Office depot BF deal and a question

[episodic]

Office depot has a 22 inch wide flatscreen monitor for sale. I want to snag one and use it for a television.

We don't do cable at all, we just rent netflix. I also don't blueray at all - just a standard dvd player.

Without a computer - how can I use this monitor as a 'television' for a standard dvd player. Please tell me the cheapest most effective way 🙂

Thanks!

 

[Muadib]

More info is needed.

What is the make & model of the monitor, or what inputs does it have?

What outputs do you have on your dvd player?

 

[episodic]

The dvd player outputs svideo or standard componet *the yellow and white cables* - the monitor is a cheapy - it does the standard vga input. . .

 

[Muadib]

Nevermind.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

A simple component to VGA cable will not work unless the devices are specially compatible to work with a cable like that. The monitor would have to be able to receive a standard component signal through the VGA port.

Here's what happens when I plugged the same type of cable into my monitor from my DVD player
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Y...ello/Component-VGA.JPG

episodic, you said "standard component *the yellow and white cables*"
Does that mean you have composite video (yellow), analog audio (red and white) and s-video only?

OR

Do you have component as well? (Red/Green/Blue)

If you want to go from component to VGA, you'll need some kind of converter box and not just a simple cable.

You'd need to get something like this
http://www.monoprice.com/produ...id=4723&seq=1&format=2
with the right inputs to match your equipment.

I also believe that the widescreen monitor could cause you some problems if you try to use one of these converters since they usually are just limited to 4:3 output resolutions.

 

[3chordcharlie]

It can't really be worth the trouble to make this work... besides, cheapie lcd monitors tend to have not-great video performance.

 

[s44]

What, that junky Acer? Don't do it.

(1) The inputs may well not work. See above. (Component cables are red, green, and blue.)
(2) The monitor, like all 22" screens, is 16:10. Widescreen TV/DVD size is 16:9. So unless the monitor does 1:1 pixel mapping or fancy aspect scaling (and no, that Acer doesn't), all your images are going to be stretched -- people will be taller and skinnier.
(3) That low price includes a MIR. Ugh.

Note that Acer, Viewsonic, and BenQ all have relatively well-priced 16:9 monitors (20" or 21.5") that will work better for video. Budget ones don't take component/composite in, though. You need either HDMI out from your player or a more expensive monitor/TV (like that 23" Samsung).

 

[episodic]

Sigh, I was just hoping I could score a cheap 22 inch lcd tv 😛

 

[s44]

This plus a cheap upconverting DVD with HDMI (or, better yet, a Blu-Ray player) will do you fine, so what's the problem?

 

[episodic]

Originally posted by: s44
This plus a cheap upconverting DVD with HDMI (or, better yet, a Blu-Ray player) will do you fine, so what's the problem?

Ok these are the things I need to know. So a standard dvd player with an hdmi out will play to this just fine with no funkiness?

1 more question from a newb. Could this monitor be hooked up to an external dvd player and to a computer at the same time and switch back and forth between the input sources? If so I could get this for my wife and it would double as a monitor for here too. . .

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: episodic

Originally posted by: s44
This plus a cheap upconverting DVD with HDMI (or, better yet, a Blu-Ray player) will do you fine, so what's the problem?

Ok these are the things I need to know. So a standard dvd player with an hdmi out will play to this just fine with no funkiness?

1 more question from a newb. Could this monitor be hooked up to an external dvd player and to a computer at the same time and switch back and forth between the input sources? If so I could get this for my wife and it would double as a monitor for here too. . .

Yes, and yes... Though of course if you have a computer, you can play DVDs on that too. 😉