1080p HDTV for PC monitor

D.P.

D.P.

D.P.

Caporegime
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18 Oct 2002
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Probably been answered thousnads of times but searching never really answered my questions directly.

I depserately need to repalce my ancient 19"CRT with a flatsceen.

I'm thinking of a 32-37" 1080p HDTV. I mostly use the computer for watching movies, editing photos and internet, minor office work. I have a work computer for serious stuff.

How is an HDTV for editing photos?
What kind of working distance do you need?
Any special considerations for gfx card?
What kind of sizes make sense? I looked around and it seemed 42"was the sweet spot for movies considering price, 32" looked good for PC working and 37" made a nice compromise. Prices seem to put the 37" at the same price as 32" around here.

What models to look for at the lower price end? I have seen an LG37" 1080p going for a great price.
 
Bear in mind 1080p is a fairly low resolution when thinking of PC monitors, traditionally, as monitors 30" meant 2560x1600, significantly bigger than 1920x1080 already.

This doesn't matter so much for movies, in fact it may even prove an advantage but for net use and office work it can be annoying. Photo wise, they'll probably look nice but a higher res on a smaller screen would be better than a lower res on a large screen (ie. i'd rather use a 1920x1200 24" screen)
 
I relaise there is a resolution difference and 1080p isn't ideal at 37". However, reading around a lot of people prefer 1080p on a 37" screen versus the high res on a 30" Monitor. When the res is super high often font and icon sizes are minute, and playing games at native res impossible.

I guess I really have to test whether a 37" screen would work out well.
 
I'm in a similar situation to you. Considering a 32"-37" purchase to replace my 4:3 LCD.

Initially I had settled on a plasma but as I realised I would be using it as my primary monitor for the majority of the time I realised I would have to get an LCD.

To be honest I'm nowhere near making a decision yet as I may even consider a 22@ IPS panel as my primary monitor and buy a larger screen as a secondary monitor.

I could see a problem with a high res on a large monitor if you were viewing it from a bit of a distance, as you would probably have a problem reading text.
 
D.P. said:
I relaise there is a resolution difference and 1080p isn't ideal at 37". However, reading around a lot of people prefer 1080p on a 37" screen versus the high res on a 30" Monitor. When the res is super high often font and icon sizes are minute, and playing games at native res impossible.

I guess I really have to test whether a 37" screen would work out well.
Click to expand...

Well, you didn't mention gaming so I figured that wasn't a concern to you.

Font sizes and icons can be adjusted, though even when I was using 1600x1200 on an old 19" CRT, I still didn't find anything too small.

A big screen is great for films and games but for most other uses, such as office work and image editing, i'd prefer more actual pixels rather than just bigger ones.
 
I'm tempted to buy an HD TV and see how it works, if I really have problem then I can buy a cheap TFT and use them both as a dual monitor setup.

The thing is, the best value for money1080p HD TV s seem to be the 42" screens, the worst value at 32". The best for a monitor would probably be 32" and 42" just too big. 37" is a compromise.
So If I did want both I should buy the 42" TV and then get a small (22") TFT if need be. OF course buying the 42" would leave no money for a TFT but buying a 32" would leave enough left over.....
 
I too am considering a wall mounted 32" TV as a monitor, but am concerned about the pixel pitch from a monitor of this size and at a resolution of 1920x1080. Looking here, the pixel pitch for a 32" TV at 1920x1080 works out at 0.369. My current monitor (22" at 1680x1050) is 0.282.

The increase in pixel pitch at a relatively short viewing distance (1m or less) may mean that a 32" TV is unsuitable as a monitor for text based use. However, for gaming/movies I am sure it would be great.
 
I've been using my Panasonic 46" plasma as a monitor for months now. 1080x1920 looks really good on the pc, and imho games and films look way better than even top end LCD monitors. I use it from around 8ft away, and have no problems with text size or the myth about the resolution being a bit too low. I'm sure i'm not the only one who uses their tv as a monitor, as the pro's for me outweigh the con's.
 
I use a 40" samsung lcd on the wall about 2 meters in front of my desk my movies/games monitor, and have a 24" lcd on my desk in portrait mode to the left for browsing/working/text words
 
What is the pick of the bunch from this lot:

32"
LG ELECTRONICS 32LH4000: 640CHF
LG ELECTRONICS 32LH4010 646chf
SAMSUNG LE32B530 647chf
PHILIPS 32PFL5604H 658chf
TOSHIBA 32 RV 635 D 675chf

37"
LG ELECTRONICS 37LH3010 790CHF
SAMSUNG LE37B530 794chf
PHILIPS 37PFL5604H 788
TOSHIBA 37 XV 556 800

40/42/43"
LG ELECTRONICS 42LH3010 880CHF (out of stock everywhere)
SAMSUNG LE40B530 912chf
PHILIPS 42PFL3604 917
SONY KDL-40S4000 940chf
TOSHIBA 42 AV 635 D 950
PHILIPS 42PFL5604H 940chf


42" seems best value for money, LG is always cheapest but some other brands do ok for a few bucks more. Do the smaller screens add any features/better quality?
 
I use a 32" Sony KDLV5500U 1080P as my pc monitor and couldn't be happier, just the right resolution i think, it's large to sit about 2 foot away but take a bit of getting use to. Movies and games are great on it!

I wouldnt go larger than 32" on a PC monitor if i used it every day.
 
From experience I would go with the Toshiba's if you want to use them as a monitor, as they look crystal clear even if you lower the resolution. They all have 1-1 pixel mapping and you can adjust the backlight more than any other LCD tv. When I had a 37" Toshiba it looked way better with the PC than anyone elses I knew that used a tv, that includes my cousins sony. My second choice would be the Sony though. I would definately avoid the LG's as they look very blurry, even through HDMI cable. Also the philips one I saw as a pc monitor was eye-burningly bright and you couldn't adjust the backlight.
 
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