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[Deivit]

Hi,

I'm considering to change my monitor setup for this PC (currently a 4-year olf 4:3 18" Sony flatpanel) and put a 26" or 32" wide (16:9) LCD TV instead. The primary use of this PC will be JR Media Center (audio and video) including library management, tagging works, etc. and internet browsing.

Am I taking a correct decission or a LCD TV should be avoided for tasks that require close attention such as tagging or browsing the internet? Should I go to a real TFT Monitor that big instead?? If the LCD TV option would be OK, is there any specific feature I have to make sure it comes with? The ones that I've been looking at have a 1368x768 resolution... don't know if I have to look for a minimum refresh rate, contrast ratio, etc.

Any advice will be very much appreciated,

Thanks for your time.

[JimH]

I've never been really happy trying to use a TV as a monitor.  The text is never sharp.  It may depend heavily on the graphics card's support.

Here's another option I'm thinking about -- 3 monitors:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=32341.0

[glynor]

I have a Westinghouse 47" LCD HDTV that I use as a monitor for a machine at work, and it's perfectly fine.  Text is just as sharp as on a monitor (though, obviously, much bigger).

There are a few things you need to be concerned with though...

1. Make sure the TV has appropriate inputs.  You'll want DVI or HDMI (which can be converted to from DVI).  A VGA input would be needed if your computer's video card only has analog outs.

2. I'd look for a 1080p TV.  You'll get much better resolution (1920 x 1080), and generally better build quality.  My Westinghouse is a 1080p TV, and as I said, the text is crisp and sharp.  I couldn't say the same for a 720p TV (though many might be fine).  You'll certainly want to enable and configure ClearType to fix the fonts, but it isn't difficult with a good quality HDTV.

3. Overscan compensation.  Unlike computer monitors, many (though not all) TVs have "overscan".  This means a portion of the image around the edges of the screen is hidden by the plastic bezel of the TV's case and can't be seen.  This is typically done because of distortion at the very edges of the screen, and most videos are designed with this taken into account.  This is NOT what you'll want for a computer display though, or the Start button might be missing.  Modern ATI and nVidia video cards have the ability to compensate for this via their control panels.  If you have an older video card, you might want to research this before making the purchase.

[glynor]

Jim, did you see that Matrox came out with a new one that has DVI support?  http://techreport.com/onearticle.x/11985

[JimH]

I didn't.  Thanks.

[MadJewDisaster]

I have this one

http://www.westinghousedigital.com/details.aspx?itemnum=60

PC monitor wildscreen 22"
Cheap and working really fine
And your MC will look HUDGE on it, i can tell you

Concerning video and DVD,all is ok .

I'am not close to the day before to spend much more on a LCD TV , this monitor does a nice job

[InflatableMouse]

Glynor already mentioned it, overscan is a concern with TV's.

To me, this is the biggest concern and I would definitely consider a TV that supports 1:1 pixel mapping over VGA or HDMI/DVI.

HDMI with HDCP support would be required for DRM protected material. VGA cards that support that are scarce. In any other case VGA would suffice IMO.

Personally I own a Samsung LE40F71B. A little too expensive to be used for a PC monitor if you ask me but VGA picture quality is unmatched.

[Deivit]

Thanks everyone for your advice, folks. I think I will buy a new video card at the same time, to ensure that they both run smoothly.

[glynor]

HDCP can also be implemented over DVI-D (but not if it's converted to an analog signal), but support of this by video card vendors is so scarce as to be non-existent.  So, HDMI isn't actually required (it is technically possible to use DVI) but if this concerns you I'd look for a TV and video card with HDMI.

The downside is that your choice in HDMI equipped video cards is going to be extremely limited.  I probably wouldn't worry much about that right now, actually, and just get a DVI equipped video card (but make SURE the TV has a HDMI input).  The reason I wouldn't worry about it is:

HDCP is only required to view high-definition content (BluRay and HD-DVD) at full resolution if the content producer enabled a "flag" in the content called the "Image Constraint Token".  Because of the current proliferation of TVs and players (including computers) which currently do not support HDCP, all of the MPAA studios have currently decided not to enable this extra layer of protection.  Any current BluRay or HD-DVD title will play fine at full resolution even when using non-HDCP compliant analog connections (such as VGA and component).

Most industry watchers expect this not to last forever, however, exactly when the studios will be free to turn on the Image Constraint Token is still very much up in the air.  One big problem for it is the XBox 360 and it's HD-DVD drive.  The 360 does NOT support HDCP in it's current form (it only has analog outputs for high-def video), and millions of them have been sold.  If HD-DVD ends up surviving, and a sufficient number of 360's are sold with HD-DVD drives, it could be very difficult for the studios to enable this feature (and therefore lock-out all the 360 owners) without a serious consumer backlash.  That's assuming that Microsoft doesn't release a way to add-in HDCP/DVI or HDCP/HDMI support to existing 360 units, of course, but the analysis I've read suggests that this would be very difficult with the options built-in to the 360.

Either way, even if this does happen a few years down the line, you could always just buy a new video card then.  By the time that happens, I'd guess that EVERY video card sold would support the needed tech, so your selection won't be so limited.  And, of course, the video cards will be much better and cheaper (simply because of the product refresh cycle in the GPU business).  So, just make sure your TV has a HDCP compliant HDMI port and don't worry so much about the video card for now, would be my recommendation.

[Deivit]

Good point Glynor. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this issue.

[raym]

To me, this is the biggest concern and I would definitely consider a TV that supports 1:1 pixel mapping over VGA or HDMI/DVI.

Regarding HDMI:-

I have a Samsung R series LCD TV. I use it pretty much exclusively with my HTPC but I cannot get this working over HDMI! Nor can anyone else that I've spoken to. Be warned! HDMI inputs on LCD/Plasma TVs are not built for PCs. It's hit and miss at best and will certainly require ALOT of tweaking to get it working (powerstip etc).

9 times out of 10, it will either fail altogether or you'll have to resort to non-native resolutions. Then things can start looking bad. Even with my ATI x1600 HDMI/HDCP complient video card, the best I can do is resort to VGA-out. My Tv laughs at any PC to HDMI connection attempt at any resolution and believe me, I've tried them all!

Most LCD TVs have a VGA/D-Sub connector for connecting to a PC. This is often the preferred method and I must say, it looks fantastic anyway. I've not needed to dwell on the lack of HDMI connectivity for this reason.

Thanks.

[Matt]

I'm a big fan of projectors.

They're designed to hook to computers just like a monitor, and they spoil you with a 10-foot screen.

[glynor]

I love my PX35    

But it makes me feel a little bad... 

Them belly full but
we hungry.
A hungry mob is a angry mob.
A rain a-fall
but the dirt it tough;
A pot a-cook but the food no
'nough.
We're gonna chuck to jah music,
chuckin'.

[hit_ny]

its $4k+ for that projector...

what's it got over a monitor or tv apart from making you wish DVDs should have been encoded to higher resolution.