Question Fold down large monitor

[Alan2000]

I could do with a 32” monitor that could be folded down when not in use. Essentially a big version of the Surface Pro 7 without the keyboard. As it is large monitors - I have a 27” Predator at present - have stands that make them really unwieldy when you want to move them, and when they’re not being moved or used they sit there looking as ugly as sin.

In the TV world at least Samsung, with their Frame TV range, have recognised that switched off screens are not exactly a pretty sight. I don’t need a monitor that doubles as a work of art, however, just one that can be tidied away when not in use.

The Samsung connection box idea would be useful, too: desktop cables all linked to a box, while one cable goes from box to tuck-away monitor.

 

[punkncat]

Tuck away where exactly?

There are a number of various monitor mounts that come with articulating arms. There are "TV" type mounts that extend and retract (for instance) for the foot of the bed and such where there is physically something for it to hide behind, so to speak.

What do you envision this device to do with the monitor" Fold down to the desktop? Retract to behind the desk? Be hidden in the wall?

 

[Alan2000]

I envisaged either a Surface Pro 7 type stand or a quick release stand that would allow the monitor to simply lie flat on a shelf or wherever. I like a big monitor for gaming, but that black rectangle at other times is depressing, even though it’s tucked away in a corner of my bedroom.

The trend in TVs is for colossal monoliths that permanently dominate living rooms and which do not look nice by any measure. I got as far as owning a 37” TV: it wasn’t long before I ditched it and discovered that my living room suddenly became a welcoming and homely place. I haven’t owned a TV for three years now.

So now I want a monitor that is quite unobtrusive when it’s not needed.

 

[Eximo]

Projector?

There are certainly portable monitors that basically have kick stands/cases, basically just laptop screens with external display and power inputs. Brightness is usually an issue.

Can't really think of anything other then monitor arms and the hideaway systems mentioned.

 

[Alan2000]

Projector?

There are certainly portable monitors that basically have kick stands/cases, basically just laptop screens with external display and power inputs. Brightness is usually an issue.

Can't really think of anything other then monitor arms and the hideaway systems mentioned.

Thanks for comments.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have read Orwell’s “1984” when I was young!

 

[Eximo]

Well, I suppose there are a few silly options.

Wallpaper displays. OLED screens with a thickness of only a few millimeters. One interesting concept is to put them in a faux window frame, so you can display the outside when you aren't watching it. Or, since they are so thin, you could make some wall art that hangs over it when not in use. Though I suppose you could do that with any TV that was pretty thin, but the wallpaper ones would be very unobtrusive. Then again, insetting a regular TV into a wall gives you a lot of options to cover it up in the same manner. (Those wallpaper TVs are also huge)

There are transparent displays from LG. Basically like tinted glass when off, and they remain see through when on, particularly from the rear. But that is probably leaning towards your art display piece issue. Really intended for shop fronts, but they have all the typical TV features.

There are TVs that you can get that are behind polarized glass/mirrors. Really intended for bathrooms, but that is an option.

"The Wall"
A series of interlocking mini-LED displays that you could cover an entire surface with. It could display interior scenes when not displaying content, only costs a few hundred thousand and require dedicated power and cooling, but that is a minor concern.

 

[Alan2000]

There’s some pretty amazing stuff out there, which suggests that some agree that the big black rectangle is an unwelcome and depressing presence in the living room. Or any room.

I have no use for a TV anyway, but a slim monitor that could be lain flat on its face, like a large tablet, would be useful. I could even put such a monitor behind a piece of furniture. I use my desktop almost solely for a train simulator, which displays best on a large monitor. A 32” screen would be great (and a maximum), but I would settle for a 26/27“ if necessary. My present monitor is a 27” Acer Predator but its stand makes it impossible to lay it flat, and the monitor itself is bulky. The desktop box, of course, is tucked away, while the keyboard and mouse hide in a drawer.

Weight might be considered an issue for some people, but I use mine no more than once a day. And it would be easier than putting away the ironing board which I wouldn’t dream of leaving on display….😀