Huge TV as Monitor replacement - Does it Work ??? 

One week later: „why I removed the TV“😅

The gear addiction grows to consumer electronics too... oh boy !

I got my big screen, Acer EB490QK 48.5" 4K Widescreen 60fps LCD Monitor, for similar reasons: my 30” ACD was on my desk and partially blocking sound. Now the Acer is on the wall between and a touch behind the speaker front walls. I’m able to run it full 4K without squinting and my laptop is on my desk “deep” enough to not be blocking and the screen angled, so I don’t have it affecting the sound much at all. It’s great for Logic mixer or Messages, email etc while the main stuff happens on the big screen, tons of stuff fitting in Logic arrangement (=less scrolling) and FCP timeline, or (if I remember correctly) like 50+ mixer channels in Logic, if I needed that in one glance. Try to make sure your screen is low enough, as it’s easy to get a neck kink, esp. if you lean forward when concentrating and thus have to tilt your head/neck up more than is good for during a long work day!

Been thinking of using a TV for music production in the exact similar manner. It's also considerably cheaper! Thanks for doing this Jon!

I did this with my home studio. Swapped two wide screens for a 43” lg 4K. It’s only 60 hz , but it’s hdr and after setting it up, with a hydraulic wall mount, it’s super clean. Make sure you setup the sharpness. The wrong settings can really ruin text. Thanks for the channel.

Your studio is getting wonderful. My dream to have one like yours. Congratulations.

So many of us are determining that, since flat screens have gotten so cheap, and so big, and good, maybe it makes sense to put them on the same plane as the Main Speakers, and as large as makes sense in that space. For me the irony is, that while I'm typing this, I'm covered in sawdust! The framing of my Room-Within-A-Room have been built for a year. I'm now constructing my integrated Front Wall and Desk. My current challenge is keeping the dust out of my precious gear that's taken my entire life to accumulate, while using my gear for custom tailor made placement. So Jon, PLEASE keep going, and sharing! I hadn't yet purchased the Big Display, and I have a number of additional requirements when I do, but I have figured out the Resolution:Screen Size:Viewing Distance:Viewing Angle relationship, at least in research and on paper. I'd suggest that You, and anyone else still reading this and thinking of building your own ultimate room, study the Visual Monitor and placement the same way you did the Speaker Monitors and placement. Think about the multiple purposes and positions you, or others may use the room for. Specifically, there's a lot of information about ideal Computer monitoring, as well as Home Theater monitoring. If you're building a room for Music, are you sure you won't Score a film/tv/commercial project? And even if you never will, learning about the Ideal say Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision specifications for a Critical Listening and Viewing Environment (hint hint) could possibly confuse you, but it won't hurt your brain. Lastly, and I don't think You Jon need to think too much about this but you may be interested: The same way you want an Audio Control Room and Monitors to be Acoustically Neutral and Flat. Requiring special Acoustic Treatment, Measurement, and Calibration Equipment. So that if say you Hear too much low end, and adjust it down accordingly. You don't then go to the car and realize you have no Bass. If you can't hear it, how can you mix it. In a Color Grading Suite (or photography/editing/visual effects) the same rules that apply for your ears also apply to your eyes. First, you can't just plug in a Display and start adjusting Colors in your software. What is that Monitor showing you? Are you sure there's too much Blue? So you need Display Monitor Calibration Equipment and Software that does the same thing as your Calibration Microphone and REW or Sonarworks. They each create a closed Loop through known equipment and signals that reveal distortion or changes in the loop, and provide corrective information for you to apply accordingly. So REW sends out a control signal, through your interface's outputs at line level(digital to analog converters), into the amplifiers of your particular monitors (line to speaker level), into you actual speakers/cabinets (analog - acoustic transducers), through the air medium inside your room (including its reflections, absorption, and diffusion), into a calibration microphone (another transducer converting acoustic energy back into analog audio), then into a microphone pre-amplifier raising the mic level up to line, into your interface's analog to digital converters, sent back into REW, closing the loop. REW then compares what it sent out, to what it received back from the perilous journey. And it makes suggestions. Beginners think: oh just add that opposite EQ curve, and done. Pros think: time to adjust Everything else. And only then add a corrective EQ curve as an admission of defeat. Guess what? You get to do it all again, with your displays! Special Software, Calibration Probes, the room treatment involves at least 18% middle grey paint, but if you're serious , N5-N8 Munsell Calibrated and D6500-Kelvin 95+CRI Lighting. Yeah, I know... But you have Eyes and Ears. Don't they both deserve the best? G

i'd put it on a stand with wheels, so you can find the perfect distance for it and also move it out of the way to get to the room behind

