HDTV as computer monitor...LCD vs DLP vs Plasma; 720p vs 1080p

[jshuck3]

For those of you with HDTV or those looking at one, what are your thoughts on using an HDTV as a monitor for your computer?

I'm looking at a bunch of them and I can't decide between LCD vs DLP vs Plasma and then the wonderful 720p vs 1080p debate. I don't think I need 1080p for movies at the sizes I'm looking at, but being able to run my computer on it at 1920x1080 seems much more attractive than 1280x720.

And now there's HDMI 1.3 on the horizon....what would you do?

Wait for 1.3 or get one now at 720 or 1080?

Thanks!

 

[Todd33]

I thnk 720P will be dead soon. I have a 42" 1080P LCD being shipped right now. My friends 40" 720P looked like crap with dish 1080i content, I assume is was part the bad compression and part the 1080i->720P scaling.

I'm not sure HDMI 1.3 will mean anything to you.

 

[imported_ST]

1080p is almost a necessity with computers. And make sure it is 1:1 pixel mapped not 1080i upconversion or so (like the Emprex 1920x1080 panel from Frys)

In terms of tech LCD>Plasma>DLP for me. Plasma has issue with burnin but the latest have anti burnin tech. DLP LCD Projection, I've never been a fan of.

My 42" 1920x1080p Sceptre works perfectly for me. Very immersive in games, and has plenty of desktop real estate for mutlitasking.

 

[NoStateofMind]

:roll:

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: Todd33
I thnk 720P will be dead soon. I have a 42" 1080P LCD being shipped right now. My friends 40" 720P looked like crap with dish 1080i content, I assume is was part the bad compression and part the 1080i->720P scaling.

Dish 1080i is highly compressed and only 1280x1080 frames anyway, it my well look just as crappy and possibly even worse when upscaled onto your 1080p LCD.

Originally posted by: ST
My 42" 1920x1080p Sceptre works perfectly for me. Very immersive in games, and has plenty of desktop real estate for mutlitasking.

My 42" 852x480p Panasonic plasma works perfectly for me. Very immersive in games, especially when taking advantage of 1080p input to alow my games to be rendered at high resolution; and running my desktop at 720p gives me plenty of desktop space to suit my needs.


Jshuck, about what size of display are you looking for and how far do you plan to sit from it? Beyond that, do you have an open budget or would you rather keep this purchase under a given cost? Given answers to those questions I'll be in a much better postion to recommend options for you to check out.

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman

Originally posted by: ST
My 42" 1920x1080p Sceptre works perfectly for me. Very immersive in games, and has plenty of desktop real estate for mutlitasking.

My 42" 852x480p Panasonic plasma works perfectly for me. Very immersive in games, especially when taking advantage of 1080p input to alow my games to be rendered at high resolution; and running my desktop at 720p gives me plenty of desktop space to suit my needs.

you are comparing essentially a VGA+ resolution to an WXGA resolution! Sorry, but unless you've seen first hand what 1:1 pixel mapped 1080p looks like, you don't know what you're missing. Even when I tried out a Samsung 37" 1024x768 res TV, it just doesn't look right.

 

[akugami]

1080p > 720p > 1080i

Keep in mind most of the 1080p HDTV's out there now do not actually accept 1080p and instead accepts 1080i or 720p and upscales it to 1080p. Not to mention that there is a severe lack of 1080p content. Most content is 1080i or 720p.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: ST

Originally posted by: TheSnowman

Originally posted by: ST
My 42" 1920x1080p Sceptre works perfectly for me. Very immersive in games, and has plenty of desktop real estate for mutlitasking.

My 42" 852x480p Panasonic plasma works perfectly for me. Very immersive in games, especially when taking advantage of 1080p input to alow my games to be rendered at high resolution; and running my desktop at 720p gives me plenty of desktop space to suit my needs.

you are comparing essentially a VGA+ resolution to an WXGA resolution! Sorry, but unless you've seen first hand what 1:1 pixel mapped 1080p looks like, you don't know what you're missing. Even when I tried out a Samsung 37" 1024x768 res TV, it just doesn't look right.

