A monitor or tv for university

Sampsy

Sampsy

Sampsy

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So I am off to university this september and am planning on bringing a PS3, laptop and desktop PC. However I am not sure whether I should buy a TV or a monitor. I have heard problems associated with using a TV as a PC output, but in truth I really don't know how it works.
 
I'm a postgraduate student, so I think I can offer a bit of useful advice.

First thing is that you are taking a load of valuables with you; ensure you are covered by a suitable insurance policy. Halls of residence/student properties are at high risk of burglary, and with all of the stuff you are taking, I wouldn't want to take the risk. Endsleigh is the usual undergrad student choice, but check with your parents' insurers, might get a better deal.

On the TV/Monitor - depends which uni/halls of residence you are at, whether there will be any room for a huge TV, otherwise a computer monitor is the obvious sensible choice for multiple-purpose. 24" would be more than sufficient to act as general purpose.

You usually need a TV license - check if your halls of residence covers you in your rent payments, otherwise you'll need to pay or ensure that you are careful if you are willing to run the gauntlet (see various tv license info sites).

You need a TV card from PC/laptop or whatever to get a terrestrial signal of some sort, or a TV/monitor combo (which I would advise against), third option is a separate box such as Freeview HD or whatever which could be a nice way of doing it. Aside from that... There isn't much to it. An aerial is going to be your biggest issue, in honesty.
 
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it really depends on what your gonna be using it for the most? studying? films? gaming?

personally I would choose a good monitor over a tv, a monitor is designed for a computer, a tv isnt.
 
What's your budget and how big a screen do you need?

As has been said remember halls of residence are often cramped and you'll probably be carting it from house to rented house for the subsequent years... so even if you can afford it, it might not be wise to go too big. In which case PC monitors give better resolutions and higher quality pics for the 20-28 inch range. Some TV's run from a PC well and some don't...

And since halls probably has high speed net, no need for tv really... all your mates will probably be sharing files of all the latest shows. ;) Student life can be notably chaotic... and being in one place at a given time to watch the show you like is a pain with standard over-the-air TV. Unless they try to block P2P, which some Uni's might? In that case you might need a TV.
 
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I had the same decision to make in my first year, i had a laptop at the time.

I opted for a samsung 20" HDTV (SM2032) in first year, allowed me to hook up freeview, and allowed me to dual screen.
Second year i gave that monitor to a house mate cheap, got a Samsung T220HD, 2 inches bigger but with built in freeview, then gave that to gf.
Then later on decided i wanted the bigger resolution as i had built my desktop system, so got a Samsung 2333HD, has literally any input/output your ever going to need, 23" is more than big enough for a small/medium room at uni imo.

Never had any problems with either monitor and the extra £20 -£40 or so for the ability to watch tv is worthwhile, unless you've already got a TV card in your rig.
 
Samsung P2470HD 24 inch full HD TV Monitor is the perfect size i am assuming and samsung monitors are usually plus freeview, HDMI and DVI
 
Don't forget that you'll need a TV license if you want to watch TV. ;) It seems like an attractive option, but I am actually glad I didn't have access to a TV at my first year of university. I don't watch much TV anyway, but I didn't really miss it. There were so many more exciting things to do with the time there - maybe in the second/third year when you have a house you can watch with your housemates, but in the first year make the most of your time without a TV. An LED-backlit monitor such as the LG you are looking at is a good option because it is light and portable as well as being a decent and bright screen.
 
PCM2 said:
Don't forget that you'll need a TV license if you want to watch TV. ;) It seems like an attractive option, but I am actually glad I didn't have access to a TV at my first year of university. I don't watch much TV anyway, but I didn't really miss it. There were so many more exciting things to do with the time there - maybe in the second/third year when you have a house you can watch with your housemates, but in the first year make the most of your time without a TV. An LED-backlit monitor such as the LG you are looking at is a good option because it is light and portable as well as being a decent and bright screen.
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As I mentioned previously, it depends on your halls of residence. Some have a site license which covers everyone, others do not.
 
hmm I feel very stupid asking this, but will I only need a tv license if I purchase a TV or a TV card? I.e. if I just watch shows via the internet (iplayer, 4od for example) will I need a tv license?
 
adaswani said:
Only if you are watching live
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And the TV license hired bodkins have to *prove* you are using it to watch live TV. This means catching you watching it, or more likely weedling a confession out of you. They have no direct powers to search your room/house, they are a private company and you are perfectly entitled to tell them to go away.

They can come back with a warrant eventually, which they will have to get through the courts, but that is a lot of effort when you can scaremonger people who don't need to pay into handing out cash.

examples:

- If you don't watch broadcast live TV you DO NOT need a TV license
- Having a TV card or TV tuner doesn't automatically mean you've been using it for watching live TV (for instance you can say it is only for xbox360). You don't need to have one removed to "prove" anything to them.
- You do not need one for live radio (used to, but not any more)

They will try to rope you into paying for a whole year even though you'll effectively only be there 6-7 months, so be careful.
 
for the TV licence, jsut becareful, they target students to try to get money of them when they dont even need to pay.

if your not watching TV, then u dont need one.
but they will try to blag that having any monitor or tv (ie used by a console) that u will need to buy one or risk a fine.

when i was at uni in halls, they came round all the halls trying to get ppl to get a TV licence and even issued letters about being fined for those that didn't pay.

if you dont buckle and arn't watching tv, then theres nothing they can do.

they just try to scare u into buying it when u dont need to
 
Cycrow said:
for the TV licence, jsut becareful, they target students to try to get money of them when they dont even need to pay.

if your not watching TV, then u dont need one.
but they will try to blag that having any monitor or tv (ie used by a console) that u will need to buy one or risk a fine.

when i was at uni in halls, they came round all the halls trying to get ppl to get a TV licence and even issued letters about being fined for those that didn't pay.

if you dont buckle and arn't watching tv, then theres nothing they can do.

they just try to scare u into buying it when u dont need to
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Same for when I was there, their bull tactics are outrageous. Sending letters that look like they are court documents etc.
 
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