SUGGESTIONS OT: Multi monitor setup from laptop

[AndyInNYC]

I've moved all my work onto a laptop - a Yoga 7i with a 14" screen. I 'inherited' it from my daughter after I had to buy her a second one while the original got fixed. The Yoga runs rings around my old laptop, but the old laptop had a 17" screen (which worked as a single screen primary) and the Yoga has a terrible keyboard so I need to use a USB keyboard attached to it.

Short story is, there's not enough screen real estate. I can run two external monitors off the Yoga (1 on the HDMI port on the USB-C 'dock' I have and one via a Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter).

I'm looking at a pair of 27" or 28" 4K monitors. The Philips 288E2E looks attractive at $360 on Amazon. I don't do any gaming - all the real estate is for multi windows for apps. I don't need HDR either.

Any reason to go 1080 over the 4K monitors (save a couple bucks, but I use things forever)? Anyone have experience with a different monitor for dual setup that they really like?

Second, I intend to stretch the monitors over my almost-a-partners-desk and leave them in a static position. Any dual monitor stands that clamp onto the back of the desk that people like? The 'expensive' ones are $100 on Amazon and the rest are $60 or so, but again, once it's in position I'll likely leave it in place for the next 10 years.

I realize this is our PBX forum, but I tend to get better advice here from longtime members than I do anywhere else.

Andrwe

 

[dicko]

Don't rule out TV's , they have HDMI'ports too. 42" 1080p x 2 work fine for me and my old myopic eyes. 4K at a small premium in 2022

 

[atsak]

I focus a lot on brightness (ie nits) and contrast vs 4K or not. I don't actually use 4K for anything, but I do have very good Samsung 24in monitors (3 of them) I use daily. I mounted them to the wall using articulating mounts so i can slightly angle down and to the inside, and then have one in front of me for what I'm working directly on (ie email is above and a little right, tickets / IM on the left and up, and some web site or SSH or RDP or Zoom or whatever is in front of me). The mounts were like $20 on Amazon I think.

I'm sure the Phillips monitors are fine but might be more expense than you need. Also Costco has a 32in curved samsung for $229 (US costco; Canada Costco is more of course) delivered which was very nice, given the option today I might make that my main in front of me monitor and put two 27 on the wall.

That's my setup anyway.

 

[Halea]

I'm definitely with @dicko on this. A 42-43", 4K TV set with HDMI input is truly ideal if you need a large surface to work on. Both at home and at work I've been doing this for a couple of years now. Samsung is great. TCL was my first one and it required (still does) switching into legacy HDMI mode with the remote control, but then it would remember as long as I didn't switch it to another input. But with more recent models, especially with Samsung there is no such issue. They behave like quad size monitors with typical pixel size and 100 dpi density.

 

[dsiminiuk]

I use a 4K TV as a monitor. It works great. Be careful that the one you are interested in has a 4:4:4 colorspace listed in the specs.

 

[dicko]

Go with Vizio's and the nerd in you will appreciate

GitHub - raman325/pyvizio: Python client for Vizio SmartCast

Python client for Vizio SmartCast. Contribute to raman325/pyvizio development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

for swiching inputs and pwer (or watching Netflix) ,PIP works fine also.

FireTV's are android , so you can nerdify them similarly with adb

If you have more than one hdmi output, then an admixture of Xinerama and Input switching gives you more virtual virtualized terminals, add barriers and barrierc and throw away all but one mouse /keyboard and 'cut and paste'
between all your machines.

GitHub - debauchee/barrier: Open-source KVM software

Open-source KVM software. Contribute to debauchee/barrier development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com