30" question - LCD-tv or monitor?

[HonestIago]

I am interested in getting a new, bigger screen. The size should be around 30"-40". What I am wondering about is whether to get a lcd-tv or a lcd-monitor? From the technical specs I would say most of them are pretty similar, usually offering 1366x768 resolutions (or close to it, the 1080i are too expensive for my taste).
But do they all scale similarly when I send the pc-signal or are there differences between monitors and tv in general? Usually the tvs are way cheaper - about 250USD and they do come with boxes already (not really in need of them as I usually have my amplifier set up for surround). I am not much of a tv-freak, whatever I watch is usually on dvd.

So, any thoughts on getting either a monitor or a tv?

 

[Hose]

If you get a TV, you'll need to view it from normal TV viewing distance or the picture will be very grainy.

 

[HonestIago]

Hmmm, seems like you are the only one responding in these forums . Thanks for that.
But the tv and the monitors do have the same resolutions (speaking of this 1366x768) - wouldn't that mean that I were to watch the pc monitor from a distance similarly far away as well?

 

[Hose]

Yes. Look at a 32" LCD TV up close. The pixels are very large and the "screen door" effect is strong. You'd have to back up to a normal distance for viewing for a TV before those things stop being an issue.

TVs do not make good monitors, but monitors can be OK TVs with a decent TV tuner card. (However, to watch a TV tuner on full screen, you still have to back away some distance... your monitor is still only displaying a TV image input.... likely 480 lines. I have a TV tuner which occupies about 1/6 of my monitor. Being small, the picutre looks just great. But if I show it "full screen" and view it from a normal monitor distance, it looks grainy.")

Probably the best "all around" setup for both TV and computer is a 24", UXGA, 1920X1200. Great resolution for all computer functions, can display HDTV and 1080p peripherals.

 

[HonestIago]

Damn, what a disappointing answer . No, thanks a lot, I guess, this will leave me only few options - a 24" is definitely too small for my tv. But using a LCD-tv for watching dvd and playing games and having my current 19"TFT for regular pc-jobs would probably do the trick. Playing shooters might be crappy on the big screen but some sports games or racing games might look great.

At least I do not have to hassle, there is just no "perfect" solution at the moment so I can save some money and wait for further developments.

 

[immagikman]

I Have a Sony SDM P234 (24 inch wide screen) Monitor and a Sony KDL-V26XBR1 Hi Def TV hooked up to my gaming rig, at max def of 1366x768 the Television still looks great from normal sitting distance from my desk, when playing Oblivion... It's only 26 inches so I would imagine that asyou scale up at the same resolution you will start to really notice the pixel size when you get over 30 inches... Just my opinion there.

 

[HonestIago]

I checked out a lot of screens yesterday - only in regard to their tv capabilities and I have to admit I was absolutely disappointed - the 32" panels are not as big as I assumed and they are out of question therefore. So I checked out the 37" and even though their size was quite ok, the picture quality was almost in every case disappointing - all screens displayed a Robbie Williams dvd (ok, that was a turn off already) and whenever there was motion, you saw these traces on the screens - only few displayed a better image but they constantly were in the price range of 3000 and more Euro - which is not what I will invest in tv or computer gaming.
Additionally, most of the screens had very bad color schemes (I adjusted many of them manually without much success) and to come to a conclusion --> my goold old tv will hopefully last some more time and when I upgrade, it will be a real monitor for gaming but not one of the actual lcd-screens for television.
Bad thing was I could not locate any screens having a resolution of 1900x XXXX, maybe they are somewhat better. Maybe....

 

[Sp0cK]

Check this LCD TV out, it gets a fairly high score from everyone who purchased it and I am also considering it for my room and PC use...
Best part is... it is full 1080P (1900x1080) with HDMI 1.3, which accpets full 1080p.. I hope this helps you. There is also a 37" version of this TV I think... and both are in our price range!! 8)

Westinghouse LVM-42w2

SPECS:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Westinghouse_LVM_42w2/4507-6482_7-31641467.html?tag=sub

I hope this helps find what you want....

