Peripherals: To monitor or not to monitor??
To monitor or not to monitor??
by bigeasy51 - 4/19/09 7:07 AMGood Morning,
My family has decided to purchase a new desktop, and I've been assigned to do the research legwork. Right off the bat I have basic questions ... Instead of buying a 22 - 24" monitor, why wouldn't it be cheaper / better to purchase a 26 - 32" LCD HDTV that includes a PC input?? Am I missing something here? What does a monitor do that a LCD TV doesn't do? Wouldn't a bigger LCD screen give me a bigger & sharper viewing area for my PC applications??
(Umm, this seems like such an intuitive point that I must be missing something REALLY important! In which case I really need your answer and I apologize for taking up everyone else's time!)
Thanks C/Net!
bigeasy51
cheaper / better? NOPE!
by samkh - 4/19/09 10:14 AM In reply to: To monitor or not to monitor?? by bigeasy51Definitely not cheaper. Most TVs in that size range don't have Full HD (1920x) and ones that do are not cheaper than monitors. Also black eg. text on monitors are usually better than TVs.
Are you missing something here?
by ahtoi - 4/19/09 10:19 AM In reply to: To monitor or not to monitor?? by bigeasy51I don't know. It's your choice. Personally I would never use the TV as my monitor unless I have a space problem or can't spare the extra $100-$150 for a monitor.
Of course using the tv with a media player or computer is ok in my book.
Maybe I need to be more specific!
by bigeasy51 - 4/21/09 6:15 AM In reply to: To monitor or not to monitor?? by bigeasy51Thanks "samkh" & "ahtoi" for responding to my 1st post. From your responses, it seems I might have been a bit vague in my question.
Let me explain - so, I'm researching new pc costs and doing some comparisons. From what I've read in the newspapers and on the net, buying an "everything included pc," (with monitor, speaker system, etc), is no longer the way most people shop because of competitive industry values and costs. In Sunday's adverts I saw a major electronics store selling 20" and 23" widescreen monitors for between $139.99 and $239.99. The same store is selling a 26" LCD HDTV for $429.99, and a 32" LCD HDTV for $399.99. Both have a "PC input."
So I was just thinking, since at 57yrs old my eyes are looking for a little ease, wouldn't I get a bigger viewing and work area via a larger screen for just a couple hundred bucks more? And in the off-chgance that at sometime in the future I might want to watch a DVD on the "computer's screen," the HDTV would seen to be a better choice.
My biggest concern, and my reason for writing to c/net was.... what do I loose buying a LCD HDTV to use as a monitor - rather than buying a simple monitor??
I apologize for not being specific enough in my forst letter!
Bigeasy51
Maybe you have not shopped enough hands-on
by samkh - 4/21/09 7:14 AM In reply to: Maybe I need to be more specific! by bigeasy51We knew what you mean. Few of us replying in these forums haven't been there done that, so we're sharing our experiences.
A lower rez screen to get bigger appearing characters isn't really a good solution. The perfect solution is cataract surgery...but I'm digressing, sorry.
A 720p TV produces less than optimum text for PC use. Black is a slightly darker shade of gray and jaggies can be seen. Also because they are lower cost TVs, color gamut is usually poor. 1080p TVs in your size range preference are better but command top premium pricing. You will be better off getting a high quality monitor (spend $$$ to get IPS panel if your budget allows) and putting an HDTV tuner in your PC. Happy shopping and as usual, google is your friend.
You're probably right Samkh!
by bigeasy51 - 4/21/09 9:30 AM In reply to: Maybe you have not shopped enough hands-on by samkhOhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thanks samkh - both for answering all the questions and for being smart enough to know what I had really meant!!!
I think it's weird though, that companies who build TV's and monitors, don't just build one product that could apply to BOTH applications! I understand (now that you've explained it to me), that "resolution" differs per application, but it still seems weird that there'd be one optimum resolution used for a monitor on a PC, and another optimum resolution used for an HDTV....maybe I'm just a dullard (like my old friend Clint used to call me!).
Thanks again.....
bigeasy51
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
