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HDTV thread! Moved out on my own, I need a TV!
Dak
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I just recently moved out on my own so right now I don't have a TV. I went downtown today and saw a bunch I really, really liked, that were within my price range.
What I want to do is is be able to hook up the HDTV to my computer and use it as a monitor, and just use my DVD drive as my DVD player. I'm looking at DLP HDTVs because they are much, much more affordable and the difference in size isn't THAT important. What is the consensus on DLP HDTVs?
Would I even be able to use a DLP as a monitor, or is an LCD better suited for that?
What do I have to get for my computer in order to use an HDTV as a monitor? I keep hearing about HDMI - how would I get that for my PC?
What would the resolution for a 1080i be? Thanks so much for your help in making my pad a chill place to hang!!!
EDIT:
So I went to buy
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/televisions/flat-panels/westinghouse-lvm-42w2
and the dude said some crap about I should buy a Monster surge protector/powerbar, because the picture will be fuzzyish without it because of electrical blah blah blah blah. Most of it I assume is bullshit - the part about how spending $160 on a powerbar is justified, anyway.
What I want to know is, does the power bar/surge protector actually do anything noticeable for the picture quality, and is it necessary to protect my TV with one?
If so, I cna totally get a cheaper one somewhere other than Best Buy, right?
What I want to do is is be able to hook up the HDTV to my computer and use it as a monitor, and just use my DVD drive as my DVD player. I'm looking at DLP HDTVs because they are much, much more affordable and the difference in size isn't THAT important. What is the consensus on DLP HDTVs?
Would I even be able to use a DLP as a monitor, or is an LCD better suited for that?
What do I have to get for my computer in order to use an HDTV as a monitor? I keep hearing about HDMI - how would I get that for my PC?
What would the resolution for a 1080i be? Thanks so much for your help in making my pad a chill place to hang!!!
EDIT:
So I went to buy
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/televisions/flat-panels/westinghouse-lvm-42w2
and the dude said some crap about I should buy a Monster surge protector/powerbar, because the picture will be fuzzyish without it because of electrical blah blah blah blah. Most of it I assume is bullshit - the part about how spending $160 on a powerbar is justified, anyway.
What I want to know is, does the power bar/surge protector actually do anything noticeable for the picture quality, and is it necessary to protect my TV with one?
If so, I cna totally get a cheaper one somewhere other than Best Buy, right?
Dak on
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As for what you need on the computer end of things...well, you just need a video card that can handle the resolution you want, and has a DVI or HDMI out. Many models of TVs have DVI-in, although mine doesn't. I have dual HDMI-in, and use a DVI-to-HDMI converter.
Oh, and 1080i resolution is 1920 x 1080, with a 30 Hertz, interlaced refresh.
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DLPs are great. I honestly have seen very few LCDs that don't look like ass... the ones that do are rather expensive. I don't see why you couldn't use a DLP as a monitor, but it depends on the inputs on the TV itself. If your PC has a DVI output, great... this will get you to the TV's HDMI input. If your PC has an HDMI out, or the TV has a DVI in, so much the better.
1080 resolution ends up at 1920x1080. 720 gives you 1280x720. I really can't see a difference between 720 and 1080 until I see TVs over 50"... YMMV.
Take whatever system you have, wether it be a 360, PS3, or whatever, and bring it to the shop you intend to buy from. PCs are tougher, depending on how you set it up (I have no idea how much modification you will need when changing TVs). If they don't allow you to hook up to their TV, walk out immediately. You need to see what your shit looks like, not their DVD of sunrises and fish.
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Napareon, what's it like having such a large large monitor? I'm looking at a 46" model myself, and I was wondering if I'd have any problems with my eyes hurting because of the huge screen or something? How far away do you sit from it?
Also, is there any quality loss using a DVI->HDMI converter? Should I invest in a video card that has an HDMI output?
I'm using a Westinghouse 37" LCD and I absolutely love it. I was initially going to go for a separate 42" Plasma but decided on a LCD to dual up as a monitor, too. Honestly, I think it's one of the best decisions i've ever made. It's so incredible being able to have the extra screen space, and the size IS intimidating, but not overwhelming. Once you set it up, you'll keep saying "this is so awesome", heh. Running at 1080p is fantastic. The text is super crisp.
As far as distance is concerned, i'm currently sitting about 3.5' feet from my monitor. I have it on a TV stand in my room, and just pull up a rolling desk from wal-mart that has my keyboard/mouse on it when I'm going to use the PC (which is more often than i play/watch TV, honestly). Any closer than that and I'd have to turn my head a bit to go from the ends of the screen. At 46", i imagine 4' would be the minimum you'd want to be sitting.
Another thing to note is if the LCD you're going to buy will have an integrated tuner. If not, you won't be able to watch regular TV on it without buy a separate tuner, or buying a tuner card and sticking it in your PC. Mine didn't come with a tuner, but i'm setting up a HTPC so it worked out fine that way.
Here's a shot of it set up. The monitor you see in the background is a 19" LCD. That'll help you get a reference for the size of it. The desk in the edge is what i pull up to use the PC.
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/t...house-lvm-42w2
and the dude said some crap about I should buy a Monster surge protector/powerbar, because the picture will be fuzzyish without it because of electrical blah blah blah blah. Most of it I assume is bullshit - the part about how spending $160 on a powerbar is justified, anyway.
What I want to know is, does the power bar/surge protector actually do anything noticeable for the picture quality, and is it necessary to protect my TV with one?
If so, I can totally get a cheaper one somewhere other than Best Buy, right?
I'd go for an APC one for around $25+. Any one that's rated for home electronics should be fine.
It's actually more how the cables are organized; you could get interference if all your power plugs are twist-tied to your video cables, for example. Best bet is to seperate the power from the video/audio, and just keep them organized.
Monster products will not change anything... seriously. You can get better cables for cheaper online. The mark up is rediculous as are their business practices. I literally bought into some of their S-Video cables a long time ago thinking I want the best quality. I had about 6 S-Video cords running into my receiver at one point. BOTH monster cables actually needed resoldering after 2 years (frequent plugging and unplugging).
Now, I've got an interesting problem - the place I just moved into has these weird European wall plugs, so my land lord gave me a power bar that plugs into the wall socket, but has North American plugs lined up on it.
How does that affect my situation? Basically, if I plugged a surge protector pwoerbar into an extension cord, then plugged THAT into the wall, does it still have the same effect?