I’ve been doing this over 10 years!!! this is the way to go. Those expensive gaming monitors are for gaming. You don’t need all that for music production. Go cheapest biggest tv you can get. The flatter the better. Boom done, forever

I think you should visit other pro studios and taking some notes when the panic is over

Your Desk looked so awsome with the previous monitor

I think you should go for a bigger screen at that distance. Then get it on a stand that has wheels

I use a 55” LG CX Oled it’s great I can see The entire logic session and mixer without scrolling on my m1 mac mini response time is about 10 milliseconds so close to a monitor

You could actually hang the tv higher and put your mixer and plugins on it, then still keep the old monitor for the heavy duty work. (Just saying since you already have Two). Just make sure the tv is angled and high enough so it doesn’t get in the monitor’s way!! That would look EPIC.

I use a 65" UHD Vizio P-Series display as my monitor and I can never go back to anything smaller. I haven't noticed any lag or color issues with it. In game mode its latency allows me to actually game on it online when taking a break.

I use a 55” Samsung curve tv on a stand in my studio. I’ve been tweaking my setup to be more efficient and minimalistic.

Awesome video. It’s a great approach. I just went through the same thing recently, as I do a lot of AV post and mastering, as well as other things in my studio. After trying a few different TV brands and sizes, I decided to go with an 8K Samsung (a 65-Inch QLED 8K Q900), after finding that the 4K had to actually be back FURTHER like you said compared to an 8K, as there was too much head and eye movement to do general UI and related work when it was less than 8-9 feet away. However, with the 65” 8K, I have it roughly 4 feet away, and the amount of UI and the resulting element/document/application display size works perfectly for ultra high productivity and like zero eye strain/effort. I was surprised, but with the 4K I had to push it back, as the documents/applications/UI elements were just too big to be any closer than 8-9 feet. However, at 8K the size AND the resolution detail just works perfectly at about half the distance of the 4K. While long term movie watching would be akin to being in abouth the 5th row or so in a typical movie theater (i.e. too close for me), for critical AV post it works awesomely well!

I hear you man, every studio I have set up my screen has been between/behind my monitors. Makes a huge difference for your stereo image and not having a screen blocking listening positions

You could use both tv and monitor. Place monitor on a monitor arm so you can produce looking at it and then, at final mix master you could just push it back or even back down to open up the empty path to the big scree. Just an idea.

I’ve been doing this for years. Only way to go once you’ve gotten into it.

ive used a 55" as a studio monitor for about 5 years, neck pain and eye strain have occured from having to look up a lot. I would def go smaller

The 27" inch display for an iMac costs as much as another iMac. I put a huge TV on a two-hinge mount off my wall. It works great!

Artists now 😂 prodigy banging out legendary tracks on a 303

You can get some really small projectors like the Kodak HD LED DLP range, white fabric screen wont reflect like glass and pretty sure these small projectors are much quieter than the projectors of old. i'm new to your blog but really appreciate the constant sharing you do. Respect

For me it works, an it depends on the brand and functionality , been checking music computing touch screens and they make the work flow easy

If you want to get serious about the size, I'd look for computer monitors that size like the Philips 558M1RY or the Dell C5519Q. They're built for use as computer screens and feature stuff like anti glare

I use two cheap standard 39” TVs I use as monitors for Cubase. I love it. Let me ask you this question, would you go back to watching a small T V in your living room? I would never go back to a monitor. I have eight feet by two feet of space for my mixer and project track. I may even get a third monitor for my VST guis. I think he needs bigger monitors as it’s so far away. I have worked with these large TV s for 3 years at 2ft away, there is no problem with “eyes moving to much”.

