Can any LCD of appropriate resolution display HD content?

[arrfep]

Hey all, newb here. I've learned a lot on these forums so far. I'm currently trying to build a PC that will serve as a part time TV/PVR. At first I figured I'd stick a regular NTSC tuner into it, but then started reading about the HDTV tuners that can pick up OTA HD broadcasts, which intrigued me. I can pull a good 10-11 OTA HD channels, and 5 are ones I'd really watch. So I'm wondering, if I do get an HDTV tuner, could I watch these channels in actual high definition on an LCD monitor?

Specifically I'm considering getting the Samsung VX2025WM. I don't know much about LCD monitors and how they're classified, but if it's native resolution is 1680x1050, does that mean that I could watch a 720p program in HD? How would it look? Also, what would happen if the source was 1080i?

Also, kind of an unrelated question I just thought of, what quality does the average PC DVD drive read and output at? Are they progressive scan?

Thanks in advance for any help. If I could use my monitor as a suitable replacement for a tv then I could sell my modest TV and VCR and have another $150 or so to put into this build. THANKS!

 

[Marlowe13]

I pretty much went the same route you are considering. I'm using an external Samsung HD tuner (with an HD indoor antenna) to watch OTA HD on an NEC 20WMGX2. It displays 720p and 1080i. The picture is terrific.

 

[SynthDude2001]

I had an HDTV tuner for over a year (just recently sold it since I'm at my university and OTA reception here is crap, I will be getting another one within the next year though) and I always used my 2005FPW (1680x1050) as my display. Assuming you want to view fullscreen (or as close to fullscreen as you can get on a 16:10 monitor with 16:9 content; there will be small letterbox bars on top and bottom), 720p content will be scaled up and 1080i will be scaled down. It really does look great compared to NTSC TV, to the point that I refuse to watch analog TV (cable or OTA) anymore. 😛

Edit: As for PC DVD playback, that's really more dependent on the software than on the drive itself. Most software (or decoders) will deinterlace the video so it is progressive scan, and the resolution again can be resized to anything you want.

 

[rbV5]

With a software based HDTV tuner, your graphics card/CPU and software perform the decoding and post processing (scaling, deinterlacing) and then output to your display.

Provided you have a decent graphics subsystem and adequate CPU power (HDTV Tuner should list recommended minimums) it should look fine.

Your display will fully resolve 720p, but it will still be upscaled to match your display resolution, and 1080i will be downscaled, deinterlaced and scaled to your display resolution.

Also, kind of an unrelated question I just thought of, what quality does the average PC DVD drive read and output at? Are they progressive scan?

DVD's are generally 480i source and again, like above, your graphics card/CPU and software will; decode, deinterlace and scale the output to your software's video window. All PC monitors are progressive scan, so the output will be progressive scan unless you use TV-out (s-video/RCA composite) in which case it will always be 480i.

 

[arrfep]

Thanks to all three of you guys for the answers. Sounds like this is a solid idea. The rig will most likely be an X2 +3800 or if I can squeeze a few more bucks out maybe an E6300 so I'll have the CPU power. I'm undecided on graphics card, and now I have a question.
My card should obviously have a DVI out if I wanna watch HD right? Any thing else I should look for in a card for this task? I'd like to keep it under $100 for the video card.

Again, thanks.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: arrfep
Thanks to all three of you guys for the answers. Sounds like this is a solid idea. The rig will most likely be an X2 +3800 or if I can squeeze a few more bucks out maybe an E6300 so I'll have the CPU power. I'm undecided on graphics card, and now I have a question.
My card should obviously have a DVI out if I wanna watch HD right? Any thing else I should look for in a card for this task? I'd like to keep it under $100 for the video card.

Again, thanks.

You don't need DVI output to display 720p/1080i resolutions, but any decent video card you buy today will almost certainly have DVI anyway. It's not really a good idea to use VGA on a 20" LCD anyway.