pc gaming on a monitor or hdtv?

this is probably a stupid question, but for PC gaming, what would look better? a 30-40 inch lcd monitor or a 30-40 inch lcd hdtv conntected through vga or the digital output of the video card? and which should be a less expensive setup?

Advantages of using HDTV >>> can double as TV, very very large

Advantages of using monitor >>> higher resolution, can double as TV with tuner cardj

That's all I got, esp since I just woke up.

For gaming I'd go with the vx922. No current TV will hold a candle to it. I have 2 of them for dual monitor motorboating.

For cost/performance/gaming/computing, get a computer monitor.

what 30-40" lcd monitor are you referring to? i'v only seen 24" (widescreen i think)

That's because the hdtv displays a lower resolution for your PC. If it's not 1080p, then it will likely support a max resolution of 1366x768. The 32" LCD monitor will almost certainly run at around 1680x1050.

1080p will give you 1920x1080, which is pretty good. But, make sure you check the details of the HDTV (response time, contrast ratio, the usual sort of stuff). Also, what sort of input does it have? Most HDTV's with PC input only have VGA input (I think DVI is better, but I'm not sure).

That looks absolutely amazing!!!

In theory it looks good, but I've only heard bad things about Dell monitors. Most people I know that have owned them have sent them straight back because of ghosting and colour issues.

Yeah, it's hard to judge. I really like the look of the Dell monitors and was considering getting one of the widescreen ones. But the review for it on cnet said it had ghosting issues. Still not sure though...

Unfortunately I couldn't. :s

The main difference between HDTVs and PC monitors, at least that I've noticed, is color, brightness, and internal scaling (usually converting 1080i to 720p and vice versa). This applies to both ends of the spectrum. The cheaper (Westinghouse) HDTV's boast great specs, but in reality have HORRIBLE color, brightness uniformity, viewing angle, etc.. don't believe me? Go to your local Best Buy and watch one next to one of those pretty Sharp or Sony XBR 1080p screens. You'll quickly see what I mean.

If you're gonna go HDTV, don't short change yourself on the Westinghouse. Save up your $$ and go for the higher end 1080p lcd HDTVs (SONY XBR2 Bravia 40" 1080p looks incredible). Or be patient and wait til later in 2007 when the Laser HDTV's hit. (boasting better brightness and color fidelity than plasma for less cost).

Otherwise I'd just get a good widescreen pc monitor. I own a Samsung 244t (24" 1920x1200 res). For overall picture, color, and contrast, I highly recommend it. I haven't had any bad issues in games whatsoever, just a beautiful picture without ghosting.