A few more thoughts on this: I'm old enough to remember when Studios had Multitrack Tape Machines, connected to Analog Consoles. And that 'Board' was connected to a Patchbay, which was also connected to Racks of 'Outboard' equipment, as well as Tie Lines into all the rooms in the facility. When I first started entering these shrines, so too were the first Computers, first in the form of the Apple Computers Macintosh Plus. That computer had no Audio I/O and only an 8-inch display, but with a little box connected to it's Serial port, that gave the computer Midi I/O, and a Sequencer Application, with that relatively Massive amount of processing power, you could accurately synchronize multiple Synthesizers and Drum Machines, run their Audio outputs into the board, and Not need to record them to tape, freeing up those tracks for more complex Audio recording. Point here being, I recall Engineers rejecting a stupid computer in the control room, then sticking it off to the side and slowly understanding the benefits. Cut to: then came a company called Digidesign and an Application called Soud Designer, then Sound Tools, and eventually Pro Tools. These systems let you digitize a pair of Tracks and for the first time "see" audio as a Waveform. And in turn, Editing that audio no longer necessitated a Razor Blade potentially slicing through 24-tracks of magnetic tape. Even then, and for many years, while the "Pro Tools Rig" became essential in the studio, it was off to the side, or at best had it's own special little cart that could be rolled up to the side of the engineer, and pushed away almost as an embarrassment. I vividly remember the first time I saw someone place a big ass beige CRT monitor precariously on the Meterbridge of an 80-Series Neve, between a pair of NS-10s that themselves would Never have been up there a decade earlier, with the corded keyboard and mouse on a cut piece of plywood laying directly on top of Penny & Giles faders, I felt a sense of sacred desecration taking place. Cut back to today: Yes, strategically building your Studio Monitors Into the front wall of your Control Room, calibrating, acoustically "tuning the room", and then placing a Big Ass Computer Monitor between your ears and your speakers, kinda defeats the point. (But I'll add, that so too did putting Near-Fields and Auratones on the Meterbridge end up blocking the 'BIGs'. And to the horror of many Studio Engineers, many Mix Engineers would out of frustration snatch them off and put em on the floor, speaker cables still attached.)

You could probably bring it a little bit forward without affecting the sound, and you won't have to pull your belly in when passing through to the windows ;)

Buy standalone stand on wheels. Best upgrade you can do for TV in studio

You probably know - "This TV supports most common resolutions at 60Hz. It displays proper chroma 4:4:4 at 1080p and 4k, which helps it render text clearly when using the TV as a PC monitor. To display chroma 4:4:4, set the input icon to 'PC' for the HDMI port in use. To achieve full bandwidth, enable Input Signal Plus." Not everyone is aware of chroma 4:4:4 which is what makes a tv act more like a monitor. And, not every tv has this feature. So just giving viewers a heads up. :) I missed the episode where you got rid of the icon fader? I'm on the lookout for it, if there is one. Too big? Cheers.

Hi Jon, i do use the LG 43inch Monitor, which is capable of 4K and up to 4 inputs at the same time. I am pretty happy with it.

I use a 43 inch tv as a monitor replacement and it works like a champ ❤️

Use it with gaming mode if you're using it with your Mac. I use the same TV for my studio. With gaming mode you will lose the latency and it will feel like a normal monitor

Your desk could need some work because it looks half baked. The sides aren't painted and it looks like your racks are just chilling that aren't screwed in to any rack mounts. I though of building my own desk but I was looking at it from a longevity perspective if I need to relocate to a different location and instead opt for an Arogsy Console desk that can be broken down entirely and easily snugged back togther.

you can get an apple tv and mirror your macbook to the tv wireless works like a charm for me no noticeable lag

You should try the LG CX OLED TV!

You can paint the edgez of the tv so the black isnt there. I painted mine white. It looks great. They always do black but you dont have too.

should have got the 65 inch model for your purp9se

8:08 I think there is some kinda of mate sticer you can put in front of the tv so it look mate like the oter screens you have

Is this a commercial studio?

Now that I'm using Slates VSX, I no longer worry about speakers, have not had them on in awhile. So using the wide screen monitor works great here.

You should add like a truss Mount and put the tv on it and then you can crank the height from the stands at the sides so it’s adjustable

Very nice desk is it diy

Glad the big TV seems like a good solution. I thought it would work.

