Is using a HDTV as a computer monitor a good idea?

[garritynet]

I am building a computer and I need to pick out a monitor for it. I was looking around on Buy.com and I saw that I can get a 32" Westinghouse HDTV(1366*768) for $499.

It seemed to me that I could save money by having one TV for watching movies, my Xbox360 and my PC. Also I assumed that games would run very well on the relatively low 1366*768 resolution.

Is this a good idea? Do other people do this? Will there be any problems?

Its just an idea that popped into my head so cut me some slack if its actually a really stupid one.


ETA- my MB has a HDMI out.

 

[Kalessian]

I'm typing this on my 42" 1080p lcd. With a wireless keyboard/mouse its great for gaming, with a universal remote and a tuner card it doubles as an HTPC.

But I also have a 24" for my main PC. I think you'd get very annoyed not having a sit-at desktop, unless you have a laptop you can use, since you'd have to stop watching tv just to surf the web and vice versa.

 

[garritynet]

One thing I should have mentioned. My old monitor crapped out. This would be the monitor that I end up trying to install Vista with. Would I be able to just plug the thing in and use it like that?
I have the desk set up with my back against the wall and I have a TV stand and couch perpendicular to it. It just keeps the room from being crowded. I figure I can just swivel the TV around when I want to watch something from the couch.


********
W ***D************
A**X*E******TV****
L**X*S****STAND***
L****K************
******************


********************
**********COUCH****
********************
XX=My chair

 

[SSChevy2001]

Only go a HDTV if your going to get a 1080p.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
Only go a HDTV if your going to get a 1080p.

Why? Nothing above 720p is necessary on TVs 26" and smaller. ...At least IMHO.

 

[SSChevy2001]

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
Only go a HDTV if your going to get a 1080p.

Why? Nothing above 720p is necessary on TVs 26" and smaller. ...At least IMHO.

Really depends on how far away your going to be from it. I can sit close or far away and be happy with the 1080p. You can't say the same about a 1366x768, which by the way isn't even a true 16/9 ratio HDTV.

@Kalessian
Have you ever used PIP?

 

[garritynet]

Hard to get away from 1366x768 from what I have seen at Circuit City and Best Buy.

I won't be very close one way or the other. 3 feet from the desk and maybe 10 from the couch.

More importantly, will I be able to plug a new pc into a HDTV with a HDMI cable and install Vista on it? If not I'll just get a 22" monitor and maybe get a HDTV some other time.

I am on my girlfriends Imac, I have no monitor.

 

[SSChevy2001]

http://www.onsale.com/shop/det...+with+5+HD+inputs.aspx

At 3ft away you will completely notice the difference. Why do you think people buy 30" 25x16 screens, if they can't notice the difference?

 

[Kalessian]

Yeah I'd agree with the 1080P statement. 720P would be too low for your main/only PC.

I use PIP sometimes but I mean if I want to listen to a soundbite/youtube clip on the PC or use the the bottom-right quarter of the screen it gets annoying.

 

[SSChevy2001]

Originally posted by: Kalessian
Yeah I'd agree with the 1080P statement. 720P would be too low for your main/only PC.

I use PIP sometimes but I mean if I want to listen to a soundbite/youtube clip on the PC or use the the bottom-right quarter of the screen it gets annoying.

Got my 5.1 and HDTV speakers hooked up to all my devices, so I have sound going both ways in PIP. Also my HDTV's PIP position option allow complete control over the placement of the window, unlike some units. To me a 14" widescreen PIP window is more than enough to enjoy HDTV while browsing the web. What really suprised me is even at only 14" you can still tell the difference between a HD and SD signal.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Kalessian
Yeah I'd agree with the 1080P statement. 720P would be too low for your main/only PC.

I use PIP sometimes but I mean if I want to listen to a soundbite/youtube clip on the PC or use the the bottom-right quarter of the screen it gets annoying.

I think a happy medium might be a 1680x1050 22in LCD TV. Samsung et. al. make them. I find it odd that 22in TVs have higher pixel density than the 26in models nowadays. Why hasn't someone created a 26in 1680x1050 set yet?

 

[Denithor]

For text clarity you're going to want 1080p.

