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

[SSChevy2001]

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
I can sit close or far away and be happy with the 1080p. You can't say the same about a 1366x768, which by the way isn't even a true 16/9 ratio HDTV.

Grab a calculator, son. It is, within a 0.0005 margin of error.

Do you buy PC screens that have resolution ratio within a margin of error?

Most people do. I try to avoid it for personal use.
1280x1024 is a 5:4 ratio, an 11% error from the 4:3 standard
1440x900, 1680x1050, and 1900x1200 are all 16:10 ratios
which is also an 11% error from the 16:9 standard

And you're worried about my 0.05% margin?

683/384 is not 16/9 no matter how you see it.

Even you admit you try to avoid those types of screens, so why are you going against me?

1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1600 ..... 16:10
1280x720, 1920x1080 ..... 16:9
1366x768 683:384 ( using mostly 16/9 source )
1280x1024 5:4 ( using mostly 5:4 source )

Personally for the price difference I wouldn't touch a 768p monitor. Maintaining proper screen to resolution ratio is a must for me.

here are some of my custom resolutions.
1536x864, 1600x900, 1776x999

 

[Comdrpopnfresh]

I apologize if I repeat- but I wanted to put my 2 cents in, without reading for a few hours. lol

Depends on what type of HDTV. You have a lot of static images on a pc, so I would be concerned about burnin. Also, you're going to be leaving the monitor on more than if you were just watching tv... so, once again depending on type, you'll either burn out backlighting sooner, or reduce brightness on a faster scale- although most current sets have longer halflives for brightness than previous generations.

another concern might be an issue of timings... I'd tend to think tv sets aren't as flexible for timing changes and vsync and the like as a computer monitor- idk though

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
Only go a HDTV if your going to get a 1080p.

Why? Nothing above 720p is necessary on TVs 26" and smaller. ...At least IMHO.

The OP was wanting to use it as a computer monitor, thus 1080p would be really nice to have. I've seen 720p HDTVs being used as monitors (a 32" and a 26") and they looked pretty terrible IMO. Well, unless your eyesight was so bad as to need everything huge. Mine isn't perfect, but not that bad... yet.

Recently Buy.com had a 32" 1080p HDTV for $599 shipped. I'm thinking there will be similar deals come Black Friday.

 

[KevinH]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
Only go a HDTV if your going to get a 1080p.

Why? Nothing above 720p is necessary on TVs 26" and smaller. ...At least IMHO.

Really depends on how far away your going to be from it. I can sit close or far away and be happy with the 1080p. You can't say the same about a 1366x768, which by the way isn't even a true 16/9 ratio HDTV.

@Kalessian
Have you ever used PIP?

Agreed.

I dont think angry hampster realizes that we're talking about using it as an computer monitor.

 

[garritynet]

Hmmm, I have alot to think about but first I need an answer to my.....

No. 1 Most Important Question: Will I be able to hook a HDTV up to a computer with a blank HD and install Vista on it. I have no monitor at the moment and so what ever I buy had better work without issue.


That said I think I may just get that Hanns G 22" monitor on Newegg that everyone buys and get a 720p 37" HDTV at some other time for the movies and the xbox. I think a dedicated monitor is just a better idea and a cheaper one at the moment.

I have seen 1080p and 720p TVs galore and the quality of the screen is way more important than the resolution for movies and gaming IMO. I would rather get a nice 720p screen than a budget one @1080p for the same price. Now if I can get both that would be awesome.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: garritynet
No. 1 Most Important Question: Will I be able to hook a HDTV up to a computer with a blank HD and install Vista on it. I have no monitor at the moment and so what ever I buy had better work without issue.

My 42" 1080p Westinghouse works fine as a monitor, with both VGA and DVI inputs. I can even muck around in BIOS using it as a monitor.

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: garritynet
No. 1 Most Important Question: Will I be able to hook a HDTV up to a computer with a blank HD and install Vista on it. I have no monitor at the moment and so what ever I buy had better work without issue.

Sorry, we got a little sidetracked Yes, my TV understands the basic resolution used by the POST screen / BIOS / DOS, etc. I installed Windows solely using my TV, with the VGA cable.

My model chops off the first few pixels on the left side of the screen in this mode, but everything the Windows installer displays is centered, so it's a moot point.

 

[gramboh]

@SSChevy2001

I wasn't "up close", I was sitting about 6-8 feet away from the display (46in LCD 1080P)

@Foxery

We calibrated the TV properly. The factory settings were stupid torch mode which was painful.

It's not so much a question of colour accuracy, it's just the pixel size is HUGE on a 42+ inch display even 1920x1080 at a decent distance. In my view, you cannot beat the smaller pixel sizes of a desktop display. I would be blind if I had to use an LCD tv for anything other than gaming for a long period of time.

RE: The comment about 720p for desktop, what I mean is how could you consider using basically 1024x768 as a desktop resolution on a modern computer? You can't "fit" anything other than one small window at a time. Even 1280x800 on this 14in laptop feels tiny, I can't imagine it on a 26-37inch TV. Unless the OP is used to 1024x768 in Windows he is going to be in for a surprise, especially on a bigger LCD.

 

[SSChevy2001]

Originally posted by: gramboh
@SSChevy2001

I wasn't "up close", I was sitting about 6-8 feet away from the display (46in LCD 1080P)

That is pretty far away. I figured 4.5-5ft max should be fine with that size, hell I'm about 3.5ft with mine. Sure there's times when my eyes get strain because it's very bright, but just down the blacklight and I'm set for a couple more hrs.

