[GTALUG] Seiki 4k monitor

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

A month or so ago I could not resist a 4k monitor for $300. So I bought a 
Seiki SE39UY04 39-Inch TV from Tiger Direct.

Bad:

This is not a great monitor: not IPS, refresh rate of only 30Hz at
3840x2160 resolution, no exciting "smart" features, not a name brand.

And the $300 is not 100% accurate: there was a considerable ewaste
fee, and the price was really $350 + taxes - $50 rebate.

Soon HDMI 2.0 will be here, allowing 60Hz refresh in future 4k
monitors (not this one).

This thing thinks it is a TV.  Too bad.  No Display Port; that would
have allowed 60Hz at full resolution.

A lot of computer video outputs do not support 4k even at 30Hz.  I
tried Zotac Zbox ID-81 Intel HD, AMD E350, AMD C50, ThinkPad W520.
Luckily my MSI GFX650 seems to work (with nVidia proprietary driver).

Nobody but Tiger Direct has them: I think that this model has been
replaced or will soon be.

Good:

It seems quite neat to have all these pixels on my desk.  For now, it
has replaced my long-serving 30" 2560x1600 monitor.

This is less expensive than almost any 2460x1440 monitor and it has
more pixels.  It seemed like a no-brainer.

39 inches seems reasonable for a desktop.  The larger Seiki 4k models
seem less so.

30 Hz is fine for static displays.  Mouse tracking seems more, uh, 
etherial, for lack of a better term.  Scrolling is a little less smooth.  
Quite liveable for a programmer like me.

TD has it on various sales at various times.  Now it is $380 before
$30 rebate.  Oh, it is the last day of that rebate.
<http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8430969&CatId=7395>

There seems to be an enthusiastic user base.  Even custom firmware!

Hint:

For monitor use, turn noise reduction off and sharpening to 0.
Otherwise there are unpleasant effects on text displayed in a browser
or terminal