 

[Wuzup101]

Originally posted by: Denithor
For text clarity you're going to want 1080p.

This is the main problem, and Denithor is very much correct. If you are going to be using a TV as your primary monitor, you will probably find that anything less than 1080p just isn't suitable for text (and normal computer usage). This is especially true if you ever intend to actually read text for more than a minute or two, or go to a bigger set.

Note: this really has nothing to do with the whole 720p vs 1080p for viewing video content. Yes, it's true that depending on the distance, you will not notice a difference between the above resolutions. However, when you are using a TV as a comp monitor, I can assure you that you will be sitting well inside what would be considered the "can see the benefit from 1080p area." You'll want to poke your eyes out if you get a 720p set for a main monitor. That being said, there is nothing wrong with 720p displays for media content, especially at "normal" watching distances. When I use my 40" 1080p display for a monitor... I'm probably sitting 4' away max... generally 5-6' max to game (360/ps3)... perhaps 6-8' for TV and such. There is no way I could comfortably read text from the distance that I watch a DVD at (a 720p set would be plenty for my DVD watching).

 

[alcoholbob]

For $1000 if I'm debating between a TV or an LCD monitor, I'll go with the former. Pixel density is lower, yes, but you'll be sitting farther away, it will have more versatility connectivity-wise, which makes it a perfect gaming setup: you can use the display for xbox360, wii, ps3, and pc.

I've gone the super expensive LCD monitor route and its really not worth it unless you're into photography editing. A TV is far more versatile, and 1920x1080 is a hell of a lot easier to drive for a video card than 2560x1600.

That said, the only thing you won't be able to do on a TV is run legacy games (Windows 3.1 or 95 era) at 320x200 res through DVI-D.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Personally, I think the input lag during gaming might be an issue for the large display (assuming non-TN panel on the LCD).

 

[alcoholbob]

I think at this point 99% of the population has gotten used to ghosting due to the market penetration of LCDs (and Plasmas). Plus, TN panels are pretty rare in the large scheme of things, they are basically iconic to laptops and low end LCD monitors.

 

[Soundmanred]

I recently purchased a 42" 1080 set andI use it for TV viewwing as well a a PC monitor. It looks great, and I've never noticed any kind of ghosting in games. I've played Oblivion, Bioshock, Flatout:UC, and a whole bunch of other games and never had a problem with it, at least not to a noticeable extent.
(8600GTS->DVI to HDMI adapter->HDMI into TV)

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: Denithor
For text clarity you're going to want 1080p.

Not sure what all this fuss is about 1080p for only 32 inches. I use exactly a Samsung brand 32" 720p, and it's perfect. For all possible uses for the past 2 years of my life. I could never go back, and from using 22" widescreens at the office, the idea of gaming on them makes me laugh.

As suggested, it does make gaming very easy on your hardware, and I'll take my giant screen over your high resolution any day.

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
I can sit close or far away and be happy with the 1080p. You can't say the same about a 1366x768, which by the way isn't even a true 16/9 ratio HDTV.

Grab a calculator, son. It is, within a 0.0005 margin of error.

 

[nZone]

A 42" 1080p Westinghouse for $699 at Costco.

Sign up for membership; then cancel and get the membership fee back.

 

[ZimZum]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001

At 3ft away you will completely notice the difference. Why do you think people buy 30" 25x16 screens, if they can't notice the difference?

This is the reason TVs generally have waaay lower resoluton than monitors of the same size. TV's werent meant to be viewed at such close distances.

I have seen people who have setups using an HDTV as a monitor. Even with a 1080p on a 30 inch display, the difference between a proper monitor displaying "2560 x 1600" and a HDTV displaying "1920×1080" is like night and day IMO. But hey if that doesnt bother you, more power to you.

 

[SSChevy2001]

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
I can sit close or far away and be happy with the 1080p. You can't say the same about a 1366x768, which by the way isn't even a true 16/9 ratio HDTV.

Grab a calculator, son. It is, within a 0.0005 margin of error.

Do you buy PC screens that have resolution ratio within a margin of error?

Originally posted by: nZone
A 42" 1080p Westinghouse for $699 at Costco.

Nice but I don't think it has PIP. Still not bad.

