Hi guys and welcome to my third and final video about LG's 34UC98 UltraWide monitor. In the
first video I did the unboxing, setup and general overview about this product and in
the second one I did a detailed analysis of the picture presets. Both videos are linked
below. In this video I will further talk about picture
quality and user experience after using this monitor for work, gaming and general usage.
In terms of picture quality, 34UC98 delivers very good performance all around, with several
excellent points on the list. Contrast is as expected for monitor based on IPS panel
– around 900:1, though last year's 34UC97 was better - reaching over 1000:1. Perhaps
this is caused by more gentle curve of the 2015 model or simply a variation between the
sets - it is hard to confirm without assessment done on more samples.
When I dimmed lights in the room and displayed black test image, I could see backlight bleed
along the bezel and especially in the corners. Good thing is that this never bothered me
during actual usage, but it surely would if this was a TV and I wanted to watch a movie
like Gravity or The Dark Knight. Dirty Screen Effect (DSE) is non-existant,
which is still a major plus for PC monitors compared to modern TVs.
Viewing angles are within expected for IPS, wide and with good saturation of colors from
different angles. The only disadvantage is so-called IPS glow effect which makes dark
areas of the screen appear to be glowing when seen under angle.
Motion resolution is typical for 60/75 Hz LCD monitor, reaching 300 out of 1080 lines
on FPD Benchmark monoscope test. There are different response options, but none can further
improve this result - highest value will introduce reverse ghosting and even slightly decrease
motion resolution. Good thing is that there are no long trails behind moving objects as
is the case with modern LED LCD TVs with blinking backlight or Black Frame Insertion (BFI) techniques.
Finally, input lag with DAS enabled is excellent 10.6 ms, which is a great result that even
the most demanding gamers will accept. When DAS is disabled result is 26 - 27 ms - typical
for standard monitor and also acceptable. Ever since I started testing 1440p 21:9 monitors,
I am hoping to see one on my desk for permanent use. After test of LG's 34UC98, I want UltraWide
monitor even more since this is the first one that combines excellent picture quality
and gaming potential. As being the first UltraWide monitor that supports FreeSync, 34UC98 also
keeps same very low input lag which is equal to best gaming monitors out there.
LG knew that gaming would be an important part of the review, so together with monitor
they supplied me with full version of Tom Clancy's: The Division game. The game has
native support for 3440 x 1440 21:9 resolution, so I jumped right into the action in the dystopian
New York City that this game so realistically presents. Wide field of view reveals so many
details on the streets filled with destroyed cars and confused people that from time to
time you simply have to stop and observe the world around you. When first "shock" ends
and you actually start playing, more benefits of tear-free, wide view start to reveal themselves.
You simply have better overview of the situation and can more effectively deal with enemies
and finish missions. I also tried also a bit older games that run
more smoothly on my PC - Mafia II and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Both games are excellent
and I've already spent many fun hours playing them on 24" 16:10 monitor in the past. But
to try them on 34" UltraWide, this is such an improvement in the experience that you
simply need to witness it to fully appreciate. You feel as if you are closer to actually
being in the game, rather than just watching it. Gorgeous mountains in Skyrim, cityscapes
in Mafia - it is hard to think of any other single - monitor setup that would give such
an amazing experience. Apart from gaming, which was truly remarkable
on 34UC98, I spend a lot of time working in Windows environment, writing articles and
editing videos. I got better overview of the timeline in Sony Vegas Movie Studio video
editing software, which allowed me to more easily arrange clips, lower thirds and other
media that form the final video. High resolution of the screen combined with excellent colors
and wide viewing angle help a lot in getting sharpness and colors right where we want them
to be. To conclude, LG's 34UC98 is an excellent monitor
with many improvements compared to 2015 model of the same screen size, 34UC97. Apart from
obviously different stand design, the new UltraWide monitor features more accurate picture
out-of-the-box and it is the first 3440x1440p monitor that supports AMD's FreeSync technology,
something that will make gamers happy. With all this said, I can highly recommend this
monitor to both gamers and users who demand accurate picture and are working in the sRGB
colorspace. You can read the full review on my website,
linked in the description. Thanks for watching.