A tv as a monitor

NO!
 
I'd say as a general rule, not really. TVs that can do up to 1080i will probably have a max PC resolution of about 1368x768, and 1080P TVs will have a max resolution of 1920x1080. 1920x1200 is fine for a 24" monitor for example, but considering you're only likely to find 1080p HDTVs which are at least 32" big it's not that great.

Also there are two more caveats. For a start, HDTVs are designed to be viewed from a distance. If you view one from up close as if it were a monitor, the pixel density's so low the image just won't look right. Think of it like standing right in front of one of those big LED screens you get in city centers or concerts. Secondly the 16:9 aspect ratio was not designed for computers. This is despite the fact that monitor manufacturers have recently made more 16:9 than 16:10 monitors to cut costs, bleh.

Besides all that, if you just want a second monitor to plug a laptop in for a presentation for example, they're great, but so far as using one on a day to day basis is concerned, don't bother. Either buy a TV, or a monitor, or both, but don't buy a TV that's supposedly also a monitor, because chances are it's not a very good one.

EDIT: A a small note, buying a monitor that also has a HDMI input is a different matter. Of course they won't have a freeview tuner built in, and you'll need to plug the freeview/sky/freesat tuner into separate speakers, but if you do it this way round you'll get a good monitor and an above average TV, assuming you make sure the viewing angles are good.
 
I use one a 32 inch 1368 by 768 max res,
Looks ,Works fine for me ,with IMHO hardly any visable loss in quality compared to my 21inch monitor,
infact i much prefer using the tv as the main monitor.
 
corbystock said:
So, hi guys, are these televisions that can take a PC cable any good as a monitor?
Click to expand...

It depends.

For playing games, browsing the web, windows media center, watching movies, etc. sure, it basically acts like a large cheaper monitor (broadcast is limited in its colour range from approximately 16-235, unlike the 0-255 scale we get in full 8Bit RGB, so TVs are designed for this range and never display pure black or white).

For colour accuracy for photographic editing, even calibrated they'll never come close to IPS or better monitors designed specifically for this kind of work.
 
If you do get one, go for a full HD version where you can disable overscan (blowing up the picture so that the edges get hidden) to get 1:1 pixel mapping in 1920x1080. Even then, don't use the VGA port on the TV but a DVI->HDMI converter bit (it's a cheap adapter, no electronics).

You should also note that TV colorspaces are different from computer color space, so while it's based on the same tech as a monitor, it's image processing is set up and the colors calibrated totally differently. Not necessarily a showstopper but you need to be aware of it.
 
I use a 32" Bravia and a 42" LG on a couple of my PCs for video editing and watching movies on. For that they're great.
 
scottthehat said:
my 1080p 22" tv im using now looks no different to any pc monitor i have had before(calibrated)
would i change it, no.
Click to expand...

Wow, you can get 1080p 22" TVs now? 0.o Doesn't surprise me that a TV that small with that high a resolution would look the same as a PC monitor, the exact same LCD panel is probably being used in PC monitors! Still I'm really not a fan of 16:9 as an aspect ratio for monitors, I must admit. It's just a shame that the rare few 16:10 monitors these days are so expensive =/
 
Boopop said:
I'd say as a general rule, not really. TVs that can do up to 1080i will probably have a max PC resolution of about 1368x768, and 1080P TVs will have a max resolution of 1920x1080. 1920x1200 is fine for a 24" monitor for example, but considering you're only likely to find 1080p HDTVs which are at least 32" big it's not that great.

Also there are two more caveats. For a start, HDTVs are designed to be viewed from a distance. If you view one from up close as if it were a monitor, the pixel density's so low the image just won't look right. Think of it like standing right in front of one of those big LED screens you get in city centers or concerts. Secondly the 16:9 aspect ratio was not designed for computers. This is despite the fact that monitor manufacturers have recently made more 16:9 than 16:10 monitors to cut costs, bleh.

Besides all that, if you just want a second monitor to plug a laptop in for a presentation for example, they're great, but so far as using one on a day to day basis is concerned, don't bother. Either buy a TV, or a monitor, or both, but don't buy a TV that's supposedly also a monitor, because chances are it's not a very good one.

EDIT: A a small note, buying a monitor that also has a HDMI input is a different matter. Of course they won't have a freeview tuner built in, and you'll need to plug the freeview/sky/freesat tuner into separate speakers, but if you do it this way round you'll get a good monitor and an above average TV, assuming you make sure the viewing angles are good.
Click to expand...

Just to balance this a bit ..

I have just bought a Samsung 23 inch "monitor" for the bedroom that has freview tuner built in (and speakers). It has two HDMI inputs and composite and is 1080p. At £200 it is a good option if you need to cover both basis with one monitor.
Bought from Amazon, it is sold as a monitor with freview rather than a TV
 
I'm using a 32" Sony Bravia 1080P 1920x1080, looks just fine to me.
 
neil_g said:
what he said.

look at a photo on a calibrated IPS and then on a calibrated TV. my money would be youll see a significant difference.
Click to expand...

Deffo, but if trying to make a litle bit of money go a long way ...
 
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