Not sure what the OP doing. He's has one important question, but in the next line he's already made his mind up. Couldn't of been that important I guess.

 

[garritynet]

I used a 1280*1024 19" for years and it was fine.

 

[Psynaut]

Using the 37" Westinghouse is not only a good idea, it is the best idea.

 

[GeezerMan]

I, as well as plenty of others, use the Westy 37" in 1080P. Excellent PC monitor.

 

[blanketyblank]

I'm using a 42" 1080p panny plasma as a monitor. I've got a seperate 20" (1600 x 1200)MVA LCD for my laptop which I use for work, and the 16:9 plasma is used for play. It's awesome and I recommend it if you have the cash since you get the best of both worlds.
Plasma can make up very well for everything the LCD lacks i.e wide resolution for movies and super fast response times so you don't see ghosting, etc...
For work the LCD is superior since it uses far less power and I can leave it on without worry of burn in, etc...

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I use a 32" toshiba 1360x768 about 4 feet away from me. It's on an entertainment center that's right behind my desk just slightly elevated above desk level. I'm fine with it (gaming and watching videos), but I also have a 17" monitor on my desk just a little off to the side that I use for browsing and stuff.

 

[solofly]

I use two LCDTVs as computer monitors, one at 1920x1080 (40") and the other at 1280x768 (26"). For text 1280x768 looks clearer but everything else, games, movies, etc., high res takes the cake. For the record I also have a nice 24" 1920x1200 screen attached to what I consider the best/fastest gaming rig I've got.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: gramboh
RE: The comment about 720p for desktop, what I mean is how could you consider using basically 1024x768 as a desktop resolution on a modern computer.

In practice 720p is more like 1280x1024 with the bottom chopped off, plenty of space for viewing any webpage and for email and such, just a bit more scrolling. 1280x720 is what I ran my desktop at back when I used a 42" plasma from 8" away. I've since moved to a 50" with the same viewing distance and run my desktop at 1440x810 now.

 

[funboy6942]

I use my pc in my bedroom for HT and gaming on a 30" CRT HD tv. No complaints here, and before I got the CRT HD TV I had it on a 32" LCD, and liked the look, and contrast ratio of the crt tv so I sold my lcd.
You can get a cheap CRT HD TV from the phillips outlet. Paid $300 for mine refurbished and it has a samsung HD tube in it. Been working great every night for the last 3 years.

 

[ViperV990]

Recently I bought a Vizio SV42XVT (42" 1080p 120Hz) but returned it for a VO32LF (32" 1080p 60Hz) after about a month.

With the 42" I first tried using it on the desk, sitting 3-4 ft away. For games it's *awesome*, but texts are way too blocky, and you can easily spot the subpixel rendering if you have ClearType on. The Smooth Motion (frame interpolation) also sucked in that it doesn't work all the time and as a result the picture stutters occasionally.

The 32" set is much easier on the eyes at a distance of 3 ft. I think it is a valid and great alternative to a 30" WQXGA monitor for systems mainly used for entertainment purposes. No need to keep up with video cards as much if you "only" have to play at 1920 x 1080. Text is still acceptable.

If a 24" WUXGA monitor is too small, the choices for stepping up are another WUXGA monitor 26-28", WQXGA 30", or bigger 1080p TVs. With the 32" 1080p TVs at ~$600 (that's how much the Vizio costs at Costco) it is hard to justify those 26-28" monitors.

I must note that there are some minor drawbacks with the two Vizios that I have seen, and I'm unsure whether it is specific to Vizio or common among other manufacturers as well:

1. When using HDMI inputs, the image is not "pixel perfect." There is a sharpness filter that cannot be disabled. Very noticable on colored thin lines or small fonts.

2. Also specific to the HDMI inputs, the TV doesn't turn itself off when instructed to do so by the computer.

Both issues can be bypassed with the VGA input, but you need a really good VGA cable for that.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: ViperV990
I must note that there are some minor drawbacks with the two Vizios that I have seen, and I'm unsure whether it is specific to Vizio or common among other manufacturers as well:

I'd say that it depends on the monitor model. My Westinghouse has a VGA, two DVI and one HDMI. Only one DVI and the VGA can work as a pixel perfect input. The other DVI and the sole HDMI are kind of retarded.

 

[toslat]

So which is the preferred setup for on desk pc monitor + multimedia usage: 1920 x 1200 LCD monitor vs 32 inch 1080p HDTV?

 

[ViperV990]

Personally I think a TV is better value. However, there are more uncertainties with a TV, so make sure that if you go that route, you do some research at places like AVSforum and get the TV from a place that you can easily return it to.

 

[cremefilled]

Originally posted by: GeezerMan
I, as well as plenty of others, use the Westy 37" in 1080P. Excellent PC monitor.

Yup.

 

[blanketyblank]

One other thing you have to remember is you need to have two different settings for your TV if you want to watch movies as well. For PC use you need to try to get a gamma of 2.2 since that is the standard used for designing PC graphics.
For television use you want to aim for about 1.8 since movies usually use that gamma like Macs. Your video card can probably do that for you and most will let you setup profiles for your task.

 

[toslat]

I thought both TV and PC targeted 2.2 gamma, and only Macs had the 1.8.

NTSC is encoded using a gamma of (0.4545, 2.2) while PAL is typically higher (2.5?). Given the assumed dim lit environment, I would expect movies to require a higher gamma value than PC

 

[blanketyblank]

Yeh I think you're right about that probably 2.5 or something. Not sure why I remember 1.8 except maybe thinking Macs had some reason for their standard.