HDTV or PC Monitor?

[Krudy]

I'm sure this has been addressed somewhere before, but times have changed and so do circumstances.

So I'm thinking about getting a new monitor/TV and I need some advice. Currently I have a 19 inch CRT monitor on my computer desk and it's taking up way too much room. I don't have a television in my room either.

I want to kill two birds with one stone. I'm thinking about getting a 22-26 inch LCD TV and hooking my computer up to it by VGA cable. This will be my primary computer monitor, and I have to do work on my computer writing papers and working on Excel spreadsheets.

Samsung has this PC MONITOR available, which doubles as an HDTV, but I haven't seen any other PC Monitors comparable to it, and I'm uncomfortable buying the only one out on the market.

So instead, I want to buy an HDTV (i think) but they only seem to come in 720P resolution at that small of a television, which is a detriment to the screen resolutions a PC can output.

Is there anyone experienced with this that can chime in, or send me a PM?

Thanks

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

Samsung T200 hd. It does 1080p has HDMI and has a digital tunter to watch tv. I am getting this monitor soon. It is 20 inches for $300 or a 22inch for $350

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Touch-...7633675&sr=1-1

[pyleboy]

i own the samsung 25.5 inch 1080p lcd which i use for both pc and tv.i bought it from amazon and am very pleased with it. for $50 more i'd get the one i have from amazon.just make sure it's the hd model

[ObiTrentKenobi]

PC monitors with -a built in hdtv- are a dying breed... there use to be an abundance of options. now it's slim.

My recommendation would be to go to an LCD HDTV. And yeah, under 32" all you'll see is 720p resolutions. Which is still great for that size of a screen.

How much are you looking to spend??

Perhaps you can actually afford to get a small LCD AND an new 19-22" pc lcd monitor, if you play your cards right and price shop. The way these lcd prices are plummeting now...

[hoogoosedmoose41]

couldnt you just get a computer monitor and add a TV tuner to your computer?

[neckedness]

i warn you of buying lcd hdtv for pc connection. most 720p sets do not look good when connected to the computer. you will have to lower your resolution on your pc card for it to look clearer, but you have a much lower resolution, for 26"?

Also the TV signal does not look all that great (cable), will look the same as buying a lcd computer monitor and viewing a pc/tv card on the monitor.

LCD TV are designed for TV viewing, not for PC. be warned.

[RandDawg]

I have an XBR3 and when I use the DVI-HDMI cable it looks funny and when I use the analog VGA cable and set the resolution to 1920 x 1080 it looks amazing.

[Krudy]

Getting both a monitor and a TV isn't reasonable. I'm trying to save some space. I'm leaning towards the Samsung T240HD. It has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and all the inputs for a cable box.

As for getting a TV tuner card in my PC, I'd like to avoid that. I actually currently have one in my PC, but I hate all the software that it uses.

The T240HD will run me around $450. I think it's worth it. Getting a 720P television that has a VGA/DVI input would make reading text difficult. I have to write too many reports on the machine to have lousy text.

[ckent22]

To the guy who said they are a dying breed that is just stupid. I have a 26 inch Samsung 1080p monitor with an HDMI output and it was the best decision I ever made.

I have two 1080p HDTVs but they don't compare at all to the Samsung monitor. The picture is the most vibrant life like image I ever seen.

[CyberVisions]

Originally Posted by neckedness

i warn you of buying lcd hdtv for pc connection. most 720p sets do not look good when connected to the computer. you will have to lower your resolution on your pc card for it to look clearer, but you have a much lower resolution, for 26"?

Also the TV signal does not look all that great (cable), will look the same as buying a lcd computer monitor and viewing a pc/tv card on the monitor.

LCD TV are designed for TV viewing, not for PC. be warned.

First off, to Neckedness - no offense dude, but you just have no idea what you're talking about.

Display presentation is only as good as the signal going into them and for PC's that means the system's GPU; for cable, it means having an HD signal unit as opposed to just tuning to an HD channel. Otherwise you're just receiving 480i. As far as the difference in the actual display units, there is none - LCD HDTV's and Monitors are the same, just marketed differently in different cases with higher prices and a few different options unique to TV's for consumers who don't know the difference. Kind of like those super-expensive Monster Theater Power Supply units for over $300 - it's just a UPS with a voltage regulator (which btw everyone should have anyway). You can get the same thing for $200 less in the computer department, but most people don't know that. The same people also fall for those expensive cables that won't give you any real increase in performance, and in some cases will even degrade it depending on how they're used and routed.

Many people don't realize that for all of the CRT TV's sold over the years by all of the different vendors, the actual CRT's were made by one company in Japan - Matsu$hita General. That went for both TV's and computer monitors. Although LCD displays have more OEM's today, the current state of manufacturing processes means that OEM's need to maintain certain standards before a vendor will even deal with them to buy their units on a large scale basis.

Originally Posted by Krudy

I'm sure this has been addressed somewhere before, but times have changed and so do circumstances.
So I'm thinking about getting a new monitor/TV and I need some advice. Currently I have a 19 inch CRT monitor on my computer desk and it's taking up way too much room. I don't have a television in my room either.

