Getting a HD LCD intead of a monitor, is it worth it?

[meksyk]

Hi guys, I was checking around and couldn't find an answer, I was planning on buying a WS LCD monitor this black friday (22' to 24') but a friend of mine suggested me to get a HD LCD (32' or bigger) and use it as a monitor. I didn't know what to tell him... is it worth it? can i connect it thru DVI and get a monitor quality? what would be the maximum resolution? do you have any experience with that?

Thanks in advance for your advices

[Mobious]

It depends: 1. do you have the space, 2. does the TV have DVI input (rather than just HDMI), 3. do you have the extra $$$, 4. do you want that much screen, 5. do you really need those different inputs (aka: are you also going to use it as a TV, or a screen for your video game consoles, ect..., TV stuff basically ^^). If you're going this route, I'd definately reccomend the Sharp LC-32GP1U (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889101117); 32", 1080p compliant with 1080p compliant inputs (lots of 'em), DVI with PC audio input (what you were looking for), 6ms screen, and it's made by one of the best brands of LCD out there to date (been in the digital entertainment realm for over 4 years, one of which was retail, and the Sharp Aquos series has got to be my #1 favorite). Again, think about the five things I pointed out before you make a decision, or if you just want to get out of the 24" LCD mess that is going on to this day I'd definitely recommend it. Good luck to ya, and let us know what you decided on ^^.

-Mobious-

[Hardin]

I would just get a 24" monitor. It has a higher resolution then most 32" tvs unless you splurge on the 1080p ones.

[meksyk]

Thank you Mobious and thank you Hardin, that helped me a lot, I guess I'll have to way for the black friday scans to show off so I can decide wich one would be best.

Best regards Bruno

[Mpegger]

FYI, HDMI = DVI. It just has a different connector plus a digital audio transport. A simple wire with a DVI plug on one end, and a HDMI plug on the other is all you need to connect a PC to a monitor with HDMI inputs only. Obviously, you wont have audio via this method.

Oh and ' = foot. " = inches. If you can afford a 22-24 foot LCD screen, or a 32 foot LCD screen, go ahead and splurge and buy a bunch of 22-24 inch and 32 inch LCD screens, stack them to the sides an atop of one another, then span your desktop across all the screens. Why bother with just 1920x1080, when you can have 8x or higher that resolution with multiple monitors. :beer:

[Raypundo]

I mounted my 42" Sharp Aquos 1080p on the wall across from my desk, I love it. I still have my old 19" LCD on the corner of my desk (big desk) with my 9800 AIW as a TV/browser/downloader while gaming, so I see the difference every day, I could never go back.

I use a DVI->HDMI adapter on the back of my case, then use a regular HDMI cable to the TV. The reason I got the Sharp was that it does dot-for-dot mode so you don't have any overscan (made a big difference in text clarity). I would not get a TV unless is was 1080p, and size would depend on how/where it will sit. If it would be on the desk 42" would be a little nuts, but on the wall about 7' away it rocks, nice and clear.

There is higher resolutions out there, but it looks great to me at 1920x1080. That and the higher you go the more the video card has to work anyways, I can live with not having the highest resolution (but still good) and more FPS :)

[Illah]

1080p = 1920px x 1080px

Your average 24" monitor is 1900x1200.

So basically what you gain in sheer size you lose in dot pitch and clarity. If you think of the visual real estate a 24" monitor takes up when two feet from your face vs. a 42" monitor at eight feet they're pretty much the same.

Granted there's a visceral sense of scale with large screens that would be awesome for games and movies, but all in all you'd need to be farther away from a bigger screen to make it comfortable to use.

For example, the 30" Apple screen is something like 2500x1900, that's an increase in size AND resolution which makes it massive. For 1080p screens, after 24" all you increase is size.

--Illah

[Raypundo]

So basically what you gain in sheer size you lose in dot pitch and clarity. If you think of the visual real estate a 24" monitor takes up when two feet from your face vs. a 42" monitor at eight feet they're pretty much the same.

This is very true, in theory. You could also argue that putting a 7" DVD player screen in front of your face is the same as going to the movie theatre and sitting in the back row, when proportioned correctly. Yet they are very different things in practice.

You are paying for the experience, I guess you could say. I am glad I did it, I am sure others would never do it. Best thing would be try to find someone who has one and check it out to compare :)

Like all good things, it comes with a price tag :p

PS. I don't find mine "unclear" as my viewing distance is enough that you cannot see the individual pixels and I can view webpages/text all day long without problem.