HD TV as monitor?

tjc

tjc

tjc

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Hi all...

First off I searched the forum to see if this question had already been asked but didn`t really find anything so thought I`d post up.

Just wondering what the general consensus is on using a 40" HD TV as the pc monitor?

Good idea or bad? Better with a dedicated pc monitor for general pc use and gaming or do the more modern HD TV`s do the job just as well?

Be interested to hear your thoughts on this...

Do any of you guys use a HD TV as your pc monitor or do most use dedicated pc monitors?

If the general answer is yes, it`s cool to use a HD TV as the pc monitor then I`d appreciate some suggestions on make/specs etc as I could then start to do some research.

Probably couldn`t go much over £500 atm but could maybe spend a bit more if I waited for a while...

What I`d like in a HD TV/pc monitor is:

"40-"42 screen (maybe a plasma if poss)
Full HD 1080p
Fast response time
Freeview HD tuner
600Hz
24p playback for films
Good contrast ratio (although if I`m right the plasma`s have this anyway as well as really good viewing angles, some plasma`s say they are viewing angle free as they are plasma`s)
1920x1080 res
2-3 HDMI ports
I`d like a TV with a DVI connection too if that`s poss
I`ve read that some tv`s have bad input lag so I`d like to avoid that if I can

That`ll do for starters and we`ll see what the general consensus is...

:)
 
ALL HTPC's you TV's as monitors so I don't see an issue with it.

I just build a PC for my living room and it uses a 42" TV as the monitor
 
Hi there,

I currently run a 1080p 42in IPS panel HDTV as a second monitor on my PC with a 1200p (1920x1200) 27in S-PVA panel monitor as my primary.

If you are sitting at a desk then I would say that using a 42in 1080p as a monitor is not a good idea - not only is the image so large but the pixels are massive so stuff just doesn't look too great up close. In this desk-centric situation then I wouldn't go any bigger than a 32in 1080p TV and even then you may need to put the TV back a bit to get a good picture.

However, if you plan to have your TV a fair distance from you (a few metres) then a larger TV can be used happily as a monitor - as the large pixel issue is bypassed.

Compared to TVs, dedicated monitors offer much higher pixel density (so stuff on screen looks sharper) and are usually made so the input lag is minimised (TVs often have high input lag - which isn't an issue for TV/Films/console gaming but is an issue for PC use). This is why the vast majority of people on these forums use a dedicated monitor as a primary (though many like myself use a HDTV as a secondary to use as a second screen and to run video on).

As for which TVs to use with a PC, I have found the LG LDxx0 and LKxx0 series offer very low input lag for a TV and (so long as you pick one which uses the S-IPS panel) the pixel responsiveness is great. Here is a very good thread which explains how good the xxLD450 series is as a PC monitor and explains the issue with the "panel lottery".
 
Ive been using my LC26D44EBK tv for a few years now, was a present that up graded me from a 14 inch CRT tv lol, so I'm probably very biased as Ive never really used a monitor, apart from having to manually scale the image to fit my screen when I first got the pc I see no problems with using a hd tv with your pc
 
LCD and plasma will both be suitable but depends on how close you will be sitting between the screen.

however, as a of caution, plasma do burn in and if you use it as a pc monitor it may accelerate the process as many items in windows is sationary
 
It can work, but if you're sat too close it won't look as good because of the size of the pixels, as previously mentioned.

Secondly, (at least for me it did) it'll begin to hurt your eyes after a short while or give you headaches. TV screens aren't designed to be watched from so close, PC screens are.
 
I'm also considering to buy a HDTV to use as a PC monitor, been looking for a new monitor for almost a year now. Currently on a 19" CRT, after my 22" CRT broke down.

There's a good thread on http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1645885 which talks about 4:4:4 subsampling and low input lag on TVs. But you have to keep in mind it's US-centered, therefore the recommendations don't always (or even usually) apply to EU versions. Fortunately http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk does reviews on Europeans models, and similarly takes note of input lag and 4:4:4.

As for the possible recommendations (European models):
At the moment I'm looking at Panasonic TX-L32UX3E and TX-L32U3E, which both use matte Alpha-IPS panels. Very low input lag, but unfortunately no 4:4:4. And they're also out of stock here in Finland.

I already have Panasonic TX-L32C3E as my TV set, but it's only HD-ready (1366x768 native, meaning both 720p and 1080p need to be scaled, no 1:1 option), and has a slight input lag. Around 30-40ms, possibly because of the scaling. Ok for desktop and most games, but slightly disturbing in FPS games. Pixel response is fast, haven't noticed any problems in that regard. Overall though, wouldn't recommend this set for a monitor replacement.