Thing is, I have seen first hand what a 1:1 pixel mapped 1080p display looks like, but that does nothing to change the fact that my plasma suits my needs nicely.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: akugami
1080p > 720p > 1080i

Keep in mind most of the 1080p HDTV's out there now do not actually accept 1080p and instead accepts 1080i or 720p and upscales it to 1080p. Not to mention that there is a severe lack of 1080p content. Most content is 1080i or 720p.

Keep in mind that image quality consists of a whole lot more factors than just resolution, and for give size display more resolution only helps up to a certain distance before your eyes can't resolve the difference anyway.

 

[moonboy403]

lcd's color accuracy and black level is a joke in contrast to plasam or dlp

and resolution doesn't always mean everything, it depends on your viewing distances and the quality of the brand (ex: most people say a panny edtv looks better than the average hdtv. mathematically, it's impossible, but it all depends on the quality of the brand)

if you're always 2 feet away from the screen, then plasma and dlp probably isn't for you

and like many people said, most hdtv doesn't accept 1080p input signal, they accept 1080i or 720p

 

[Todd33]

How many of you are using plasmas on your desktop right now? Case closed..

1920x1080 LCDs connected to a PC is a thing of beauty. Plasmas are great for movies, but they are not good for PC desktops or gaming. Enjoy your plasmas, but stop with the FUD.

 

[kylebisme]

No FUD, my plasma has been my primary PC display for nearly two years and you can head over to AVSforum's HTPC section and find lots of others quite happy with their plasmas hooked up to their PCs as well.

 

[Todd33]

852x480 is your desktop res? Is my text taking up 50% of our screen right now? Don't down talk LCDs when it's the HTPC display of choice. If you do a poll in this forum about gaming displays it will be 75% LCDs, 25% CRTs and you with your plasma.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
running my desktop at 720p gives me plenty of desktop space to suit my needs.

My display has very nice buit in scaling hardware. I can read this forum while running my PC at 1080p as well if I like, but that makes text and such rather small from 8' away on my couch while 1280x720 fits my needs great.

 

[PremiumG]

Originally posted by: Todd33
852x480 is your desktop res? Is my text taking up 50% of our screen right now? Don't down talk LCDs when it's the HTPC display of choice. If you do a poll in this forum about gaming displays it will be 75% LCDs, 25% CRTs and you with your plasma.

ooohh......... snappps!

 

[kylebisme]

Oh yeah, as for the second part of his argument:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

 

[Todd33]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Oh yeah, as for the second part of his argument:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

The point was that LCD is the defacto standard in PC displays. So when a person ask about a display for a HTPC, that is a PC by definition. The first thought is not a low res plasma. You have burn in issues, warm up delays, low pixel resolutions - most plasma down scale 720P and 1080i/P. If you are buying it for DVD or TV playback then no problem, but he said HTPC.. Instead of just pushing what you have, try reading the OP and giving advice that fits his situation.

 

[moonboy403]

Originally posted by: Todd33

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Oh yeah, as for the second part of his argument:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

The point was that LCD is the defacto standard in PC displays. So when a person ask about a display for a HTPC, that is a PC by definition. The first thought is not a low res plasma. You have burn in issues, warm up delays, low pixel resolutions - most plasma down scale 720P and 1080i/P. If you are buying it for DVD or TV playback then no problem, but he said HTPC.. Instead of just pushing what you have, try reading the OP and giving advice that fits his situation.

just because plasma and dlp doesn't fit your needs doesn't mean it won't fit the author's needs

btw: i have nothing against an lcd. heck i have another lcd sitting in my room too (2005fpw)

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: Todd33

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Oh yeah, as for the second part of his argument:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

The point was that LCD is the defacto standard in PC displays. So when a person ask about a display for a HTPC, that is a PC by definition. The first thought is not a low res plasma.

And my point is that an appeal to the majority is a logical fallacy.

Originally posted by: Todd33
You have burn in issues,...

Nah, I could if I were extremely negligent, but with a modren plasma and little comon sense that hasn't been an issue at all.

