The latest 55-inch Odyssey Ark monitor by Samsung has recently been launched in the US, and has a 4K Mini LED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, which aims to replace the existing multi-monitor setup with one giant screen.
There were two major complaints about the original Ark last year, and this new model addresses those. First, although the total number of video inputs is the same (four), one of the HDMI ports was turned into a DisplayPort connector.
Samsung also notes the monitor can provide a video feed from all four inputs simultaneously, due to the improved Multi View feature. The previous version allows the screen to be split in four, but could only show one HDMI input at once.
The support for multiple inputs is expected to help overcome issues if built-in apps such as Netflix don’t support Multi View, as now the user can access them via external HDMI streaming dongles.
The Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen also includes a built-in KVM switch which allows the user to control multiple PCs with one mouse and keyboard. However, Samsung notes each computer must be connected via its own USB upstream cable, which are sold separately.
It was also advertised the monitor has four corner speakers and two woofers built in with Dolby Atmos support.
Other features remain fairly similar to last year’s model, with a ‘Cockpit Mode’ allowing the user to rotate and use the monitor vertically and show up to three screens at once.
There’s also an ‘Ark Dial’ which serves as a remote. Although this is a monitor, it also comes with an array of smart TV style apps, including cloud gaming services from Xbox and Nvidia, along with streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Australian pricing and availability for the 55-inch Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen from Samsung is yet to be revealed.