Earlier I was looking at Samsung UE32D5000, which is supposed to have support for 4:4:4 and semi-low input lag. Not sure about the panel type, apparently some sort of VA, but also a possible panel lottery. Anyway, I sent an inquiry over a week ago about a possible discrepancy, but I've heard nothing from them, so decided to dismiss the Samsungs for now.

Apparently one common thing to keep in mind is to use DVI-to-HDMI cables, which in practise ignores the audio channel. The audio channel is usually the culprit for breaking the 4:4:4 compatibility. I hope you weren't planning on using the integrated speakers on it in PC use...? But if there's no 4:4:4 support, might as well use standard HDMI-to-HDMI.

Also, beware of Monitor Asset Manager -application. Even if it claims the set has 4:4:4 support, it might only mean it's available when reading from USB stick or SD card. Meaning it's not necessarily supported with PC input.

Well, that was a long post...

PS. The Panasonic TX-L32C3E (HD-ready) is the only set I own personally, others are just the sets I'm keeping an eye on as a potential purchase.

PS2. They're all 32" and non-plasma, though. But like said earlier 40" and higher might be too big if it's sitting on a desk. Although, some reviews say the 37" and 40" versions of those should be practically the same, so might be worth trying. BTW, new plasmas are supposed to have managed to reduce the danger of burn-in, I hear. No experience of my own, though.
 
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My girl bought me a 32" LG for xmas to use as a monitor. It's only HD ready (720p) but you can create custom driver in powerstrip and run resolutions of 2560x1600, 1900x1200, 1920x1080 and 1680x1050 (native being 1360x768). I use native res for desktop use and the higher resolutions for BF3etc.

Playing games like BF3, Skyrim etc on the 32" LG looks amazing. I had to adjust my desk etc as I needed an extra foot of distance between me and the monitor due to the size :)
 
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I have used my 26" Panasonic LCD TV for extending my laptop... worked fine, *borrowed* my mum's wireless mouse and keyboard and i was away! its what i plan to use my new build on, only 720p but i have heard it doesn't make a huge difference on the smaller screens anyway :)
 
MOFO64 said:
My girl bought me a 32" LG for xmas to use as a monitor. It's only HD ready (720p) but you can create custom driver in powerstrip and run resolutions of 2560x1600, 1900x1200, 1920x1080 and 1680x1050 (native being 1360x768). I use native res for desktop use and the higher resolutions for BF3etc.
Click to expand...

May I ask why you use higher non-native resolutions for games, wouldn't that look worse than the native res? Or is to make the UI and HUD look more PC-like?

Also, for anyone looking for a 32in 1080p LCD TV with low input lag - I would look at the model up from the one you mention (maybe best remove the link) which is the 32LK450U - just make sure you get one with a S-IPS panel.
 
native 1366x768

MOFO64 said:
My girl bought me a 32" LG for xmas to use as a monitor. It's only HD ready (720p) but you can create custom driver in powerstrip and run resolutions of 2560x1600, 1900x1200, 1920x1080 and 1680x1050 (native being 1360x768). I use native res for desktop use and the higher resolutions for BF3etc.
Click to expand...

Wait, you use native 1366x768 for desktop? Are you by any chance using VGA, then? Or is Powerstrip able to actually output non-scaled 1366x768 through HDMI? And even more importantly, is the TV recognizing the input as 1366x768 and giving 1:1 end result, without making conversion to-and-from 720p?

(If you were using VGA, you can skip the rest, I'm mainly interested in the HDMI output)

Can you do all the lagom.nl tests without problems? Especially the http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php
If the TV outputs pixel-precise image (meaning 1:1 with native resolution), some of the images should flicker. If it isn't in native resolution, it probably won't flicker at all, but instead will usually show alternating shapes, like grid or squares or horizontal and vertical banding. Can you see the flickering? It should be very easily noticeable, especially the full screen part.

Another way of testing the scaling is creating a 2x2 or 4x4 black-and-white checkerboard image with Paint (you'll probably need 800% zoom to create it), and setting it as background tile. If it's 1:1 output, you should be able to distuingish black and white pixels from each other, when looking at a very close (10cm) distance. Otherwise it will show more like smudged static gray, maybe even banding.

PS. The browser zoom has to be at 100%, too.
 
Mmm...

Ok, lots of food for thought in here guys.

Many thanks for all the replies, very much appreciated.

I think I`ll leave the HD TV for a little while and see how things are in the near(ish) future.

Going to be moving house a good bit sooner than I thought so I`ll see about the big, kick ass tv come pc monitor when in the new place.

Appreciate all the advice/info etc though.

Cheers. :)
 
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