In addition to the bump up from 1080p resolution to nearly 4k, the newly-emerging wave of Ultra High Definition (UHD) televisions also sport a very distinctive design feature: curved screens. Do you like the idea of a curved TV screen, or do you think it’s a pointless gimmick?
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Curved screens for movie playback have their roots in the theatrical arena, dating at least as far back as the 1950s, where the Cinerama format enveloped viewers with a huge 146\u00ba curved screen onto which three separate panels were projected. After the death of Cinerama, curved screens were less common, but persisted (though typically with less severe angles) at some high-end venues with especially large screens.<\/p>\n
In the home theater realm, curved screens have been available for projector owners via products such as Stewart Filmscreen’s Cinecurve line<\/a>. In this application, the curve can help to compensate for the pincushion distortion associated with Constant Image Height<\/a> anamorphic lenses.<\/p>\n When it comes to a television, however, especially a television in the 65″ range, a curved screen would seem to serve much less purpose other than potentially to look cool. If anything, it may limit the “sweet spot” viewing angle for viewers at various seating distances. While it might be interesting to watch movies on a curved screen, I can’t imagine watching average TV shows like that. <\/p>\n I’m inclined to say that a curved screen on a UHD TV is a needless gimmick, but I reserve the right to change my mind if I ever get more hands-on experience with one in the future. <\/p>\n How do you feel about this?<\/p>\n