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Is this HDTV a good upgrade from a PC Monitor?

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade my monitor and am considering switching to a HDTV. My PC is a 3.0GHz (OC to 3.8GHz) Quad Core AMD Phenom II, 6GB RAM and Radeon HD6950 2GB so it should have enough juice to stretch to 1920x1080 at 32" (shouldn't it?). I'm thinking HDTV because they're far cheaper for the size, can be used as a TV (obviously!), and have built-in speakers so I can do away with my pc speakers that are a pain.

I use my PC for gaming mainly and for watching HD movies, so I just wanna be sure that I'm not going to lose performance. The contrast ratio and response time seem good but what about only 50Hz refresh rate? I'm no expert in these things! Can anyone see any issues with this HDTV as a PC monitor?

LG 32LK450U 32" HDTV (£279.99)

Television picture quality:

Full HD 1080p.
Integrated digital.
Freeview digital tuner.
32in widescreen TV.
Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Refresh rate 50Hz.
Contrast ratio 3000000:1.
Response time 0.3ms.
Viewing angle 178/178 degrees.

Connectivity:

3 HDMI sockets.
1 SCART socket.
PC input socket.
Component video socket.
Composite.
Optical connection.
S-Video socket.
AV socket (rear).
1 USB port.

Sound quality:

Dolby sound system.

Digital features:

Saorview approved to work with the Irish digital signal.
Digitally interactive.
Digital text.
Digital audio broadcasting (DAB).
Digital video broadcasting (DVB) subtitles available.
Auto setup.
Auto scan for new channels.
Now and next programme guide.
7 day electronic programme guide (EPG).
Top up TV compatible.
Audio description compatible.

Thanks,

Ecotox

More about : hdtv good upgrade monitor

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Graphics card Master
Monitor Expert

It will work...

But picture quality wise, monitors are almost always a lot better for the money.

Also, screen size is meaningless. It's all about the pixels. If your old monitor is 1080p, and the new TV is 1080p, then it will be exactly the same performance, only the pixels will be a lot larger on the screen so you'll have a less sharp image. The biggest draw back there is that aliasing tends to be a lot more noticeable.

The 50hz is also a bit weird. That means you'll be capped at 50 frames per second. The difference from 50 to 60 isn't that much, but it does help smooth out gameplay.

The panels they use in TVs are never as good as ones used in monitors. The colors will be washed out compared to what you're use to. I have a PC connected to a 50" plasma, and while it still looks nice, it's no comparison with my 25" monitor on that issue. Plus, if you're sitting close, you'll see all the pixels on a 32" 1080p. Just my 2 cents.
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ecotox said:
Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade my monitor and am considering switching to a HDTV. My PC is a 3.0GHz (OC to 3.8GHz) Quad Core AMD Phenom II, 6GB RAM and Radeon HD6950 2GB so it should have enough juice to stretch to 1920x1080 at 32" (shouldn't it?). I'm thinking HDTV because they're far cheaper for the size, can be used as a TV (obviously!), and have built-in speakers so I can do away with my pc speakers that are a pain.

I use my PC for gaming mainly and for watching HD movies, so I just wanna be sure that I'm not going to lose performance. The contrast ratio and response time seem good but what about only 50Hz refresh rate? I'm no expert in these things! Can anyone see any issues with this HDTV as a PC monitor?

LG 32LK450U 32" HDTV (£279.99)

Television picture quality:

Full HD 1080p.
Integrated digital.
Freeview digital tuner.
32in widescreen TV.
Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Refresh rate 50Hz.
Contrast ratio 3000000:1.
Response time 0.3ms.
Viewing angle 178/178 degrees.

Connectivity:

3 HDMI sockets.
1 SCART socket.
PC input socket.
Component video socket.
Composite.
Optical connection.
S-Video socket.
AV socket (rear).
1 USB port.

Sound quality:

Dolby sound system.

Digital features:

Saorview approved to work with the Irish digital signal.
Digitally interactive.
Digital text.
Digital audio broadcasting (DAB).
Digital video broadcasting (DVB) subtitles available.
Auto setup.
Auto scan for new channels.
Now and next programme guide.
7 day electronic programme guide (EPG).
Top up TV compatible.
Audio description compatible.

Thanks,

Ecotox

Depends on how close your tv will be. Go to an electronics store that sells tv's and stand about the same distance away from a 32" 1080p tv (same model you are looking at buying if possible) as you would have it set up at home. Are you close enough to see the pixels? How far way until you don't see them anymore? 1080p is still 1080p but when on a larger screen you need to be back farther.
Another thing to consider is that if you connect via HDMI, there is no path for the "sleep" signal to shut off your tv after being idle for a while. Obviously not an issue if you always shut off your computer when you are not using it.

I thought there must be a reason HDTV's are so much cheaper! I'll be sat a good distance away from the screen but don't want it to be a worse experience than I'm getting now.

Thanks for the pointers!

Personally I much prefer regular monitors for PC duties. Unless you are gonna install this PC of yours on a living room to watch movies etc, I wouldn't recommend this. HDTVs are generally better for devices like consoles, dvd players etc. When hooked to a PC their colors seem a bit off to me, compare to a regular PC monitor.
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