Originally posted by: Todd33
warm up delays,...

You are just dreaming on that one.

Originally posted by: Todd33
low pixel resolutions - most plasma down scale 720P and 1080i/P.

And as both Moonboy and I have already pointed out, there is a lot more to image quality than just resolution.

Originally posted by: Todd33
If you are buying it for DVD or TV playback then no problem, but he said HTPC..

My plasma has been no problem at all for HTPC use.

Originally posted by: Todd33
Instead of just pushing what you have, try reading the OP and giving advice that fits his situation.

Why don't you try reading my posts here again and see that I did not recommend my display but simply pointed out that it works well for me, and then I went on to ask Jsuck for more details on his needs so that I can give him good advice to fit his particular situation.

 

[Todd33]

So let me get this straight.. you can game for hours with a game that has a static HUD? You can turn your plasma on and get a picture on screen in < 1 sec? I see you have no problem hand waiving plasma detractor and then exaggerating the LCD ones like contrast ratio. And ghosting? Come on all modern LCDs are 8ms, more FUD guys?

I just saw this, classic...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=692729

More to image quality than resolution? Sure, I guess I could game on a 1024x768 Plasma, but I enjoy my 1920x1080 4x AA 16x AF goodness in games like WoW and HL2. Not to mention gaming and watching movies in 1080P on a PS3 soon.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: Todd33
So let me get this straight.. you can game for hours with a game that has a static HUD?

Pft, hours, more like all day many days.

Originally posted by: Todd33
You can turn your plasma on and get a picture on screen in < 1 sec?

Nope, but I can't see how anyone could reasonable consider the little under 4 seconds it does take to be an issue.

Originally posted by: Todd33
I see you have no problem hand waiving plasma detractor and then exaggerating the LCD ones like contrast ratio. And ghosting? Come on all modern LCDs are 8ms, more FUD guys?

Obviously you have a problem reading as I didn't mentioned either here let alone exaggerate anything.

Originally posted by: Todd33
I just saw this, classic...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=692729.

Heh, that is what I was getting at with my comment on common sense, but of couse the foolish ones risk learning the hard way.

Originally posted by: Todd33
More to image quality than resolution? Sure, I guess I could game on a 1024x768 Plasma, but I enjoy my 1920x1080 4x AA 16x AF goodness in games like WoW and HL2.

Yet you could run your games at such settings on a plasma and benefit from the added image quality that comes from rendering at 1080p, as I already stated I do in my first post in this thread.

Originally posted by: Todd33
Not to mention gaming and watching movies in 1080P on a PS3 soon.

I'm with you there, watching my HD cable has me itching for Blu-ray movies and I'm looking forward gaming on a PS3 aswell.

Beyond all that though, I say good for you that you are happy with your display. I wasn't trying to convince you otherwise. I'm just here to help Jshuck consider his options, and I doubt he will appreciate coming back to find you have been continually trying to rail me for doing so.

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Thing is, I have seen first hand what a 1:1 pixel mapped 1080p display looks like, but that does nothing to change the fact that my plasma suits my needs nicely.

Glad to hear you're happy, but I think 90% of folks out there will take higher res, for clarity as well as SDEs of larger sets. Heck, even i notice quiet a difference going to 42" from 37" at the same res, and this is with me sitting 10' away from my HTPC box. I'm sorry, but I can't still imagine playing something like WoW at those VGA+ res. BTW> Which 1:1 pixel mapped 1080p display did you see?

Originally posted by: moonboy403
and resolution doesn't always mean everything, it depends on your viewing distances and the quality of the brand (ex: most people say a panny edtv looks better than the average hdtv. mathematically, it's impossible, but it all depends on the quality of the brand)

if you're always 2 feet away from the screen, then plasma and dlp probably isn't for you

and like many people said, most hdtv doesn't accept 1080p input signal, they accept 1080i or 720p

Most people say (and correctly) that SDTV appears better on the Panny, for good reasons. As a monitor, there is no comparison between an EDTV and a 1080p 1:1 pixel mapped, which is what the OP wanted to know about for his computer.

