Philips 346P1CRH - (WFH 21:9 Ultrawide, USB-C, PIP, PBP, KVM)

thenewoc · 28 Feb 2021 at 17:08

@spaceman thanks, based on your earlier comments it seems necessary to run at USB 2.0 to get the 100Hz which is fortunate because my Google foo wasn't able to find any decent USB 3.x A or C to B cables that were rated at 10Gbps or more and 3m long. Shall just use the hub mainly for keyboard & mouse, if need faster connection for external drive I'll connect direct to PC or laptop.

Thanks for the feedback too, it's sounding pretty promising for the money.

spaceman · 28 Feb 2021 at 18:17

@MasterPlan1 - sorry i can't test it properly for gaming, my laptop isn't capable of playing any modern games, I only have retroarch which should run games fine on anything.

@thenewoc - i've got mine set to USB 2.0 for the 100hz too, i'm only using the hub for keyboard/mouse wireless dongles (i might end up just using bluetooth, haven't decided yet) and USB headphones at the moment.
See what you think of it when yours arrives

i'm happy i returned the £480 LG to get all the extra features with the Philips for £120 less, i ended up buying a Logitech MX Keys & MX Master 3 for £150'ish, as i was looking for a decent keyboard/mouse too.

spaceman · 1 Mar 2021 at 11:23

The monitor is working well with my work laptop @ 1720x1440, on one half of the screen and the work Surface Pro 5 on the other half with PBP.

Only issue is the Surface can only output to a max of 1080p via HDMI + mini DP adapter (cheap no brand or old SP2 adapter), so i've got it set to 1680x1050 currently. I've ordered a 4k DP to mini DP cable so i might get some better resolutions to use. There is no intel graphics command centre on this one, so i cant stretch the output to fill 1720x1440 space.

Even with the slight Surface resolution issue, it's way better than working on 2x 12.5" screens!

EDIT: changed the thread title to be more relevant if others are looking for info

EDIT2: 4k DP to mini DP cable arrived, my SP5 now has 1720x1440 resolution available for PBP

Jony27 · 1 Mar 2021 at 13:20

Just got mine through the post. Hopefully have time to set it up this evening

thenewoc · 1 Mar 2021 at 14:02

Got mine this morning too, suddenly got a text from DHL, wasn't meant to be coming until Thursday. Got to finish make over to spare room first before I can get mine set up.

spaceman · 1 Mar 2021 at 14:27

Mine arrived early too, it was suppose to arrive today, but turned up last Wednesday with DHL but i was out at the time, then actually delivered to me on 2nd attempt on Thursday..

Jony27 · 1 Mar 2021 at 21:57

Mines all setup. The KVM + USB-C dock is such a blessing. Was using a 1080p IPS 144Hz so trying to get used to the colours + ghosting may take some time.
Ghosting is most noticeable when scrolling on a white page with black writing.
@spaceman or anyone who ordered this, let me know what OSD settings you are using. Would be interested to know.

spaceman · 2 Mar 2021 at 19:02

I'm still playing with the OSD settings i need to go through the manual to see what they are supposed to do and see what i like best, but so far i'm liking Colour mode set to sRGB, i'll see when i'm in front of it all day WFH on Thursday if its too bright or not.

Other than that i've just set the USB to 2.0 for 100hz.

Although my SP5 could display 1720x1440 on PBP via 4k DP/mini DP cable, i couldn't set it to 'maintain display scaling' like i did with my laptops to use the full half of the screen. It doesn't have the intel graphics control panel/command center like my laptops where i changed the setting. With the new DCH drivers, it's installed via MS Store if you install new drivers or by itself, but the MS Store is blocked on the device.. i need to find a work around for that, any idea's?

spaceman · 11 Mar 2021 at 18:52

I ended up returning the Philips monitor (Hermes collection only due to being over 15KG, you cant just drop off at a Hermes shop, it took 3 different next day collection bookings and a week to finally get Hermes to even turn up to collect it..).

I couldn't get my work SP to display using up all the space on half of the screen in PBP, this wasn't a fault with the monitor but the newer DCH intel drivers not having a control panel so i couldn't use to set 'maintain display scaling.

