HDTV as a Large Computer Monitor

I bought a 32" LG HDTV 720 and I absolutely love it!!!

I will never go back to monitors...

The concerns listed by Jonny are very true, but I get around the ergonomic problems by using a small 2 seater sofa or a giant bean bag as my chair, and a cushion bottomed tray as a mouse mat with wireless mouse and keyboard combo. Damn Comfy when you get it right!

The benefits for someone like myself, who watches 90% of my TV viewing from downloaded sources, are immense. I just DL, watch and delete.... Cuts out all the crappy DVD burning and compatibility nonsense for a PAL DVD system.

Go for it!! very easy to setup and your living room will never seem as cool

If it helps, then I've done it - I'msing a 42" 1080p HDTV as a monitor and it's a revelation. Normally, I wouldnt reccomend it, for the reasons outlined by Jonny - but especiallyresolution for the price. Go for a 24" Monitor over a 720p HDTV. You won't regret it.

But then again, occasionally you find a bargain that makes you reconsider... namely my lovely Mirai...
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=533851[\URL]
I know its a UK site, but b*****y froogle won't let me get to the US ones...

My specs are modest (E2140; x1950PRO) but your proposed rig will do fine. I have it set up with my 5.1 system surrounding my keyboard\mouse. Gaming is excellent; BF2142 is astounding; Oblivion at native res and tons of mods is stunning; Medieval 2:Total War is unbelievable. And when you watch TV, it actually looks good. Only problems are that at this resolution anything you download will look really poor, and 1080p files are 7GB...

Two things I'd mention though: first, I'd probably get the 640Mb 8800 GTS over an OC'd 320; at 1920 resolutions texture memory can go through the roof, and if you plan on 4xAA and HDR then yet more precious GDDR is uesd up. Second,you will have to sit MUCH closer than you would for TV watching; its a dilemma I havent yet sorted with mine (I can't lie on my bed and watch TV, as my desk gets in the way, and I need my desk for writing this...)

In short, the Mirai is my exception that proves the rule... 1080p TV's are really expensive, but the Mirai wasn't. And if you're considering any resolution thats less, go with a 24" monitor. I really do love it...

I've built two HTPC's and I have a 37" 1080p LCD in the living room and a 720p Panasonic Projector (120" ) in the Bar. I think you can probably get pretty close to a 37" unit for a thousand bucks... I paid 1200 for mine last christmas.

If you're building an HTPC I would suggest ditching the antec case and getting Silverstone... they're without a doubt the best HTPC cases on the market, I'll never buy anything else for Home Theater use.

They key to good HT performance from your pc is to get decent quality components but to shoot for QUIET. I buy low noise power supplies and HSF's (Zalman usually), along with Gigabyte heat pipe Video cards... you don't want your pc to sound like a jet taking off while you're trying to watch a movie. Even if you have to back off on ultimate performance to get silence... it's worth it.

I use the Sharp LC32D62U 32" LCD @1080p. It's the smallest 1080p set on the market, and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! Check it out here.

Prob is to use as a "normal" monitor ...its blurry when looking at text up close....anyone know how to fix that.
i feel like the green gaint.
i need normail size text on a large screen. i feel like mac 30" is the only way to go.

Hmm, I have a Pioneer plasma TV that I use as a gaming monitor as well, with a DVI to HDMI cable to keep the connection all-digital. On certain HDMI inputs, it lets you select standard video (overscanning) or PC Input (underscanning) or auto-detect. You might see if your TV has the same or similar selection, and also make sure it is set to use "dot by dot" resolution instead of the scaler output.

Why don't you use a projector instead of a HDTV?

CONS:
Bad thing about using this as a monitor or even watching TV or console games is you had to sit far back, sitting too close will blind you! (Not really but its not pleasant) That means, for my set up, I would have to get a "lap desk" and a wireless mouse and key board so I can sit at a good viewing distance.

True, but its not hard to sit further back. What you do is purchase a small foldable writing desk. Foldable so you can fold it and put it in a closet for when you want to watch tv or a movie. You can pick these up at Office Max or Staples. Put it as far away as you want from your HDTV and then put a wireless keyboard and mouse on it. You can use a regular desk chair to sit on. Its just like what you would normally use just a smaller desk that is only used to place the key board and mouse on.

Another bad thing for gaming. Resolution, most likely you wont be touching a 1080p/i in your price range that has a high quality picture and big screen. The one I bought is the next best 720p, and it gives a MAX resolution of 1366x768, therefore you cannot run anything higher then that. (Almost all my games on my desktop I run at max res and settings which are higher then that, therefore why get a $400 dollar card if you cant exactly use it to its potential)

Very true. I have a 720p 32 inch and I agree it sucks having a lower resolution. So I would def. suggest to you to get a 1080p. That is what I am doing soon. Gonna get the new 55 inch from Samsung the ultra thin : )
Some more bad things:

-Games without widescreen support. Most nowadays do, but I have run into some problems with with no supported resolution.

Never came across a game that does not support wide screen and if he bought a monitor it probably be wide screen as well.

- This can vary on TV brands and especially size room and TV. The room that mine is in isnt very big but it has my TV, Computer, and other electronics. This TV puts out crazy heat, its not something I thought of before purchasing. With all my electronics going, not even my AC keeps up(in that room) and gets very warm. I live in florida so I can't just open a window...

Again, agreed. My 32 HDTV does put out decent heat. Combine that with my computer and sometimes it does get toasty in here. It isnt bad though and only happens if I am gaming for many hours straight. You living in Florida certainly does not help.


I say go for it! Just get a 1080p. Like i said get a small foldable desk and your good to go! The extra size of the screen is absolutely worth it! I can not play on monitors no more. Its just a joke now. When I go on the computers at school I laugh cuz the screen is so tiny. I dont see why some people complain about the picture. I think it looks great even at 720p. Everything fits on the screen and browsing is great. Do it. I would post pics of my set up, but I am too lazy. Look at MIahallens HDTV it looks great! Everything fits and looks awesome. Only thing I would say is I would not have it set up as a tradition monitor would on a desk. Obviously he does not mind sitting close, but I would STRONGLY recommend getting a small desk just for your keyboard and mouse and sit further away.

You can still get a tv, but I wouldn't go over 26/7" if you want to sit close. My 26 inch was a little overwhlming at first as a monitor, but now it's fine. and I'm POSITIVE, that at 4 feet away I would not have wanted anything bigger. 24 inches was just a little small

I think this thread should be locked, because people are still replying to the OP without realizing that the thread is 3 years old...

I have the Sony Brava 42 and cannot get the tv to link with the Computer. I can disconnet the tv and get the monitor back but when I connect the tv I only get the desk top without the controls. I have to disconnect the tv to get the monitor back so I can control all input to the computer. Where have I disconnected the display for both tv and monitor?
Email me at bob @bobconway.org