Any advice taken, please look

[gscotty]

I am going to be building my very first computer ever here in a month or so and I would like to buy a decent HDTV that would double as a TV and a monitor for my PC. I will be using it daily, watching TV and using it as a monitor. I have a budget of about 600$, 700$ would be pushing it but possibly doable.

I have been looking at --

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16889101107 -- Sharp 26 inch

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16889102122 -- Samsung 23 inch

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16889102123 -- Samsung 23 inch

It has recently come to me that true HDTV is 1080i and to my knowledge these don't have that. I will most likely be using a radeon x1950 PRO GPU. So... anyone got some good info for me? Thanks for looking, much appreciated.

 

[apt403]

Screw the TV, an actual monitor will be cheaper and perform just as well. If want to watch tv on this thing just get a TV tuner card. You'll be able to record the shows as well.

What about a projector? With $700 you could get a decent one. I mean, why get a 24 inch or so LCD when you could get a projector capable of producing a 300 inch screen?

 

[notherdude]

I'm pretty sure that unless you get an HDTV specifically made to be used as a PC monitor you will end up with a very poor picture, images will look fine and video will be fine but text and everday windows programs will be blurry.

So you'd want to buy a PC monitor that will also do HDTV instaed of buying an HDTV that will also merely accept output from a video card.. Such as a nice 24" LCD for about $700 or so.

True HD is either 1080i or 720p (which amount to more or less the same thing, p means progressive and i means interlaced, so 720p has about same image quality as 1080i). HDTV LCD's don't do 1080i, they do 720p (approx). This is fine. Just get any LCD that is HD capeable and you will see great HD.

There is also 1080p, which is somewhat superior, to 1080i or 760p, but a nice 24" LCD monitor should do that too, I THINK. You may want to dbl check that however. To get 1080p you'd also need a blueray or hd DVD drive. What you can get from cable/sat is not 1080p and prolly won't be for a long time.

You'll also need to be sure that you can interface your TV source with the monitor. This means the monitor will need proper inputs to receive signals from your cable or sat, assuming one of those will be your TV provider.

 

[gscotty]

Awesome info, thanks guys. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to a good monitor to buy. I'll do some research and see what I can come up with. If anyone knows of any good HD PC monitors under 700 please share. Also another question about a tuner card. How do they work :? . Does the cable input just go into the card and then it runs through your computer/video card into your monitor?

 

[apt403]

Also another question about a tuner card. How do they work :? . Does the cable input just go into the card and then it runs through your computer/video card into your monitor?

Yep, there's a jack on the back of the card that you plug the end of the cable you would usually plug into the TV. The card decodes the signal and an encoder turns it into savable/viewable format. You should really get a card with a hardware encoder, it's a very cpu intensive process if you use a software encoder.

Some cards come with dual inputs, so while you're watching TV you can record a show on a different channel. You can get cards with FM tuners as well.

 

[gscotty]

So would I need an HD tuner card to watch HD channels? Does anyone know of any decent cards that wouldn't cost too much?

What do you think of this monitor....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254020

Just went to computer hardware>monitors>lcd> then put HD in the search bar...Not many came up, thats the second largest screen, next largest is 32 inch and outta my budget right now. That and one of them is 18ms, other one isn't posted.

 

[apt403]

1080p means 1920 × 1080, so 1920 x 1200 is pretty much 1080p.

Based purly on specs, This is the best monitor I can find for under $700.

 

[notherdude]

If you have a cable TV receiver that comes with the full HD cable package you may be able to simply output the receiver to the new monitor. You would need both the proper outputs on the receicer and matching inputs on the monitor. HDMI, component, etc.

I know enough to help you ask the right questions but sadly not enough to tell you exactly what to get. I'll look into it more and check out the monitor you linked.

 

[gscotty]

Thanks man I really appreciate it a lot. I'll also do some research(not like I'm not already ).

 

[notherdude]

The monitor apt403 linked to http://www.abs.com/app/ViewItem.asp?itemNumber=24-001-222 (detaild specs at this linbk) appears to have component inputs - cable receivers that come standard when you sign up for digital cable have component outputs. This would appear to mean that you can simply plug a standard cable from the cable box directly into your monitor. No PC card needed. The monitor simply doubles as an HDTV and you can use the DVR features on the cable box. This would be the simplest soloution for you. You would just switch back and forth between TV and PC with a simple switch on the monitor.

A 24" monitor is MUCH superior to a 22" for a number of reasons. You pay a lot more but over time you WILL NOT be sorry you have all that extra space, particularly when viewing TV from more than a few feet away. 24" monitors usually have more input options and better quality technology as well.

That link broke but it's here: http://www.abs.com/app/ViewItem.asp?itemNumber=24-001-222

 

[gscotty]

Think you lost me a little bit there. The link went to no data too btw. Got my mind set on a 24 inch monitor thats for sure now. Would be great if I didn't have to buy a tuner card, that stuff just confuses the crap out of me. No idea if you have to buy a HD card or what. Just to make it clear I really, REALLY appreciate your help with all this.

 

[notherdude]

The new link at bottom of that post above should now work, sorry.

It's not as complicated as it sounds. If you signed up for digital cable or satellite TV - the usual ways ppl get TV these days - you would just tell them you have an HDTV and they will add on the HD package to your plan - usually about 10 bucks extra monthly, approx. (I'm assuming you are in USA?)

They will then install a box at your house which receives their signals and converts them to a format a TV can use, this is all standard and part of their package. In this case the 24" monitor in question will simply take the place of a TV and the installer will run a cable from the cable box to your monitor which should behave exactly like a TV. When you want to switch over to using it as a PC monitor you can do so by simply hitting the 'input switch' on the monitor itself. This monitor has multiple inputs on it so both the TV and the cable will be hooked to it at all times.

These new cable boxes have built-in digital video recorder (DVR) functions such as recording, pausing live TV, and watching one show while you record another. Basically a generic TIVO.

Sorry if I told you stuff you already knew.

This monitor does NOT have HDMI inputs but you do not need HDMI to watch HDTV, component cables are fine and dandy for that and this monitor has component cable inputs.

 

[gscotty]

Hot damn! You rock man, think that just might be the monitor for me. That's the same samsung that apt403 linked to in one of his replies.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001222

It's only 10 bucks cheaper on newegg. Has quite a few reviews(115) and 83% is 5/5 rating. Looking at the picture of the hookups, would I hook it up to the cable box with the S-Video port or could I get a HDMI to DVI connector? Or would it be best graphic wise for computer games to go DVI? Know what I'm sayin? Just trying to get the best picture for HD and for gaming on the PC.

 

[notherdude]

You can hook the cable box to the monitor with the supplied 'component' video cables. No need to fool around with HDMI.

The PC you would hook up with the DVI cable that comes with the monitor.

Simple as that.

That monitor I linked to BECAUSE apt403 suggested it, I just found a site that broke down the detaild specs on it. It looks good but there may very well be others out there as good or better, so shop around a bit.

I wish I could get a 24". I got a 21" instead but now I wish I had gone big. I use a 32" HDTV to watch TV on and I also use it to watch DVD's and AVI's and whatnot stored on my PC via the component video output from my nvidia 8800gts card.

 

[gscotty]

Yeah on that site you linked too it broke it down pretty good. I will shop around for other monitors like it although it's pretty sweet. I like samsung, and I would think you really cannot go wrong with a name like that. The price is kinda high though. I'm glad others suggested going with a larger monitor. I'm hoping to just be able to keep it for my viewing pleasures for a few years, that'd be nice. Thank you again for your info n whatnot.