I want to kill two birds with one stone. I'm thinking about getting a 22-26 inch LCD TV and hooking my computer up to it by VGA cable. This will be my primary computer monitor, and I have to do work on my computer writing papers and working on Excel spreadsheets.

Samsung has this PC MONITOR available, which doubles as an HDTV, but I haven't seen any other PC Monitors comparable to it, and I'm uncomfortable buying the only one out on the market.

So instead, I want to buy an HDTV (i think) but they only seem to come in 720P resolution at that small of a television, which is a detriment to the screen resolutions a PC can output.

Is there anyone experienced with this that can chime in, or send me a PM?

Thanks

Up until this year the smallest you could get a 1080p LCD HDTV was 32", and that was a Sharp Aquos. Notebooks like mine have a 20.1" 1080p monitor, and it's fantastic for design and BD playback. As PanasonicPlasma posted, they're now in the consumer market as 20" display units now. I've also got a Samsung 21" for my desktop, and while it's a fantastic display, it doesn't even come close to my notebook's 1080p resolution.

Having said that, the one thing that's the major difference in using LCD displays as a TV or a PC Monitor is that LCD HDTV's used as TV's don't have an external GPU driving the display signal (cable boxes really don't count, but HD units are pretty close). Regardless of whatever display you get, it's output going to only be as good as the GPU signal output you're connecting it to. If your GPU doesn't have full HD resolution (1080p) capability, then getting a True HD display is a waste. Even using a HDMI/VGA is a waste for the same reason - you can't carry a full HD signal over VGA - only HDMI-DVI or HDMI-HDMI will do that, and even then for HDMI-DVI it depends on how old the cable is.

Since my notebook has HDMI out and a 20.1" 1080p display, I often connect it via HDMI to my 32" Aquos for use as a multiple display or if I want to use it as an external for BD playback or just as a large monitor. There isn't that much difference in display presentation if you know how to set your GPU settings correctly, and you take into account that the HDTV's own settings affect the incoming signal as well.

What you really need to decide is what resolution you want - even though I or anyone else can tell you how great True HD is for use on a PC, unless you actually see or experience it you'll never really understand. You can get True HD resolution in smaller displays now, so that's not a problem contrary to your original thought. The question then becomes whether or not you have the graphics processing capability to drive it and if not if you plan to (or even if you can) upgrade it to a full 1920x1200 capable GPU. If not, then your decision is simple.

[ewitte]

I just have a 35ft thick HDMI cable and stereo to RCA adapter I run accross the floor to the living room when I want to watch movies. While I have a 24" LCD that does 1920x1200 the color looks so washed and dull compared to 1366x768 on the 50" plasma I got last January. Not sure what the state of LCD monitor/tv is but the only ones I didn't mind back then were $4000 top of the line LED backlight sets. The $2000 LCDs didn't do it for me.

[slaizer2000]

I choose to use a 26 inch hdtv (720p, vizio) for my computer monitor.
It give you a good size screen (maybe not as good as a real monitor).

But what i like about this is when i go on vacation or something and take my ps3 or xbox 360 i can also take my 26 tv with me as laot of times hotel rooms and /or resorts only have standard def Tv's. that way i can still play in high def when i'm on the road.

[danay82]

I saw one the other day. Kind of high in price, but I beleive its what your looking for.

Dell Monitor 24"

Hit the "Explore" Link by the picture of the monitor and it'll bring up more pictures for you to view. It looks to have all the ports your looking for.

[ObiTrentKenobi]

Originally Posted by Krudy

Getting both a monitor and a TV isn't reasonable. I'm trying to save some space. I'm leaning towards the Samsung T240HD. It has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and all the inputs for a cable box.

As for getting a TV tuner card in my PC, I'd like to avoid that. I actually currently have one in my PC, but I hate all the software that it uses.

The T240HD will run me around $450. I think it's worth it. Getting a 720P television that has a VGA/DVI input would make reading text difficult. I have to write too many reports on the machine to have lousy text.

I would have to agree with your solution here...

[Krudy]

I got the Samsung T240HD. It's beautiful. To the poster who said that a VGA cable cannot carry a HD signal, that's not true. It can carry a resolution of 1600 x 1200. My graphics card is not capable of outputting a high enough resolution, but if it were, you can be sure that the VGA cable could handle it. Just because it is an analog signal that does not make it inferior.

The reason I went with this monitor was so I could enjoy HD television on my screen, while capable of resolutions higher 720p for computer work. At 720p, text would have been difficult to read.

I highly recommend this monitor to anyone looking to do something similar. There is also a 22 inch and 26 version.



Edit: Sorry, I just read up. The VGA is NOT limited to 1600 x 1200. It has capabilities well above that.

[ixlegitballinxl]

most def, an hdtv... lcd monitors don't cut it imo when compared to an hdtv

[Krudy]

Originally Posted by ixlegitballinxl

most def, an hdtv... lcd monitors don't cut it imo when compared to an hdtv

That's not true. LCD Monitors have a far higher resolution capability. As discussed above. I've only seen 24 inch HDTVs come capable of 720p. The monitor i bought is capable of full 1080P