LCD Monitor vs. LCD TV with PC input

[R.H.]

I am in the market for a new monitor and I want to get a LCD type. But
I am unsure whether to buy a LCD monitor with a a high resolution say
1600 x 1280 ( just guessing) or a LCD TV with a lower resolution of
around 1280 x 768 though I did find one with a resolution of 1280 x
1024 from samsung. I would have like to buy one that does both with a
resolution of 1280 x 1024, but most are 1280 x 768 and I am not sure
about the quality of samsung. I usually buy sony or another name brand.

What I am really curious about though is whether there is really any
difference in buy a higher resolution monitor with a TV card that does a
resolution of 1280 x 1024 or buy a combined lcd TV that will take a PC
input. If there is not really any difference than maybe I should just
buy an LCD monitor and use my TV card that I already own. I would
appreciate an opinion as I don't want to purchase a monitor that will be
less than what I might actually need. I suspect either would work as I
don't play games except once in a while and rarely do any large graphic
work on my PC. I mainly wanted the LCD TV because I wanted to conserve
some space and only use one set of speakers.

Thanks,

Roger

 

[J. Clarke]

I am in the market for a new monitor and I want to get a LCD type. But
I am unsure whether to buy a LCD monitor with a a high resolution say
1600 x 1280 ( just guessing) or a LCD TV with a lower resolution of
around 1280 x 768 though I did find one with a resolution of 1280 x
1024 from samsung. I would have like to buy one that does both with a
resolution of 1280 x 1024, but most are 1280 x 768 and I am not sure
about the quality of samsung. I usually buy sony or another name brand.

Samsung _is_ a "name brand". Samsung's 2003 revenues were 54 billion
dollars vs 63 billion for Sony. In fact given a choice I'd take a Samsung
over a Sony--I've had nothing but bad experience with Sony monitors. On
the other hand my IBM, Hitachi, and LG monitors seem to last longer than
the video standards that they support.

What resolution you want depends mostly on the screen size. Generally
speaking LCDs work best at their design resolution--running at too high a
resolution on a small screen makes things difficult to see. 1280x1024 is
about right for a 19 or 21 inch but it's a bit high IMO for a 17 inch.

What I am really curious about though is whether there is really any
difference in buy a higher resolution monitor with a TV card that does a
resolution of 1280 x 1024 or buy a combined lcd TV that will take a PC
input. If there is not really any difference than maybe I should just
buy an LCD monitor and use my TV card that I already own. I would
appreciate an opinion as I don't want to purchase a monitor that will be
less than what I might actually need. I suspect either would work as I
don't play games except once in a while and rarely do any large graphic
work on my PC. I mainly wanted the LCD TV because I wanted to conserve
some space and only use one set of speakers.

If your primary use for it is as a computer monitor then get one that is
made for that purpose.

 

[R.H.]

Yes, I kind of realize that samsung is a name brand. I only said that
because I don't have much experience with them. I normall buy Sony and
have never had any problems. I was kind of leaning toward a 22" or 23"
monitor and I was wondering if I would see a clearer picture from a LCD
TV than I do from my monitor with a TV card. At the moment it brings it
up in a small window and if I resize it to full screen it is not as
clear. I imagine this because of the higher resolution used with
Computers versus TVs and the only way to fix this would be to resize my
monitor before activating my TV card. Thanks for the info though. I
guess I'll just buy a regular monitor and use my TV card.

Roger

 

[J. Clarke]

Yes, I kind of realize that samsung is a name brand. I only said that
because I don't have much experience with them. I normall buy Sony and
have never had any problems. I was kind of leaning toward a 22" or 23"
monitor and I was wondering if I would see a clearer picture from a LCD
TV than I do from my monitor with a TV card. At the moment it brings it
up in a small window and if I resize it to full screen it is not as
clear. I imagine this because of the higher resolution used with
Computers versus TVs and the only way to fix this would be to resize my
monitor before activating my TV card. Thanks for the info though. I
guess I'll just buy a regular monitor and use my TV card.

This is really a factor of the quality of the conversion provided by your TV
card. Take a look at the Compro Videomate TV Ultra or look into dScaler or
both. If you're running a BT8x8 board the quality you can get out of it is
limited--I think you'll be surprised how much better a current-technology
board will be.

 

[Irv Segal]

I gave my wife my Samsung 210T [21.3" 1600x1200] monitor when I purchased a
Dell 23" High-Def TV monitor. I connect two PCs to the monitor. I was
already watching TV on my Samsung, as both puters have ATI AIW cards. I did
not like the 16x12 resolution for text as I am getting older. I use pip to
watch TV in the top left corner bottom left corner is for program details
from titanrv.com, and I have a nicely sized window for surfing, productivity
apps, usenet, remote computing, etc.

The Samsung cost $1600 when new, and the 213T is around $1000 now. I bought
the Dell W2300 for $899 from Dell about 2 months ago, and I love it to
death.

--irv segal
(e-mail address removed)

 

[dualline]

I gave my wife my Samsung 210T [21.3" 1600x1200] monitor when I purchased a
Dell 23" High-Def TV monitor. I connect two PCs to the monitor. I was

already watching TV on my Samsung, as both puters have ATI AIW cards. I did
not like the 16x12 resolution for text as I am getting older. I use pip to
watch TV in the top left corner bottom left corner is for program details
from titanrv.com, and I have a nicely sized window for surfing, productivity
apps, usenet, remote computing, etc.

The Samsung cost $1600 when new, and the 213T is around $1000 now. I bought
the Dell W2300 for $899 from Dell about 2 months ago, and I love it to
death.

Sounds very nice. Are you connecting your DELL 23" TV monitor to PC via
DVI?