Tips for buying a TV for primary use as a computer monitor...

[Aztech]

Like the title says, I want to buy a "TV" with PC input and use it primarily as a monitor. We're looking in the neighborhood of 32 - 40" TVs. Do I need to get 1080p for this? What features do I look for? Are PC inputs on TVs still all analog?! Why?

Thanks for helping. I'll post this and then Bing it (how long before Binging is a verb...?)

 

[dmw16]

Do you need a cable tuner or will you have a cable/sat box?

 

[kalrith]

This thread will probably be helpful for you. All the things that make TVs good TVs also make them good computer monitors (good contrast ratio, color accuracy, and color saturation); however, there are some added requirements when looking for a computer monitor. You'll want 1080P. 1366x768 is just not high enough resolution for a 32-40" computer monitor. You also need 1:1 pixel mapping (also called dot for dot) with no overscan. This means that the TV screen will display what the computer sends it perfectly pixel for pixel. If you're going to game, you want a TV with low input lag. That will be difficult to find, because it's something that TV reviews won't deal with. You'll have to find reviews of TVs that people use as computer monitors and test for input lag. High input lag could be a huge annoyance for gaming.

Also, viewing distance comes into play just like it does with a TV purchase and possibly even moreso. If you will be sitting 7+ feet away (maybe even 6), then 32-40" won't be large enough. I would sit 3 feet from a 32" and 5 feet from a 42".

 

[Aztech]

Thanks guys.

We would like a cable tuner built-in, no extra boxes.

We won't be gaming on it. This will be use in a conference room, with viewers about 4 to 8 feet from it. We'll use it for Powerpoints and demo videos and such.

I'm wondering: Should I be looking at monitors that can double as TVs or TVs that can double as monitors...? I don't know if the first even exists...

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Aztech
Thanks guys.

We would like a cable tuner built-in, no extra boxes.

We won't be gaming on it. This will be use in a conference room, with viewers about 4 to 8 feet from it. We'll use it for Powerpoints and demo videos and such.

I'm wondering: Should I be looking at monitors that can double as TVs or TVs that can double as monitors...? I don't know if the first even exists...

Well, technically any display without a TV tuner that was made in the last couple years has to by law be called a monitor. However, this is different from a display that's made to be a computer monitor. I'm pretty sure that the largest computer-specific monitor is 30", so you'll be best served by an HDTV. I would say a 42" 1080P TV would serve your viewing distance well.

What cable channels do you need to tune? If you want digital cable, then you'll probably need to buy a pre-built computer with a cable card. If it's analog cable plus QAM (HD locals), then a computer with a NTSC/QAM tuner card will suffice. A dual-core processor, 2-4GB of RAM, and an ATI 4xxx video card should be a nice little computer for what you want.

 

[saltyvinegar]

You can see on samsung.com that they don't even sell monitors anymore, it's all TV's. All their screens are being made with ATSC tuners. You want to buy a tv for what your doing esp. since you will be able to hookup any kind of device to it old or new.