I use two 27" 1440p monitors + one 55" 4k monitor hanging from the ceiling because why not. I love it because I can have analyzers and some other plugins open without taking up any of the important space. I work on movies so for music probably not that important.

I’m not heavy on video editing or graphic design but the latest MacBook with M1 claims to have very accurate color so I don’t see the problem with having a TV as a second monitor. Even before I had a Retina display I had been using a reaaaaally old 1080i TV as my monitor for years. Finally I replaced it with a 50” 4K recently and it’s been great for entertaining guests and when my kids stop by.

Bigger screen to fill gap on a moveable arm so you can get to other room

actually its good for your eyes to look somewhere far every now and then. But placing a monitor in front of a window is a no go in many offices, because of the light difference.

It’s all about that desk!!!!

How do you get the audio into a mixer? Can you use a HDMI to XLR?

100Hz in one TV is VEY GOOD! i use one LG 4K TV in my studio with 60Hz and its perfect (its the same refresh of any MAC or iMAC)

Get a mobile stand with wheels on the bottom. We also have them in the ADR studio.

Everything in your studio looks clean and tidy, just need to sort out those cables under the desk and your studio will be complete.

Post production studios for cinema prefer acoustically transparent video projection screens. Those systems are perfect for recording studios, especially if you are working in surround with a center channel or sub.

Projectors have loud fans to cool the bulb.

I have a 49” 5120 1440 curved on my desk that is my main monitor. Secondary monitor behind it on rolling stand is a 70” Samsung 4K, which is just above the 49”. Can be used as extended display, or just to have an apple tv video running when doing other work on my main monitor. It’s freaking epic. My monitors are quite wide so not too concerned about reflections. If anything most peoples desk reflections would be more of an issue than monitor reflections.

In addition to the TV Screen, why don't you buy one of the Slate Raven Mti touchscreens, because they can integrate into the rack spaces on your desk.. This way you still have a screen right in front of you, but not in the way of speakers. Then you can start mixing using touch screen gestures. Fun times😁😁

Switched to TV years ago.

Du kennst den Spielekonsolen Modus in den Einstellungen? Mit der kannst du die Latenz gegen Null herunter schrauben, im Gegenzug sind die Farben nicht mehr 100% nativ. Solange man aber keine Bildbearbeitung betreibt, überhaupt kein Thema :-)

So are you just using the TV as a Monitor by plugging your Laptop in using HDMI Then opening Pro Tools and changing the Playback Engine to the set Interface for audio to come out of the Monitors

Nice TV! Maybe a stand on wheels with brakes is a solution to mount the TV on? Btw: I like this song in your video and "Watch me burn". 👍😊

Looks good bro 😎

Permanent reflections on my screen drive me crazy. Also, your solution would make me feel "distanced" from the track I'm working on. Personally I'd prefer a recessed monitor desk.

i've been using a tv for monitor since the first flat screen tv. Why don't more people do that ?

I do that for more than 10 years 50" 4K. Near field. Great for an old guy like me.

This distance gonna destroy your eye add this tv little bit closer ☺️

i changed my to monitors to a Samsung 49" ultrawide and ill never go back :)

Definitely that monitor will color the sounds as well... maybe is better, maybe is not, maybe is pretty much the same, most likely is al psychological....

Cool video!! What’s the name of the monitor at 2:04?? I need one like it. You never gave the name and the one you have in the description is to the curved monitor and not the one with the arm connected. Need asap 🙏🏾

I’ve been using Sony 4K TV’s as monitors for years. Make sure the TV supports 4:4:4 Chroma and text will be perfect and clear. (I sit close to the display) I’ve had no lag problems running at 60Hertz but the new models will do 120Hertz. Just make sure the TV and video card settings are configured properly.

If anyone knows, what kinda paneling is that on his walls?

I've a friend who owns I think it is 6-7 70' in monitors to do his biology work, or chemistry, mechanical or electrical engineering, or the other 6 professions he knows and uses. I mean... wow!

I use my IMAC screen along with a wall mounted 75" TV. It works extremely good.

I'm thinking about using a short throw laser projector..

