3d tv/monitor? worth it?

hey all, will eventually be investing in a new monitor. was thinking of getting a tv with monitor connection, as i have a sky box in my room, plus its just convenient. i was thinking about a 3d tv or monitor. the price difference now isnt that significant so i thought well why not. id say my max size would be 26" because of my desk. i could always hook it up to the wall if it were a good deal, but i didnt want to strain my eyes on a big screen for the pc, as i want it to be practical.
my main concern is the connection. can you connect a 3d tv to a pc (for monitor use) and actually use the 3d that you would have in the 3d tv? i want to be able to use 3d on the pc as well as while watching tv.
it would have to be under 300 but i dont mind buying second hand ones, as long as they are a good deal lol. im a delboy kind of guy.
thanks

Hi there,

For using a 3D TV for monitor use you need to use the HDMI 1.4 connection. For running anything in 2D (games, videos, general desktop stuff) a 3D TV will be fine - albeit there may be issues with large pixels and input lag - but generally pretty OK (running at 1080p@60Hz).

However, the issue is with running stuff in 3D mode. 3D films in 1080p will be fine - as they only need 24Hz - but for playing games you really want a 60Hz refresh rate for smooth motion. However, due to the bandwidth limitations of the HDMI 1.4 connection it can only send a 3D signal at 720p@60Hz (per eye). If you want 1080p in 3D, then you need to drop down to 30Hz per eye - which really isn't ideal if you are playing games.

To play games in 3D you really want to go for a proper 3D monitor that does 3D via a Displayport 1.2 or dual-link DVI connection - which offer much more bandwidth than HDMI 1.4 and can do 3D 1080p@60Hz (per eye). Also, which 3D monitor type to go for really depends on what graphics card you are using. May I ask what graphics card model you have in your system?

thanks for the informative answer. i dont think ill do much gaming in 3d to be honest, but the option would be a bonus i suppose. the system im looking at buying is used, but it has an ati radeon 5670 (what im told is the fastest bus powered card, not too sure if i believe that) but i was going to upgrade anyway in a few months...
thanks!

Yea, the HD 5670 is one of the fastest bus powered cards, I think there are slightly faster HD 6000 cards that run off bus power, but there isn't a lot in it.

As for 3D gaming, the 5670 isn't really up to running games in 3D mode - so that should solve that issue. Though if you do change the graphics card in the future and want to play games in 3D then you will be much better off with a proper 3D monitor instead of a 3D TV. Also, 3D monitors can be used to run games in 2D mode at 120Hz refresh rate - so motion feels smoother - also the input lag and pixel response times are very low on these monitors. Hence why 120Hz monitors like the BenQ XL2420T and Samsung S23A750 are so popular with gamers, even if they don't plan to run any games in 3D.

that sounds great, what about the picture quality of these? i read an article that said these 3d tvs may have the better refresh rates but they wont have the same build quality and picture quality as a hd monitor...
that answer was great! thanks!

Well the pixels on the monitors are usually smaller than on a TV, so the monitor image will look sharper.

However, 3D TVs usually use high quality LCD panels such as IPS or VA type. In comparison to 120Hz 3D PC monitors which use TN type panels. These TN panels offer better pixel responsiveness (so less ghosting) and lower input lag compared to IPS and VA type panels - which helps when playing fast-paced games. That said, IPS and VA panels offer better colour accuracy and wider viewing angles compared to TN panels. So which one to go for depends on the types of games and other usage you plan to run the PC with. The general take-home message is that an IPS TV will offer better image quality, while a 120Hz TN monitor will offer better motion handling and more responsiveness.

There are also IPS panel PC monitors available like the Dell U2311HM, however none of these currently work at 120Hz or in 3D - so they are restricted to 60Hz mode (thought they do offer very nice picture quality for a decent price).

Also make sure you take into account that 120Hz TN monitors allow you to run games in 1080p @120Hz in 2D mode (so some nice smooth looking gaming - when playing games with a lot of motion) as well as the full 1080p@60Hz (per eye) - mentioned earlier. 3D TVs can only run 3D content at 60Hz - so a 120Hz PC monitor will have a distinct advantage in 2D as well as 3D gaming.

brilliant! any budget ones you can recommend? id probably look at buying a used one due to money, but with it being used it means i can get better value for money compared to a cheap new crap one lol. thanks for all your help so far!

I'd be happy to recommend some monitors, but which one is best to go for really depends on what you plan to do with the HD 5670 and what future card you will get.

For one thing, the 5670 is not a HD3D card with a displayport output (unless you have a special model) so you won't be able to run one of the full-spec 3D 1080p@60Hz displays. Though it will work fine with a 3D HMDI 1.4 display (with the refresh rate limitations I mentioned above) or in 120Hz 2D with a dual-link DVI 120Hz monitor.

Squarehead, you could also look into something like the LG DM2780D.

It is 60Hz and uses passive 3D. I recently picked one up and am happy with it.

Sure, some may say stick with 120hz, but I am sure most people won't really care much about the difference. I know I didn't want to go near active shutter glass systems.

It's more of a tv than a monitor. So far had no issues with PS3 and Xbox detecting it as 3D display. While most PC games I have tried so far have not had any problems, there are some that haven't been great on it, though that is more of a software issue than an issue with the tele.

Can be had for a very reasonable price on a reputable site at moment