Considering purchasing a dream PC/HomeTheatre setup (monitor only). Need help.

[Apocalypse23]

Well after giving some real thought into my recent monitor upgrade, it was just a little bit bigger from my 19" wide screen. But I just don't get the joy of watching movies on a tiny 22inch wide screen. Also, spending so much money on such little monitors is a bit bogus if you ask me, when there are 50-60" HDTVs easily available for an affordable price these days. What I would like to do is either wait or see what is the largest and the best picture quality monitor out there for DVD playback as well as some computer gaming that I could use. I'm thinking on a ridiculous scale here but I want something around 50" or a 60" screen. I hear plasmas are more sharper in image quality but if someone could recommend me an expert state of the art screen that I could use for both gaming and DVD playback around that size it would be awesome.

I'm looking at some quality brands like Sharp, Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Hitachi, Samsung and LG.

I also mostly just see huge screens with just about 1366x768, once again I don't watch TV and just need a huge screen for DVD playback and at least some gaming. I was wondering if the image would appear pixelated at those scales.

Should I wait for another year for technology to start coming with monitors that support 1920x... or higher resolutions or should I go for glory and get what ever is the best? It just occurred to me that PC gaming has a lot of room to expand once we start gaming on the ridiculous 50" + level.

PS - 42" and above is also acceptable.

Some advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

PS - Finally got the 46" Sharp, the PS3 and the Logitech z-5500 speakers. Thoughts at the bottom.

 

[JargonGR]

Hello,

I was recently under the same dilema and after scanning and posting in several forums like the the AVS forum (experts in HD TVs) I fianlyy decided to go with a 30" PC monitor and in particular the HP LP3065 for 1570 Euros (its cheaper in the US) whihc I ordered today and will receive in a month (special order here in Greece).

At the moment this is the best Computer monitor and it uses the same panel as the upcoming 30" from Dell the 3007WFP-HC. The HP has 3 DVI ports the Dell has one and one more native resolution 1280x800 but I don't care for that since I am not going with a 30" to use it at 1280..

The other alternative was to go with a 37" or 42" dispaly HDTV. The best for computer use after my research came up to be the Sharp Aquos 37" ..DE1 model that supports 1:1 pixel mapping through DVI-HDMI and 1920x1080 resolution. NOTE: Stay away from the Sharp 42" since its a different panel and it sucks - if you go that route either go for 37" or 47". However in the US you have an even better option the Westinghouse 37", 42", 47" which although it seems to be an HDTV its not! There is no TV tuner and it was designed for PC use. All the reviews from owners and the threads at http://www.hardforum.com/ (the display section) rave it. So if I was not going to buy a 30" monitor I would go for the Westinghouse no questions asked - its really good.


So the bottom line is that:

The HP LP3065 has:

- 2560x1600 resolution which is no comparison in crispness to any HD TV resolution of 1920x1080 but also you need a MONSTER PC and SLI 8800GTX if you want to be sure that games will run smoothly at that ress (no other ress support).

- Best desktop real estate you can have with a single monitor @ 2560x1600.

-It is built to be used as a PC monitor and you can sit close to it vs an HDTV panel that is built for viewing from a further distance.

-The Westinghouse 37"-47" have:

-1920x1080 resolution (easier on the hardware) but I personally find it too big to sit in front for Desktop use and the pixel pitch is big,

- For games though its perfect and has that WOW factor but as I said above its ofc not as crisp as a 2560x1600 resolution but still a high res monitor!

- It also has lots of connectors VGA, HDMI, DVI and all support 1920x1080 which means you can connect an XBOX360, a PS3 and your PC for HD gaming. I am not into consoles at all so it was not important to me.
- Its not very expensive and its really good.

So depending on how you plan to use your PC and how close you are going to sit to the monitor (a 47" will be hard to sit too close and use XP) will determine your choice. The ideal would be to have both. 30" for Desktop 37" or bigger for games/movies.


I hope this helps.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Screen size and resolution are all about how far away you're going to be sitting.