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
My display has very nice buit in scaling hardware. I can read this forum while running my PC at 1080p as well if I like, but that makes text and such rather small from 8' away on my couch while 1280x720 fits my needs great.

I'm really curious how you are running your PC at 1080p, besides having your internal scalar resolve it accordingly. Hell, I wasn't even aware there was a 1080p capable Plasma set. Which model do you have again?

I'm still a bit astounded how you play / work at such low resolutions on such a large display. Here's a couple shots of my present 42" 1920x1080p Sceptre and my older 37" 1920x1080p Sceptre. i can't imagine how games would look or play otherwise, and the beauty of the res is outstanding (and blacks and colors are more than acceptable after calibration):

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g319/stranx44/htp2c.jpg

http://www.htpcnews.com/forums/uploads/post-6-1127598966.jpg

 

[JackBurton]

LCD in Q4 of this year FTW.

Let me sum this up for the OP real quick. For now, LCD for all practical purposes to be used as a tradition PC monitor. I'd go plasma if you are using an HTPC in something like your living room. I prefer plasmas over LCDs for PQ. I'd take a 1280x720 plasma over a 1900x1080 LCD. The picture just looks so much better on a plasma. However, plasma do run hotter than LCDs, that's why I'm REALLY keeping an eye out for the new LCD. They will provide deep blacks, and also run pretty dang cool (compared to plasmas). My room gets pretty hot with my 21" CRT. If I throw in a plasma in this room, it is going to be uncomfortably hot (the rest of my place is at 71ºF). But if it is in a large living room, it shouldn't be a factor. Anyway, I prefer plasmas, but LCDs are probably a more practical solution for the OP.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: ST

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
Thing is, I have seen first hand what a 1:1 pixel mapped 1080p display looks like, but that does nothing to change the fact that my plasma suits my needs nicely.

Glad to hear you're happy, but I think 90% of folks out there will take higher res, for clarity as well as SDEs of larger sets. Heck, even i notice quiet a difference going to 42" from 37" at the same res, and this is with me sitting 10' away from my HTPC box. I'm sorry, but I can't still imagine playing something like WoW at those VGA+ res. BTW> Which 1:1 pixel mapped 1080p display did you see?

Originally posted by: moonboy403
and resolution doesn't always mean everything, it depends on your viewing distances and the quality of the brand (ex: most people say a panny edtv looks better than the average hdtv. mathematically, it's impossible, but it all depends on the quality of the brand)

if you're always 2 feet away from the screen, then plasma and dlp probably isn't for you

and like many people said, most hdtv doesn't accept 1080p input signal, they accept 1080i or 720p

Most people say (and correctly) that SDTV appears better on the Panny, for good reasons. As a monitor, there is no comparison between an EDTV and a 1080p 1:1 pixel mapped, which is what the OP wanted to know about for his computer.

Originally posted by: TheSnowman
My display has very nice buit in scaling hardware. I can read this forum while running my PC at 1080p as well if I like, but that makes text and such rather small from 8' away on my couch while 1280x720 fits my needs great.

I'm really curious how you are running your PC at 1080p, besides having your internal scalar resolve it accordingly. Hell, I wasn't even aware there was a 1080p capable Plasma set. Which model do you have again?

I'm still a bit astounded how you play / work at such low resolutions on such a large display. Here's a couple shots of my present 42" 1920x1080p Sceptre and my older 37" 1920x1080p Sceptre. i can't imagine how games would look or play otherwise, and the beauty of the res is outstanding (and blacks and colors are more than acceptable after calibration):

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g319/stranx44/htp2c.jpg

http://www.htpcnews.com/forums/uploads/post-6-1127598966.jpg

Hey man, someone put a big smudge on your receiver. You may want to clean that up.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: ST
I'm really curious how you are running your PC at 1080p, besides having your internal scalar resolve it accordingly. Hell, I wasn't even aware there was a 1080p capable Plasma set.Which model do you have again?

Let me introduce you to Tha Bad Muthafvcka.