Originally posted by: ZimZum
This is the reason TVs generally have waaay lower resoluton than monitors of the same size. TV's werent meant to be viewed at such close distances.

I have seen people who have setups using an HDTV as a monitor. Even with a 1080p on a 30 inch display, the difference between a proper monitor displaying "2560 x 1600" and a HDTV displaying "1920×1080" is like night and day IMO. But hey if that doesnt bother you, more power to you.

I had a 15" Laptop that did 1600x1200, and everything native was to FN small. I always had to scale the image down, which sucked.

Now with 37" @ 1080p everything is just perfect as far as size goes. I just want a screen I can be happy with running the native resolution. 30" @ 25x16 is too small!

 

[gramboh]

I've used my PC on our TV (Samsung 4665F 1080p 46inch) which is relatively high end (was ~$2K USD in Oct 2007). It is fine for gaming and I didn't mind a bit of desktop use, but there is no way I could ever stand to use it exclusively. Reading text or working with office type documents is just painful/cumbersome on the eyes. My desktop monitor is a Dell 2407WFP which is a pretty good quality display. I'd rather browse the web/email/documents on my 14in 1280x800 laptop LCD than a TV, I just don't like it personally.

Oh and 13**x768 is going to be a painful desktop resolution. Just think about it, it's slightly larger than 1024x768, and much smaller than 1280x1024. Your browser windows are going to be TINY unless you are used to a 1024x768 display already.

If money is a concern get a 22in 1680x1050 budget display. If you are sold on using a TV then get the Westinghouse 1080p 37/42inch for cheap at Costco. If you don't care about money get a Dell 24in for your PC and a $2k Samsung LCD for TV.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: ZimZum

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001

At 3ft away you will completely notice the difference. Why do you think people buy 30" 25x16 screens, if they can't notice the difference?

This is the reason TVs generally have waaay lower resoluton than monitors of the same size. TV's werent meant to be viewed at such close distances.

I have seen people who have setups using an HDTV as a monitor. Even with a 1080p on a 30 inch display, the difference between a proper monitor displaying "2560 x 1600" and a HDTV displaying "1920×1080" is like night and day IMO. But hey if that doesnt bother you, more power to you.

1920x1080 looks darned sharp on my 32in Sharp display from 1-2 feet away. To make it usable from my easy chair at 7-8 feet away, I normally bump it down to 720p so I can read text at that distance.

 

[SSChevy2001]

@gramboh
46" is way to big to use up close.


Anyway here's a review against the dell 30" and 37" westinghouse, guess which monitor the OP keeps.

If your into gaming, then the westy seems like the perfect fit for you. it gives you high res thats playable, plus the wow factor when anyone sees this beast!!!

http://www.overclock.net/monit...westinghouse-37-a.html

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
I can sit close or far away and be happy with the 1080p. You can't say the same about a 1366x768, which by the way isn't even a true 16/9 ratio HDTV.

Grab a calculator, son. It is, within a 0.0005 margin of error.

Do you buy PC screens that have resolution ratio within a margin of error?

Most people do. I try to avoid it for personal use.
1280x1024 is a 5:4 ratio, an 11% error from the 4:3 standard
1440x900, 1680x1050, and 1900x1200 are all 16:10 ratios
which is also an 11% error from the 16:9 standard

And you're worried about my 0.05% margin?

Originally posted by: gramboh
I've used my PC on our TV (Samsung 4665F 1080p 46inch) which is relatively high end (was ~$2K USD in Oct 2007). It is fine for gaming and I didn't mind a bit of desktop use, but there is no way I could ever stand to use it exclusively. Reading text or working with office type documents is just painful/cumbersome on the eyes.

Hrm. Have you tweaked the color and brightness settings? The way Samsungs (and in fact most TVs) come out of the box are painfully bright, and tinted red. Turn the backlight down from max to minimum, and the color mode to Cool, and the bleeding will stop.

Oh and 13**x768 is going to be a painful desktop resolution. Just think about it, it's slightly larger than 1024x768, and much smaller than 1280x1024. Your browser windows are going to be TINY unless you are used to a 1024x768 display already.

What's tiny? It's like putting a 4X magnifying glass over my office monitor, while only sitting 2X as far away.