Why not have a rolling stand for the TV?

Nice One… I'd recommend You bring it a bit closer and raise it up a bit. That might help get use to it faster.

Mayvi ask. What brand is your Desk? That’s a Big Desk.

I think you should build a wooden frame around it and then fill in the other sections with glass

I use a large TV as a monitor. If the image is too big, all you have to do is shrink the image to a size you like.

I already tried it with a TV. Your eyes will hate it. Go for a widescreen Computer Monitor. There’s a good reason, why they are so expensive.

hi i think 2 30" screen will be more comfortable for workflow, for me it works perfectly :) and i also took the screens behind the monitors.

Should put in a super strong stud on the left side. And buy a strong bracket for the TV so it moves and you can walk past easily

Why not get a larger screen TV and place it on a table top that turns? Like a Lazy-Susan. That way you can access that view whenever you want to.

What is the name of the flat monitor you shown at the beginning? thanks a lot

What model is the Black one?

The TV solutions is pretty good, but it usually won't turn on when you fiddle the mouse. I've been using 39"/40" uhd TVs since 2014. When seiki brought out their $500 39", I was in heaven. Now, you can get a 40" Samsung uhd TV for under $300, and it's very light-weight. The benefit: the pixels are about the right size for a monitor. But I have to turn it on every time I start working. Still, it's so *wonderful* having all those pixels and real estate for my daw and plugin windows. Go for it. There are some TVs that will turn on when the signal arrives from the computer (like a proper monitor).

You can get a TV that has HDMI and that has a higher refresh like 120HZ or even 240HZ. I use a 32" 1080P and it works great. Only thing I hate is having to find the remote to turn it on when it goes off.

You can put the curved one way on top of this and angle it down. That way you'll get more screen estate to work on and it would look more epic and professional.

What monitor was that at 1:35 ?

I consider to do the same thing since I´m still working on a 27" Cinema display. How did the TV work out after 4 weeks ?

Hi! How you turn on and off your monitors everyday? Do you use knobs on it every time or simple let em be on?

Nice Jon!!! Hey I'm in the process of setting up my little sound studio. I have ordered an audio interface + ative monitors and 2x XLR TRS cables. My question would be: How many XLR audio cables do I need if I still want to play keyboard on monitors and listen to music directly from the PC, e.g. from RU-vid?

So do you hook your pc up to your tv using a hdmi or do you use a desktop hardd

Hanging the TV from the ceiling is probably the best idea, because you could get a height controllable setup, so that people behind you on the couch would still be able to see well what's on the screen. +it would move it out of the way for you to walk into your secret room without having to sneak by... 😂

Jon and the TV are having the "Corona Abstandsregeln"...

70” will fill that gap perfectly. And you can prob hang from ceiling with a mount. Tilting it downward, which would also reduce reflection from lights in studio. With it mounted high and 70” you could still pass underneath it. If you get an AppleTV you can AirPlay to the screen wirelessly. There wouldn’t be any delay to the video that would be noticeable. And if you get a screen that has 120hz it will be easier on eyes to stare at.

Never got along with the bigger monitors. I prefer a laptop or 24” monitor, but I tend to be super minimalistic.

Well monitors vs tv's have huge pro's & cons but Monitors always

Jon, that configuration will be on the long run way healthier for your eyes and for your whole being. Don't block the window behind, leave it on (maybe with some controlled blinds for when you need it shut), choose the settings for the screen luminosity and hue.... and get one that has HDMI. I have a very similar one, its a 55 Samsung QN55Q60TAFXZX which is GREAT, and also is super capable of 2gaming" because I run some flight simulators, very graphics heavy... and works superb. Also, it has ALEXA included, so I have now Alexa in my studio from my screen; I had it for 3 months now, and my Eyesight is Super improved because I don't get it as tired as before.. (Also get the PLUGABLE USB-C Hub for it to provide power to your whole USB daisyChain -not your Mac and for the HDMI, and some CyberPower protective system) I scale the Mac display in it, and I can read everything, even the TV being about 2 meters away..... I had to put behind it some ambience lights for my eyesight that I turn on at night ,but during day, I have also a window behind it, so its cool and healthy. Good move man!!!! 👍