Any Experience Using HDTV as Computer Monitor Using HDMI?

[hchaniar]

Hi,

In an effort to save space I want to consolidate my TV and computer monitor into one. I am looking into purchasing an XPS M1530 which as HDMI out and I wanted to know if anyone has had experience using an HDTV as a monitor via HDMI out from a computer.

Specifically I want to know about the visual quality and what the differences are between HDTVs that are 720p/1080i/1080p. If using 1080p the resolution should be 1920x1080. How is the quality at this resolution? Is the text readable, what about graphics, is game play smooth?

Any feedback would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[cubeless]

i have a 65'' mitsu dlp projecter 1080p tv... it works just fine as a giant pc display...

issues:

1) driving it at 1080p in games... u need a lot of vid card to do this... i have a x1800xt hooked up right now, and it's just not powerful enough for new games at that res... but it doesn't have issue #2...

2) lag between the mouse and the display... with an 8800gts i had lag between the tv and the mouse using a dvi-hdmi cable... with a 8600gts with a hdmi out there was no lag (but the card was way to weak for high res)... this may just be a 8800/version of driver thing, i haven't retried it lately...

3) scaling... the tv is 16x10, 1080p native, so to get good scaling u need to pick the right resolution... my tv has a 'zoom' or 'standard' mode, so if i run in 720p for games it can either fill the whole screen or just the 720p portion of a 1080p size screen... things are sharper in the smaller mode, but look pretty good in full screen...

choice of vid card and tv will certainly affect your performance... kinda hard to test the parts before u buy in this case, though... good luck...

 

[Emmett442]

Hey, whats up.

Indeed, you can use an hdtv as a computer monitor...this is what I did for my last build in January.

I'm using an LG 26 inch LCD tv as a display for my "media center" and it works great. I got a DVI -> HDMI cable from Radio Shack (since I didn't want to wait fro shipping) and connected the dsiplay. MY 8800GT detected it automatically and I run the display at 720p since I feel this is the perfect resolution for websurfing/reading. I thin using the TV was a great idea because of the TV's built-in ciontrast/color/sharpness optimizations. They make games and movies look fantastic. In my opinion, a HDTV as a computer display is the only cost effective way to go for a media center. IF you have any questions about the setup, fire away.

 

[hchaniar]

cubeless,

When you say that the video card does not have enough power to drive it at 1080p in games, am I correct in assuming that you are also running the games at 1920x1080 resolution?

But if I scale down the resolution within the game (say 1280x800), that should work fine?



Emmett442,

This is exactly how I intend to use it, and I also plan on getting a similar size LCD HDTV. Thanks for the info.

 

[dino26]

1080P is nice but I dont think you need it for anything 37" or smaller for most viewing (especially sd/hd tv) As for a monitor the 720p sets also look very good. They are a little cheaper and to be honest I have a really fast pc with 2 vid cards and I rarely go above 720p res for most games unless they are older games. Most all of the newer games I have to run at around 1366X768 (720p) anyway or the fps are too low. 1080p res for a monitor is attractive but then again I think 720p would impress most users...even the text at 720P is pretty sharp and games and hdtv will all look great. If you were thinking of a large set like 40-70" then you might want to consider 1080p.

 

[hchaniar]

For general computer usage, word processing, web browsing, photo editing, etc. I like to have a higher screen resolution. I currently have a 17" widescreen laptop and I find that the 1440x900 does not give me enough screen real estate for what I need to do.

So if I were to purchase lets say a 26" 1080p HDTV, is it possible to switch between 1080p/720p resolution depending on whether I'm playing games or general usage? In the past I have noticed that for some monitors, only the "native" resolution gives the best picture clarity. Is this an issue that would be relevant with HDTVs if I downscaled the resolution to 720p if I feel the 1080p resolution is too much?

Thanks again for all you help.

 

[Emmett442]

yeah, it's possible, I do the same. I use 720p for my desktop resolution since at 1080i I find it too small to read. However, all of my games are set to 1080i resolution and run with specatular clarity. Everything works great. Again, this is on a 8800gt and a 26" LCD TV.

 

[dino26]

as far as I know 32" is the smallest they make any 1080p sets most are 37"/40" or larger

 

[cubeless]

u can game in 720p, but 720p is smaller than 1440x900... 720p is kind of small for fps's say the kids... the kids tell me that 1776x1000 fills the screen nice and runs ok...

 

[Psynaut]

I absolutely am in love with my Westy 37", everytime I sit down at it I fall in love all over again. I was afraid it would be too big, but I could actually be happy with a 42". Thing about the Westy is that it is cheap. Not the best TV really, but awesome for a monitor/TV, and it is 1080p. There are some good threads about the monitor at Hard forums and AVS forums.

 

[Dream Operator]

Yes, one can be happy with a 42". I picked up the Palit 9600GT w/ HDMI onboard. No issues with lag. Nor did I have lag w/ my 7800GT DVI>HDMI. It takes a little work to get your PC geared towards a larger display. I'm set at 120dpi. Had to increase font size in Firefox (I also use ctrl+mouse wheel to increase/decrease on the fly). I installed Crysis last night with the TripleC pack using lvl 4 @1600x900. I'm still trying to figure out how to make love to my display

If you buy an HDTV, it's very important to check for overscan. My display has two screen sizes HD1 and HD2. HD1 is 95% visible, HD2 is 100% visible, @1080p. I always use HD2. 1600x900 is the same, but 720p gets overscanned no matter what. I knew that going into it and could care less. There isn't much I can't run at 1600x900 or better.

Game play being smooth will of course depend on your rig. You'll need better specs than I have to be a 1080p gamer. I can run some games, but not that many. Not COD4, Not Bioshock. Some displays are better than others for viewing below native resolution. The Panny TH-42PZ700U that I picked up is highly regarded in that respect. Most LCD's are not. (Not starting a plasma/LCD debate here. Check out reviews if you're interested).

As far as text being readable, you have to sit at an appropriate distance from a larger display. I don't like reading 16-18pt fonts any closer than 4ft. w/ my TV.

720 vs 1080 is all about screen size and viewing distance. You need to sit approx 6' or closer to a 42" display to benefit from 1080p. Many reviews I read stated that the main benefit of 1080P in the 40-42" range is found when the display is used as a PC monitor, as opposed to viewing bluray/hdeadvd.

Looks like the XPS M1530 comes with an 8600gt. You will hate life with if you have a nice big display and try to run games with that. 9600gt is boarder line and it destroys the 8600gt. Unless you must have a laptop, build yourself a rig. Performance on the dollar is much better.

 

[relativistic]

Hey, a follow up question to this. In firefox, you can increase the font size to a readable level. Do any of you have a problem in games with this? It seems sometimes the HUD would be difficult to read. I'm interested in setting this sort of thing up, but only if games are still playable.

 

[Dream Operator]

I have not had any issues with the HUD or anything else in any game. 1920x1080 isn't really that high of a res at 42". The pixel density is less than my 22" CRT @ 1024x768. I do use 120dpi for my desktop though.