How to Find A Great Monitor to Watch Netflix?

How to Find A Great Monitor to Watch Netflix?

How to Find A Great Monitor to Watch Netflix?

As much as we all love gaming, sometimes it’s nice just to sit down, chill out and throw yourself into a Netflix movie or series. If you don’t have the space in your room or your house for a big flat screen tv and want something that is more multifunctional, a monitor may well be a great choice for you. Not only can you get a reasonably priced monitor that gives you excellent game play footage, you can also get ones that work brilliantly for Netflix too. If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to finding a new monitor, don’t worry we can help.

Refresh Rate

When it comes to talking about the numbers associated with monitors, the general rule of thumb is the bigger the number the better specification. Obviously, the higher the numbers get the more expensive the product is, but there are some really good middle range products available on the market. When we are looking at refresh rate, it means the number of times the screen refreshes in a second, common refresh rates are 100 Hz, 120 Hz and 144Hz. 144Hz is the refresh rate that is best for game play, but this comes with a price and isn’t as good for movie watching. So, the ideal refresh rate for a monitor that you will use Netflix for is 120Hz, which is also excellent news for those on a budget

Connectivity

Before you settle on a monitor, you want to check the connectivity ports. It is something that many of us have ignored, much to our detriment, but it is well worth checking out. You want a monitor with at least 2 HDMI ports so that you can plug your laptop in if you are streaming from there. You should also have a DVI port, VGA ports as well as USB ports, you don’t want to end up with a monitor that you can’t connect to. 

Size

When it comes to choosing the size of your monitor, chose the biggest you can within your budget. It is very rare that someone ends up being disappointed when they buy a monitor that is too big, it is more likely that someone regrets buying one that is too small. 

Resolution

If your budget stretches towards the top end of monitors, it will always be worth investing in a 4K display. This will have amazing picture quality when you are streaming movies as it is double the pixel density of 1080p. If your budget doesn’t go up that far, don’t worry. You can still get excellent resolution without having to buy 4k. A monitor with a 1920×1080 ratio (or 16:9 ratio) will give you full HD, without the 4K cost. These are much more affordable, and you can you purchase a large monitor that will make watching movies a dream.

Viewing Capabilities

If you are one of those people who is forever moving around trying to find the prime viewing position for their movie without having to move their monitor, you will want to purchase one that has in-plane switching and vertical alignment. This means that you have more viewing angles than a traditional monitor as it gives you better contrast ratios. These types of monitors look better whether you are sat looking directly at it, or slightly off to the side. They also offer truer colour for users that can be picked up when you are looking at the screen from an off-centre seated position. 

Future Proofing

One of the most frustrating things about technology is that as soon as you decide to buy something, it is pretty much outdated within 6 months. Thankfully, this isn’t quite the case with monitors just yet, so you are able to future proof yourself a little longer when compared to mobile phone and laptop technology. If you can afford to future proof yourself for a little longer before the next wave of technology comes out, it is something that is well worth doing. It does mean spending a little bit more money now and maybe stretching your budget out, but if you end up with a 4k monitor you can use for a few years and continue to watch Netflix on, the investment will pay off, especially when measured against a cheaper purchase that will be subpar in a year’s time. 

Final Thoughts

Choosing a monitor to watch Netflix on seems more difficult than it actually is. The main thing you can do is buy the best you can afford as you will be potentially future proofing yourself for a few years. Look for monitors with high resolution rates that offer different viewing angles and have different connectivity option. No one ever regretted buying a monitor that was too big, but they might regret buying one that’s too small. 

Anik is an IT professional and Data Science Enthusiast. He loves to spend a lot of time testing and reviewing the latest gadgets and software. He likes all things tech and his passion for smartphones is only matched by his passion for Sci-Fi TV Series.