LCD TV out of a LCD Monitor?

[Jugernot]

Looking at LCD TV prices lately made me wonder why a company hasn't come out with a box that has inputs on it (composite, svideo, components, hdmi, COAX, etc) and output to DB15 or DVI (also include a remote). You could convert any LCD monitor into a LCD TV for probably much cheaper than a comparable TV of the same size. It would also be much higher resolution and faster response time.

Anyone?

EDIT: Sort of a breakout box concept.

 

[LS20]

where would you buy a 36, 40" lcd "monitor"?

 

[Jugernot]

I was more talking about the 19"-22" market.... which run anywhere from $300-500 for an LCD TV of the same size where as LCD Monitors run $150-250 for the cheaper brands.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: LS20
where would you buy a 36, 40" lcd "monitor"?

Westinghouse LVM-37W3 was a 37" monitor. W2 and W1 were TVs.

 

[QED]

What you are asking for is a simple External TV Tuner... they've been around for years to allow people to watch TV on their PC monitors.


In fact, the first tuner I ever bought for my PC (back in 1995) was of the external type, with 3 inputs (coax, RCA video, and 15-pin RGB) and a little push button that would cycle between the 3 inputs.

Most of them offer full-screen viewing only, but some of them will take video input from your PC and allow you to use your PC and watch TV at the same time (PiP).

Just doing a quick google, some current names out their that I've found are the AverMedia AverTV Box, the TVBOX 1680ex, KWorld TVBox 9.

 

[So]

These have been available forever, the problem is, they cost as much as the cost difference for an LCD TV.

 

[ric1287]

your cable/dish box has composite/dvi out - decent lcd monitors have composite/dvi in. problem solved

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: ric1287
your cable/dish box has composite/dvi out - decent lcd monitors have composite/dvi in. problem solved

True, but a lot of cable/sat boxes have HDCP enabled over DVI, and unless it sees your monitor as HDCP-compliant it will lock you out.

If you have a cable or sat box that does NOT force HDCP compliance, then you are good to go-- and you are very lucky, too.

But it seems quite a few LCD monitors out there have S-video in (my Dell 2001fp does), so that is always an option.

 

[ric1287]

newer monitors are also typically HDCP compliant anyway. But in this case, he is looking for analog anyway, so s-video or composite would be fine from the cable/dish box.

 

[alrocky]

Originally posted by: Jugernot
I was more talking about the 19"-22" market....

Kinda smallish isn't it? Would there be a market for this? If I weren't getting a separate LCD TV and a LCD computer monitor, I'd still want the largest screen possible on the combo TV / computer monitor and 19-22 seems a bit small. A 720 monitor comes in acceptable sizes and price. I'd prefer a 1080p but they're a bit pricely and perhaps a touch large for a computer screen. My compromise TV / computer monitor was a 27" purchased a few years ago.