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

[jskibo]

Been running a TV for the past few years as my monitor....

Started with a 32" Westinghouse 720, but that resolution was painful after the initial "Wow its a big screen" wore off.

Moved to a 40" 1080P Westy, but felt I needed more,

So now I'm on a Panasonic 50" 1080P Plasma. Glad I didn't get the 58" as I sit 2 to 3 feet from it!

I couldn't go back to a twenty something inch monitor now!

 

[craftech]

What would you recommend in a 19-20" LCD TV that could double as a reasonable external monitor? I really just want a decent, smaller TV for my office but wouldn't mind being able to preview edited videos directly from my PC seeing that none of my current PC monitors does full HD. I'd like to keep it around $300.

Thanks.

John

 

[blanketyblank]

small TVs like that are essentially the same or slightly worse than a lcd since they will usually cost more than an lcd monitor, and probably will have a lower resolution and won't have that many hookups anyways. You're probably better off with getting a real lcd monitor and spending the rest of your budget on a TV tuner card or something.

 

[craftech]

What would you recommend in a 19-20" LCD TV that could double as a reasonable external monitor? I really just want a decent, smaller TV for my office but wouldn't mind being able to preview edited videos directly from my PC seeing that none of my current PC monitors does full HD. I'd like to keep it around $300.

Thanks.

John
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Originally posted by: blanketyblank
small TVs like that are essentially the same or slightly worse than a lcd since they will usually cost more than an lcd monitor, and probably will have a lower resolution and won't have that many hookups anyways. You're probably better off with getting a real lcd monitor and spending the rest of your budget on a TV tuner card or something.

OK, I'm game. Can you recommend a 19-20" LCD monitor and a TV tuner card that will serve the purpose I described?

Thanks,
John

 

[craftech]

Bump

 

[blanketyblank]

Well for LCD monitors it depends a lot on how you use them, i.e. how far you sit from it, what angle, what you watch, etc...
Since you're on a budget you'll probably be getting a TN panel since those are the most common though they will have pretty poor viewing angles. What resolution you get depends on what kind of content you usually watch and also on whether or not you go for 20" rather than 19. For standard TV (now before the standard changes) 4:3 will be better since you won't see black bars/ stretching. On the other hand for 720p widescreen content 16:10 is better though you will still see black bars or stretching since widescreen for TV's is 16:9. Hookups may also be a factor since some monitors will take things like hdmi, and component so you can save on the TV tuner card. However not sure you can find these types of things on a sub 20" monitor.
If you time your purchase right i.e. Black Friday you can pick up a 19" for under $100, and around a 20"-22" (about the same price but 20" is becoming harder to find) monitor for under 150.
As for TV Tuners you probably want one that can do QAM.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=205728807
This looks pretty good for about $70.