I also found if i was using the screen for my working day when WFH or scrolling through code or websites for a while i was getting some eye strain. I don't know if that is just this monitor or a curved monitor or a VA panel thing as i didn't use the LG 35WN73A for long enough to see if i had the same issue on that one. I don't have any eye strain issues with dual 22" or dual 24" monitors in the offices or my trusty old iiyama E2472HD which i dug out from the loft to use for the last week.

Anyway i think i'm going to try out a Dell P2721Q next to see if i get on better with a flat 27" 4K screen, at £367 with current discounts + work discount it's a similar price to the Philips. I don't really need the KVM as i now use a Logitech MX Keys + MX Master 3, so can easily switch between 3 laptops if i'm using all of them. I know i 100% need a single USB-C power connection though, which the Dell has too.

thenewoc · 17 Mar 2021 at 16:57

These are back in again if you want a cheap WFH monitor, worth searching for.

stringsonfire · 17 Mar 2021 at 18:31

Any issues with noise/whine?

V_R · 17 Mar 2021 at 19:36

I've taken a punt on this as its just what I've been looking for and for that price its worth a go.

thenewoc · 17 Mar 2021 at 20:45

stringsonfire said:
Any issues with noise/whine?

Most of the reviews are very encouraging but I can't test mine until next week when I hope to have the office desk build finished. I basically went for it on value for money when I considered how much a genuine laptop dock from HP was around £160 so saving on that kinda made it a no brainer to me and the built in KVM.

Supposedly this camera model is brighter than the non camera model so some of the reviews are sometimes a little negative on the non camera model.

V_R · 20 Mar 2021 at 17:50

Mine turned up yesterday, was expecting it on the 7th April. Just set it up and first impressions are good.

I can't get my work laptop to display though (via USB-C), control via my mouse and KB yes, just no display. Will have a play I guess I've missed something.

thenewoc · 20 Mar 2021 at 18:42

V_R said:
Mine turned up yesterday, was expecting it on the 7th April. Just set it up and first impressions are good.

I can't get my work laptop to display though (via USB-C), control via my mouse and KB yes, just no display. Will have a play I guess I've missed something.

Might need to enable USB-C DP Alt Mode in the bios, my HP has the option, am not sure if it just relates to high resolution or to get any output. Hoping to get mine set up tomorrow. Also, you could try dropping the USB version down to 2 on the monitor.

V_R · 20 Mar 2021 at 18:54

Well it works fine at work with the Lenovo docks so I'm hoping I don't have to mess with the bios on it.

I've dropped the USB down to 2, will see if that works.

V_R · 20 Mar 2021 at 19:01

Just a thought....

I didn't get a USB-C cable in the box with mine is that normal?

I'm using the cable from my Pixel 4xl, will that work or wdo I need a better cable?

thenewoc · 20 Mar 2021 at 19:15

You probably need a decent USB-C cable that is certified for power delivery. I did get one in the box I think which has a usb- c and an 'a' connector on one end. I shall probably use my Anker one which I bought with a USB-C charger as i know it's a decent one.

Something like this as it probably needs to be quite thick for the power delivery and have a reasonable band width spec.
https://uk.anker.com/collections/cables/products/a8485

V_R · 20 Mar 2021 at 19:44

Yeah that's what I thought. Cheers.

Other than that it's a cracking monitor for 358 quid.

Edit: Yeah I got the A-C cable in the box too, but no C-C, on the quick start leaflet it says you get different cables depending on your region.

https://www.download.p4c.philips.co...NNS6LE*MTYxNjI2NDcyNy4zLjAuMTYxNjI2NDcyNy42MA..

thenewoc · 20 Mar 2021 at 19:53

V_R said:
Yeah that's what I thought. Cheers.

Other than that it's a cracking monitor for 358 quid.

Edit: Yeah I got the A-C cable in the box too, but no C-C, on the quick start leaflet it says you get different cables depending on your region.

https://www.download.p4c.philips.co...NNS6LE*MTYxNjI2NDcyNy4zLjAuMTYxNjI2NDcyNy42MA..

Yeah I didn't really understand that part of the instructions in terms of what we were meant to get in the UK. Isn't the A/C cable C on the other end? I know I had to buy an A to B as it didn't come with that. I was a bit worried I might have lost a cable because the tape on the front of the box was undone a bit.

You should check the profile & colour mode are set to the calibrated ones too as this review suggested that theirs wasn't.

https://www.eteknix.com/philips-brilliance-346p1crh-ultrawide-monitor-review/5/?amp=1