on the recipient to zoom or ask for a source zoom.

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#3290009 2-Oct-2024 12:57

My primary display at my office and my home office is a single 43", which as someone else mentions is approximately equivalent to 4x 21" Full HD screens. I have tried four different TVs (Veon, LG, Panasonic, Sony) for extended periods of time which produced average results, though the Panasonic that I bought hours before lockdown in 2020 was the best and I still use that at home. The Philips 438P1 that I settled on for my office desk a year ago is fantastic for my use (general office apps).

I can't imagine having two this size on my desk, though occasionally I think it would be nice to have a small screen off to the side for items that I want to be able to monitor easily (without having to hunt under various windows each time I want to see it).

Edit to add a note that the Philips 438P1 is a monitor and not a TV screen.

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#3290067 2-Oct-2024 13:30

Have they asked yet for the desk chair that moves from side to side on rails :)

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#3290288 2-Oct-2024 22:11

Another developer here, multiple screens are extremely benefit/common for programming and development, various studies show 30-50% productivity increase.

I still use 3x 24" 1080p monitors at work and 2x 27" 1440p monitors at home monitors. Recent hires have gone for 32" 4k ultra wides, I will likely upgrade from the old 3x 24" soon. You can do fencing of applications with one large screen in most OSes to simulate the benefit of multiple screens however it's not as good imo.

The request for 42" tv screens is a bit odd, generally tv screens are terrible for close working/text rendering and are meant for moving content at a couch distance. Though I suspect it's better than in the the past with modern tech.

The pixel density is important to consider, ie:

24" @ 1080p = ~92ppi

27" @ 1440p =~110ppi

32" @ 4k = ~138ppi

etc

Too large ppi you have to use a lot of font/ui scaling for things to not be too small, too low ppi crap image/text quality. Generally too high or low resolution for size is considered bad ie 24" @ 1440p instead of 1080p, 32" @ 1440p instea do 4k etc

With that said the the biggest issue with 42" is the distance you will be from the screen, if it's close it would be rough imo.