 

[Hose]

I checked out a lot of screens yesterday - only in regard to their tv capabilities and I have to admit I was absolutely disappointed - the 32" panels are not as big as I assumed and they are out of question therefore. So I checked out the 37" and even though their size was quite ok, the picture quality was almost in every case disappointing - all screens displayed a Robbie Williams dvd (ok, that was a turn off already) and whenever there was motion, you saw these traces on the screens - only few displayed a better image but they constantly were in the price range of 3000 and more Euro - which is not what I will invest in tv or computer gaming.
Additionally, most of the screens had very bad color schemes (I adjusted many of them manually without much success) and to come to a conclusion --> my goold old tv will hopefully last some more time and when I upgrade, it will be a real monitor for gaming but not one of the actual lcd-screens for television.
Bad thing was I could not locate any screens having a resolution of 1900x XXXX, maybe they are somewhat better. Maybe....

As TVs don't make great computer monitors, maybe you should get a DLP large screen TV you can view from 10 feet and a good 24" widescreen monitor, 1920x1200. That way, you can be happy with both.

 

[HonestIago]

Hi there,

first of all thanks to Sp0ck, but this brand is not available in Europe and I will not have a screen of that size shipped to me for various reasons (strongest one is that European tv standards have a PAL and the American standards NTSC-signals - additionally I would have real trouble whenever the screen is damaged or needs any kind of support. Other than that it would definitely be an interesting choice - resolution and price are of a kind that I were interested in.

@Hose: Yeah, I would be happy but my banking account would not be . Since I am in no need for a new tv at the moment, I am willing to wait somewhat longer until the 1920x resolutions drop to a more affordable price and check out these when I have the option to do - German vendors do not have any of them on display at the moment, guess, they are waiting for the holiday season.

 

[Hose]

Hi there,

first of all thanks to Sp0ck, but this brand is not available in Europe and I will not have a screen of that size shipped to me for various reasons (strongest one is that European tv standards have a PAL and the American standards NTSC-signals - additionally I would have real trouble whenever the screen is damaged or needs any kind of support. Other than that it would definitely be an interesting choice - resolution and price are of a kind that I were interested in.

@Hose: Yeah, I would be happy but my banking account would not be . Since I am in no need for a new tv at the moment, I am willing to wait somewhat longer until the 1920x resolutions drop to a more affordable price and check out these when I have the option to do - German vendors do not have any of them on display at the moment, guess, they are waiting for the holiday season.

Too bad a 24" TV won't work for you. Otherwise you could get a 24" monitor and a separate TV Tuner card for about $750-$800 in the US.

 

[HonestIago]

Wow, that is awfully cheap for a 24" monitor - the cheapest one I found online for Germany would be around 900 Euro - which will be like 1250 USD.
But no, 24" would be a step back from my current tv which is like a 28" but in 4:3 which is considerably more than a 16:9 (I hate that format anyway, 16:10 is just on the border of acceptability for my taste). Naw, I do not watch a lot of tv but when I do, it is usually sports (preferrably NFL) and I do not want to watch that on a small screen, so patience is the best advice I can give myself (damn, this was the only character trait I never acquired throughout my Life )

 

[Hose]

Wow, that is awfully cheap for a 24" monitor - the cheapest one I found online for Germany would be around 900 Euro - which will be like 1250 USD.
But no, 24" would be a step back from my current tv which is like a 28" but in 4:3 which is considerably more than a 16:9 (I hate that format anyway, 16:10 is just on the border of acceptability for my taste). Naw, I do not watch a lot of tv but when I do, it is usually sports (preferrably NFL) and I do not want to watch that on a small screen, so patience is the best advice I can give myself (damn, this was the only character trait I never acquired throughout my Life )

Yeah, there just isn't any product which works well as both monitor and TV... the closest is 24" and bigger monitor + TV tuner, and then the TV part is small.