I donno whether to buy a "full HD TV" or a "full HD monitor", solely for gamin

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william_90

william_90

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I went to a local store, the seller said there's no difference, TVs are even cheaper and recommended LED FULL HD SONY 32W670 for 600$
there were full HD monitors around 30" but their price were near 1000$ or more

well I said i'll comeback later I was really confused
we have a good TV in our house, i really don't need TV and its features,

I donno why it was cheaper even though it has more features than a monitor
that confuses me alot
which one should I buy for gaming at FULL HD on a ~30" display
thanks
 
Solution
jaguarskx
There's a bit of a difference between a 32" HDTV and a 30" monitor.

A 30" monitor has a resolution of 2560x1600 (16:10 aspect) or 2560x1440 (16:9 aspect) depending on exactly which monitor you are referring to which is much higher than that of a HDTV. These screens are rather expensive to manufacture because of the high pixel density and because they all use something called IPS panel technology which in itself is relatively expensive.

A "Full HD" HDTV (and monitor as well) only has a resolution of 1920x1080 which is much less than 2560x1600. Additionally, the pixels in a HDTV are more oriented to display shapes rather than text. Text will look just fine on a HDTV, but they appear to look a bit soft compared to text on a monitor. That...
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CryoWolf

CryoWolf

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I'd go with the Sony 32W670, Good brand and a decent TV that can be used as a monitor. I think this would the best for you since you really don't need it as TV. I think you will be satisfied with it any way, its 32 inch and big enough so save some cash and get the $600 and don't waste it on the near $1000 more ones. Treat yourself to a new GPU or something.
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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"Full HD" is marketing speak for 1080p
I would consider that the bare minimum when it comes to resolution for anything bigger than 22".

Monitors and TV's are pretty different. Monitors need to have less input lag because your interacting with it, better image quality because its closer to you and often uses better quality panels. Thats why monitors scale in price/size more sharply compared to TV's, where pretty much the only difference is material cost and the snob effect that comes with bigger TV's.
I also believe the pixel grid in a TV is different than a monitor. In a TV their arranged diagonally while monitors are a typical grid. Basically the diagonal config is so that diagonal lines look better as they are much more common in movies than straight vertical/horizontal edges. However reading fine text it is atrocious, so not good for monitors.

Is there any reason your looking at ~30" displays?
A typical 24" 1080p monitor is more like $150-200.



So basically, you should buy the TV because you dont really need to use it as a TV..?
 
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Mahisse

Mahisse

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Depends on your gaming style and what games you play.

If you are a casual player not caring about lag input too much go with the TV. If you are a really competative gamer playing fps you want a monitor with low lag input.
Also if you sit very close to the monitor (i.e. at a desk) you should consider a monitor with higher pixel density but I'm not sure that's an argument worth the 400$ price difference. If you are a couch surfer you should get the TV.

Where do you live? In my country you can get fairly cheap PC monitors. Way below the 1000$ mark. You may want to look in other stores or online.
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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There's a bit of a difference between a 32" HDTV and a 30" monitor.

A 30" monitor has a resolution of 2560x1600 (16:10 aspect) or 2560x1440 (16:9 aspect) depending on exactly which monitor you are referring to which is much higher than that of a HDTV. These screens are rather expensive to manufacture because of the high pixel density and because they all use something called IPS panel technology which in itself is relatively expensive.

A "Full HD" HDTV (and monitor as well) only has a resolution of 1920x1080 which is much less than 2560x1600. Additionally, the pixels in a HDTV are more oriented to display shapes rather than text. Text will look just fine on a HDTV, but they appear to look a bit soft compared to text on a monitor. That is big of a deal to most consumers.

Playing games on a 30" monitor at 1920x1080 basically means the monitor will stretch 1920x1080 video to full 2560x1440 resolution. That will result in a bit of image quality loss but for most people that should be acceptable and will not know there is a small decrease in quality.

For years people have been playing PS3 and Xbox 360 games on a Full HD HDTV. Those console are too weak to actually render graphics at 1920x1080 so what they do is render video at 1366x768 resolution, then it gets stretched to 1920x1080 on the HDTV.

If you are not going to take advantage of the 2560x1600 or 2560x1440 resolution of the 30" monitor (either for games or basic desktop usage), then you are better off spending less money on the $600 Sony HDTV.
 
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Solution
Mahisse

Mahisse

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I agree. That is what i meant with pixel density in my last post. If you are going to sit close to the screen use a monitor with more pixels. If you are going to sit 10 feet away in your couch it probably won't matter that much.
 
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william_90

william_90

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I didn't know of the quality loss, thats not acceptable for me, thanks for the info
so what display size is better for a full HD resolution?
does a 27" monitor fit a full HD resolution?

thanks for the answers everyone, very helpful indeed


 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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Stop thinking in marketing terms like "Full HD". Its a deliberate choice to obscure what it actually is, because its easier to sell someone a "Full High Definition!" TV than one with a resolution of 1920x1080, even though their the same thing.
HD = 720p
Full-HD = 1080p
WQHD = 1440p
UHD = 4K

A screens resolution is independent of its size, in general they scale but there is no reason they have too. 1080p screens can be found on phones and 70" TV's. Not every 30" monitor is going to be 1440p, even though most of them will be.
What matters is the resolution, in comparison to its size, in relation to your distance from the screen (particularly this one, you can get away with a massive, low res screen if your sitting 5 metres from the thing).
 
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tmacg55

tmacg55

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I remember as a test, hooking up my 40" 2013 Samsung tv to my PC to try a game that required very fast reaction time such as CS:GO. It was a horrible experience and felt so much lag even on PC and Game Mode. Gaming almost requires a monitor if you plan to pc game. Controllers can make the lag feel a little less noticeable if you plan to console game, but is still present. Present day 60Hz monitors have sub frame latencies, meaning they have less than a frame of lag. (1 Frame=16.667ms) However, TVs can have multiple frames of lag due to all the processing, inputs, and OSD options that are present. If you are competitive and play a lot of online games, due yourself the favor and go with the cheaper and better option of buying a monitor. If you have no care for being the best player on the team and just want a big screen to play on to sit back and relax on the couch, then the tv is the choice for you. Hope this helps :)
 
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william_90

william_90

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thanks for the answers,
can anyone tell me what Display size fit 1920x1080 resolution, there's a scale size somewhere, i can't find it but i can see people talking about it
jaguarskx said a 30" monitor with 1920x1080 resolution has quality loss, so what display size fit 1920x1080 perfectly
I'll sit close to the monitor, It'll be on my desk
thanks
 
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william_90

william_90

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manofchalk, I do sit close to it, its on my desk, do you think i'll get my answer if I multiply 1920x1080 in 30
and divide the result by 2560x1440 ? lol

actually I did and got 15.1875
so a 15" monitor fit 1920x1080 resolution perfectly? haha~ so funny
 
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