If you're going to be using this as pretty much your only monitor and will be viewing text and such, getting a true 1080p panel should be a priority as anything less than that is going to be on the low side for text.

If this is just for gaming, then a 720p set wouldn't be a bad way to go.

How far away from the screen do you plan to be?

 

[Apocalypse23]

Currently I'm not really sure how the heck games will look on a huge monitor since most monitors out there only offer the 1366x.. resolutions. Also I don't even know if it is a monitor or just a TV, I'm thinking TV in my head but I want the TV to be used with the computer, so I'm still very confused. I'll be sitting at about 60-70 inches away on the sofa for watching movies. The thing is that I just don't want to spend money on a screen that won't last me very long and will be outdated, at the same time I want to invest in a super screen. My potential budget is about 2 grand CAD, maybe up to 3 grand if I can figure everything out.

I live in Canada so Westinghouse is not sold here atm.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Apocalypse23
Currently I'm not really sure how the heck games will look on a huge monitor since most monitors out there only offer the 1366x.. resolutions. Also I don't even know if it is a monitor or just a TV, I'm thinking TV in my head but I want the TV to be used with the computer, so I'm still very confused. I'll be sitting at about 60-70 inches away on the sofa for watching movies. The thing is that I just don't want to spend money on a screen that won't last me very long and will be outdated, at the same time I want to invest in a super screen. My potential budget is about 2 grand CAD, maybe up to 3 grand if I can figure everything out.

I live in Canada so Westinghouse is not sold here atm.

At that seating distance, (~5.5 feet), a 42" or 50" would give you a pretty cinematic viewing angle.

31 or 37 respectively
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

I'm at about 40 degrees with mine. I've experimented with different screen sizes and distances and found that 40 is just about right for movie watching for my personal taste.

I'm using a 720p display at this viewing angle and games / video look quite good. I wouldn't want to go any larger for DVD viewing though since even with a decent upconverting DVD player (or using a computer to do the upconverting), a 480i source has its limitations.

What I did personally is I have a couple high res small computer displays (3200x1200 on two 20" monitors) for when I need to do text and such and then I have my larger low res display for movies / games.
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughli...inished/7%20View%20from%20Computer.JPG

Even if my large display was high res, I don't think it would feel as natural to use if for something like internet browsing as the comfort I have with a couple high res monitors.

Just a personal preference thing.

FYI in US dollars, my projector was ~$1500, screen ~175, two monitors I got a deal on so everything total was less than $2k.

Depending on how your room is set up though, doing something like that might not work at all.

 

[JargonGR]

Apocalypse have a look here

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1063562&highlight=Westinghouse+Canada


The Westinghouse is available in Canada it seems.


Also read the display forum there as it have tons of info about large displays on PCs.

As I said a TV res below 1920x1080 for me is not even considered acceptable games or not but that is me. I can see the pixels even at 1920x1080 in anything desktop related so I went for the 30" proper Computer monitor.

 

[Apocalypse23]

I am looking to go for either the cheaper 42" Westinghouse HDTV with a 8ms response time and a 1920x1080 res with a 1000:1 contrast ratio http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetai...0010075263&catid=24558&test%5Fcookie=1 , or

Sharp 42" Aquos with 6ms response time and 1200:1 contrast ratio http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde...id=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010079999&catid=#

or even the better

Sharp 46" Aquos with 4ms response time and 2000:1 contrast ratio http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetai...N&sku_id=0926HDS0010080000&catid=24558

Now the Sharps have no DVI inputs, but I hear that you can use the HDMI inputs with a DVI HDMI connector and get the same quality. Correct me if I'm wrong. But the sharps are really appealing to me atm. The only problem is wheter to go for the 46" or the 42".

Also, will I need a particular DVD player for this or can I just connect the LCD to my comp via DVI and play DVDs through the computer? Would there be any disadvantage to this?

Thanks.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Yeah, DVI can be adapted to HDMI.

