LCD Displays - TV vs. Monitor

sK0pe

I'm assembling a new desktop and have worked out all the parts I need except for my display.
The computer will also be used as a TV for my room.

I was wondering if anyone on the forums have used TVs in place of a computer monitor and any advice.

Monitors being considered -
Dell Ultrasharp 2708WFP (or 3008WFP)

TVs being considered -
Samsung LN-T4681F
Samsung LN-T4081F
Samsung LN-T4671F

The TVs seem to have much hire dynamic contrast ratios (500000:1 or 25000:1), the black point I believe is much better.

The grey to grey difference is about 2ms, TVs are slightly higher (which I assume is to minimise motion blur).

Refresh rates are comparible.

The resolution is higher on the Dell monitors but everything is HD or higher. The other plus point in the Dell is the built in media reader which is not an extreme requirement but I would use it.

For the Samsungs the aesthetics are better, and the size is bigger plus it has HDMI inputs.

The computer will be used for gaming, moderate, photoshop use, general Open Office use and the internet ofcourse.

Sean

I would look at which one you are going to do the most, and buy accordingly. If you tend to spend more time on your computer, then go for the PC monitor. If you watch more TV then go in that direction.

I have used my 32" Panasonic TV as a PC monitor before, and it was decent enough for looking at websites, but word processing was a bit of a pain. It was much more tiring on my eyes than a regular PC monitor. My screen is only 1366x768 so there might be a difference once you go up in resolution.

Have you thought about getting a 40-46" TV and then getting a smaller monitor for regular PC use? 20-24" LCD monitors are pretty damn cheap at the moment, so it would be a viable option.

Apreche

It's all about distance from the screen. If you're going to spend a lot of time far away from the screen, the TV is probably the way to go. If you're going to spend time closer, just get a big monitor. With a 20"+ monitor, you can watch full screen video from a decent distance away. The only other factor to consider is that it will be a lot easier to connect cable TV and such to a television.

zombie a gogo

I have a 42" Samsung as my monitor on my Vista computer and I love it. It's great for watching movies on and gaming. Crysis looks amazing on it and I can only run that game at 720, if you have a better video card than me it will look even better. As for distance from the TV, when I'm gaming I am about 5 to 6 feet away and for watching films I am 10 to 15 feet away.

Thaed

I have a 30" Dell monitor that runs at 2560x1600 and a 52 Samsung 1080p LCD television. Recently, I started running a laptop through the Sammy and I've been very pleased. The Dell is always going to be crisper, but it requires a lot more horsepower to run. 1080p isn't bad at all on the Samsung TVs.

George Patches

It's all about distance from the screen. If you're going to spend a lot of time far away from the screen, the TV is probably the way to go. If you're going to spend time closer, just get a big monitor. With a 20"+ monitor, you can watch full screen video from a decent distance away. The only other factor to consider is that it will be a lot easier to connect cable TV and such to a television.

^ pretty much exactly as the man says. I never watch TV, just highjack my parents large HDTV for anime a couple eps a week, so I'd get a large monitor.

sK0pe

Thanks for everybody's input, I'll be using the computer. Currently I've only got enough bank for a single display as I'm also buying all the other parts of the computer simultaneously.
I'll be using the computer for occasional TV watching and recording; a lot of movies some anime and some seasons of TV shows on DVDs.
I'll be playing quite a bit of PC (FPS games) and Wii gaming.
I don't watch cable TV as the public TV stations in Australia are pretty good.
I'll only have 9-12 feet, at most from the screen to me (until I move and that will be in the next 18 months).
So I think I'll pick up the 30" Dell monitor and save up for a 46"+ TV when I move to a bigger residence.
The other factor that swayed me towards the monitor is my hatred for battery eating Bluetooth peripherals (But I'm so torn, I want to see my system play Crysis, CoD4 and Smash Brothers on a big ass screen!)

But then again if reading text is strainful it's a positive to use a monitor than a TV.

Apreche

How are you going to play Smash Bros. on the monitor? You're going to need a TV capture card.

lackofcheese

The Dell 30" has basically the full range of PC and TV inputs.

Apreche

The Dell 30" has basically thefullrange of PC and TV inputs.

NIce.