On Mon, 25 Jan 2021 at 11:25, Giles Orr via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
> If you're not tied to 'vlc', try 'mpv' as a movie player. I have both > installed > and used vlc as my main video program for many years, but now mostly lean > to mpv. Can't promise it won't have issues with the layout, but I think > it's worth a try. > Interesting results. mpv works fine, but I miss having a playlist and advanced controls (ie, speedup). I discovered "smplayer", which gives a fuller feature set to mpv/mplayer, but it then has the same problems as I encountered with VLC. The "aging eyes" issue is one I'm familiar with: my desktop now has a 43"(!) > primary monitor that's flanked by a couple vertical monitors (those are > different computers, and not always on). Re-arranging the login screens > to be vertical can be a real PITA depending on which login manager it is, > otherwise it works quite well. It was super simple under KDE "display configuration" settings. If money (and desk real estate) aren't an issue, I would recommend seeing > if you can find a big-ass monitor in the 40" range - I love that thing. > Your eyes will thank you. I was lucky though: it's actually a "monitor" > rather > than a repurposed TV, it's 4K, and I managed to get it for under $600 a > couple years ago. (Looking at current prices of 40"+ monitors, I'm > thinking I should be using the phrase "spectacularly lucky.") The two screens in my photos are each 28" and 4K <https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/monitors/uhd-and-wqhd/samsung-uhd-28-monitor-with-high-glossy-black-finish-lu28e590ds-za/>, so I'm very happy with display quality. At $300 each in Xmas sales my cost was about the same as yours and total screen size is comparable. Don't think I have much budget to upgrade them in the near future. Current 4K monitors of 40" or more appear upwards of $1,200. If you're okay with a TV (I'm not clear on the disadvantages - distorted > colour palettes, high contrast, limited ports?), those are available at > lower prices. > As an alternative I had considered a high-end 42" 4K TV. They're about $600, and the lag time on high-end units should be acceptable for most uses except high-intensity gaming (which I don't do). The big difference in price is because TV manufacturers get subsidized for access to TV-watching data, which is a non-issue if the screen is not enabled for the Internet or "smart" features. - Evan
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