You should research at AVSforum to make sure that each of these specific models can do their native res through the HDMI input. They should all do it in theory, but there may be issues.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Well, the Westinghouse is all sold out, and by the time the stores get it back, it will probably be back to it's regular price. Now I'm contemplating between the 42" and 46" Sharp Aquos models. I can get the 42" for about 2300 CAD and the 46" for 2900 CAD...Considering that I will mostly be using the screen for gaming and watching dvds, is it really worth an extra 600$ to upgrade ot a 46". I'll be on a 12 month payment plan, also is it worth getting and extended warranty?

Thanks

 

[Kartajan]

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR WARRANTIES

Extended warranties are one of the major profit makers in retail stores; most people have no need for it. Do your homework first. If there is a problem with things like backlights burning out (I think that was for DLP screens- but I could be mistaken), and that is included, hen by all means- jump on it.

Just make sure you look in places like AVS forum, manufacturer forums, enthusiast websites, etc.. before you commit.

I may be wrong, but I am under the understanding that LCD and Plasma technologies do not have most of the issues that a warranty would be called for (and you might just be wasting your money on said warranty).

Do the research, spend wisely, and *Darn it I am jealous of your soon to be uber size monitor*

 

[JargonGR]

Apocalypse

DO NOT get the Aquos 42" since its the only one from the line that uses a different panel. 37" or 46" is the way to go.

Also after I did my research bear in mind the following about the Sharp aquos (not the 42")

- It does 1:1 pixel mapping at 1920x1080 over the HDMI port (just get an DVI-HDMI cable and all will be fine)

- It does not do the above over the VGA port in case you are thinking of an xbox36 (I Could not care as it works fine @ 720p too)

- It has great image quality with SDTV signal better than most other HDTVs

As a computer monitor I heard great things for the 37" and the 46" but not for the 42" so stay away from it.

Regarding DVD playing I don't see any issua at all with playing it through your PC apart from noise. That is if your PC is noisy.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Originally posted by: Kartajan
SPECIAL NOTICE FOR WARRANTIES

Extended warranties are one of the major profit makers in retail stores; most people have no need for it. Do your homework first. If there is a problem with things like backlights burning out (I think that was for DLP screens- but I could be mistaken), and that is included, hen by all means- jump on it.

Just make sure you look in places like AVS forum, manufacturer forums, enthusiast websites, etc.. before you commit.

I may be wrong, but I am under the understanding that LCD and Plasma technologies do not have most of the issues that a warranty would be called for (and you might just be wasting your money on said warranty).

Do the research, spend wisely, and *Darn it I am jealous of your soon to be uber size monitor*

Yeah, it's not even an easy decision for me, I just decided to all of a sudden buy a huge TV in about a day after paying a visit to the store, I checked at about three of the best shops here, luckily my old friend from night school is a sales manager at one of the stores and he is giving me a deal. Anyhow the funny thing about warranties is that it costs 500$ for extended warranties and if in that 4 year time period everything is well, I can actually get a refund of 500 as a gift card from that specific store. Now it's again a waste of money imo to spend so much on a warranty. Upon my research, alot of US customers have had defective products with alot of banding issues, while people in Canada have had very good models from our major outlets, I have yet to hear a complaint. I do have a one month warranty anyway if anything fails, but it's just the money me and my bro are spending on this TV, its a little ridiculous, mostly because I can get 50" plasma or LCDs for less than the price of the 46", only downside being the lower resolution...but if it all works it'll be well worth it.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Originally posted by: JargonGR
Apocalypse

DO NOT get the Aquos 42" since its the only one from the line that uses a different panel. 37" or 46" is the way to go.

Also after I did my research bear in mind the following about the Sharp aquos (not the 42")

- It does 1:1 pixel mapping at 1920x1080 over the HDMI port (just get an DVI-HDMI cable and all will be fine)

- It does not do the above over the VGA port in case you are thinking of an xbox36 (I Could not care as it works fine @ 720p too)

- It has great image quality with SDTV signal better than most other HDTVs

As a computer monitor I heard great things for the 37" and the 46" but not for the 42" so stay away from it.

