CHOOSE THE RIGHT SPECS

Curved screens

What does it do?

Flat-screen monitors have been popular for years, taking over from the bulky cathode-ray tube models from the 1980s and 1990s. However, large screens aren’t necessarily your best option, particularly if you sit directly in front of one. Curving the screen gently towards the user at each side can make the screen more comfortable to work on, improving what you see at the periphery of your vision, reducing reflections, making games and movies more immersive and reducing eye strain.

How does it work?

Curved screens work in the same way as regular screens, except that all the components are constructed on a curve, requiring a more complicated manufacturing process that makes them more expensive. The HP Omen

34in curved monitor (pictured), for example, costs £399 from Argos (www.snipca.com/49654).

What are the specs?

When you’re buying a curved monitor, the specification to look out for is the radius – often referred to as ‘R’. The HP monitor, for instance, has an ‘R’ value of 1500. While the curve of a typical screen is only a section of the circumference of a circle (known mathematically as an arc), the R or radius is the distance from any point of the monitor’s curve to the centre of that theoretical circle. It’s measured in millimetres (mm), though the unit is rarely quoted. Monitors with less extreme curves would make a larger circle, so have a higher ‘R’ value, while tightly curved monitors have a lower value.

Can I change it later?

No. Curved screens can’t be adjusted later.