In the past, new and ground-breaking products were first introduced in professional markets and then slowly found their way into the consumer market. Just think about personal computers, projectors, copiers, and even large-screen TVs. Nowadays, however, we see the opposite movement. Smartphones, tablets, Facebook, Twitter, … are all typically consumer electronics and social networks that are now being adopted in professional and B2B settings. This year's trend is large curved screen TVs. Is there also a future for these products in a professional setting?

Curvaceous displays
At the big 2014 tradeshows, you couldn't miss the 105 inch, ultra-high definition curved-screen TVs Samsung, LG and other manufacturers unveiled. Recently, at IFA, LG also announced a 21:9 curved 34 inch PC monitor. According to the developers, these screens bring a number of advantages:

  • Reduced reflection
  • More immersive
  • Puts user in the center
  • Creation of a focus point/hot spot
  • Enhanced peripheral vision

And indeed, they do seem to create a sort of "Cinemascope" effect we know from movie theaters. The question is, however, if curved screens bring nothing but advantages. The hot spot, for example, is great for the people who actually sit there, but if you try to look at the TV from the side, you will not only see a slightly distorted picture, but also look at the TV's edge which is quite distracting. So great for cinephiles, not recommended for large families. Furthermore, you can't just mount the TV to the wall anymore due to its curved nature. By the way, next to the TVs, the same enterprises also revealed curved-screen smartphones.

Heading for a flat future?
So do we abandon the idea of curved screens? No, not at all. What's more, we at Barco have been developing curved screens since more than a decade. Mainly in the VR market, curved screens are used to create a more immersive environment. The difference with the consumer market is mainly size: although 105 inch sounds pretty big, it's nothing compared to the very large screen area delivered by these curved VR systems. Creating such a large canvas really does enhance immersion and puts the user 'inside the image'.

Curving the control room
And what about the control room? Also here, we have designed a lot of projects with very large curved screens, because it provides a better overview and improves visibility. We do this by positioning individual rear-projection cubes next to each to form a slight curve. Looking from a distance, you will see a smoothly curved picture.

For smaller control rooms, however, it's harder to create a realistic curved wall using traditional rear-projection cubes, because - looking from up close - the separate display's edges become visible. Just taking the consumer version is not an option either, because professional environments have a number of additional requirements:

  • Mature reliability
  • Proven robustness
  • Straight-forward integration possibilities

That's why we have developed the OSV series: professional large displays (based on our rear-projection technology), with a screen diagonal of 123" to 251,5", and with a seamless canvas. For screens of this size (especially the largest variant), the curve does become important, because most of the disadvantages like side viewing are irrelevant for a limited number of operators. These video walls can also be used for collaboration rooms, teleconferencing, and many more.

The verdict
So do we see a future for this feature? Sure, it has a lot of potential and does improve immersion. So for applications that expect an immersive effect, like a TV set and gaming set, it's definitely a plus. See also our Barco Escape solution in Digital Cinema by the way. I also expect curved screens to pop up in consoles, if only to support more console sales and pod designs.

In control rooms, especially the ergonomic reasons are important to implement curved screens. It does improve legibility for a small group of people sitting in the center of the radius. However, it becomes more complex when the screen is being used as a group display and general overview. But that's why we have straight screens as well, right?

But who was first with the curved displays? Did we get our inspiration from the consumer market, or was it the other way round? Well, let's just call it a tie…

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