Regarding DVD playing I don't see any issua at all with playing it through your PC apart from noise. That is if your PC is noisy.

Roger that, the 42" are all sold out atm, it'll take 10 days to order them anyway but then again I'd rather just pay a little more for that extra view space, so I'll probably go with 46". Still doing some research, it's just that this thing is unusually expensive, yet it's 4ms response time and picture quality is very appealing.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Okay, I've made my mind on buying the 46" Aquos LC46D62U . Now, I need some advice on the HDMI to DVI cables. I am planning on buying on of these from http://www.monoprice.com . However, I'm a little confused to how they are rated as 22AWG, 24AWG and 28AWG etc. I'm looking at this one currently as I find it the best bang for the buck: http://www.monoprice.com/products/produ...023104&p_id=2505&seq=1&format=2&style=

My main confusion is what is DVI -D and DVI-I , since these are standard DVI - HDMI cables, so will I be fine with this?

Thanks

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

24 is pretty much standard afaik. The cheaper cables should work find though. On longer lengths you may run into problems trying to do 1080p on cheaper cables, but I think that should work for you.

DVI-I is DVI-D plus analog video. DVI-HDMI cables are just going to do digital. You'll be fine since the digital portion is all you need.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
24 is pretty much standard afaik. The cheaper cables should work find though. On longer lengths you may run into problems trying to do 1080p on cheaper cables, but I think that should work for you.

DVI-I is DVI-D plus analog video. DVI-HDMI cables are just going to do digital. You'll be fine since the digital portion is all you need.

Alright thanks.

I was also wondering if anyone has some links to any real life pictures of this screen with any PC or during any playback.

 

[Apocalypse23]

Well I finally bought the 46" Sharp d62U , the PS3 and the z-5500 speakers from logitech folks and I love it. Got an hdmi to dvi cable for the pc and a hdmi to hdmi cable for the ps3, plus an optical audio cable for the speakers to the ps3, I absolutely love this enitre set combo.

Just watched the Casion Royale, Tears of the Sun, Open season and The Last Samurai Blu-rays and they are absolutely fabulous on this screen, also checked for bandings and found absolutely none. This is a perfect set, I have the ps3 hooked up to one of the hdmi ports and the pc hooked up the other, switching screens is at the touch of a button from the sharp remote. I'd just like to tell everyone to get this set if they can get one without any banding, also go for blu-rays, once you had a look at them on the 46", you wouldn't want to switch back to normal dvds.

ALso, many games including Command and Conquer 3 (Tiberium wars demo) look spectacular at 1920x1080 on this set.


Edit: I got this LCD at an awsome price but I didn't end up buying the PSP because it was around $500 and I was hearing conflicting info from sales reps (one said it covered as low as 1 dead pixel and the other said it just extended the manufactures warranty, abiding by the same policy) I also heard good things about this LCD as far as longevity so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it lasts me for a while!

Here are some quick pictures I took.

http://aycu31.webshots.com/image/11350/2006127505847738731_rs.jpg
http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/13330/2001221239125533677_rs.jpg
http://aycu28.webshots.com/image/13027/2002119261327490333_rs.jpg
http://aycu24.webshots.com/image/13303/2002194448588149969_rs.jpg
http://aycu28.webshots.com/image/10187/2002165284763596539_rs.jpg
http://aycu25.webshots.com/image/13304/2002154866767225544_rs.jpg
http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/13253/2002167916273014305_rs.jpg
http://aycu31.webshots.com/image/12270/2002117583670918830_rs.jpg
http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/11975/2002174948977490403_rs.jpg
http://aycu20.webshots.com/image/11019/2002126023425694327_rs.jpg
http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/14326/2002153670693486188_rs.jpg

PS- just purchased the Logitech z-5500 speakers after these pictures, the sound is also incredible.

Heres a quick pic of Command and Conquer 3 on my set. I can't even believe how good this game looks at 1920x1080.

http://www.houseofsith.com/newshots/HPIM0248.jpg