t.v. as monitor

Shart4legged,

The LCD TV:

Customer Rating 4.8 out of 5

Vizio VIZIO Gallevia 42" GV42LF 1080p LCD HDTV Usually Ships Within 24 Hours Manufacturer Part# GV42LFHDTV10A Dell Part# A1322183 Diagonal Size: 42" - widescreen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 HDTV Ready: Yes Starting Price $1,299.00 Instant Savings $300.00 Subtotal $999.00 As low as $30/month*1 Apply | Learn More

The 24" Monitor:

Dell S2409W 24-INCH Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor (Y183D)

24" Display - LCD Widescreen - Max. Res.1920 x 1080 - Media slots Prepare to be blown away by the stunning clarity and realism of the Dell S2409W 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel High-Definition LCD Monitor that is designed to bring you a whole new level of digital entertainment. This sleek more ... Part #: Y183D Sellers Found: 2 Available Since: Jul 29, 2008
Lowest Price: $349.0

Alert

I don't understand why you want to use a $1000 LCD TV rather than a $350 LCD monitor. You say that price is an issue and that you want to favor the TV. Is there something you haven't told us? Mike

Mike ,

No there is nothing I haven't told the members, however I can purchase a SONY 40' LCD T.V. locally for less than $800.00 usd (I have been warned off of the VIZIO brand) I am curious about others' experience with LCD TV versus LCD monitors. is a monitors' resolution significantly better than a television or are they comparable? I know I can compare DPI etc. from the data sheets, I was just looking for information from those who have been there and done that. DELL (not the cat) does have the least expensive 22" and 24" monitors, however if my expediences with their computers is a reflection of what would happen with their monitors I will pass thank-you!

I only gave those brands as examples. I wanted to answer as quickly as possible, so I got the first lower-priced of each that I came to. Believe me, with the trouble my son has had with his Dell, I would think twice about buying Dell.

The LCD HDTVs have comparable resolution to monitors (they both have the same max resolution - 1920 x 1080), but the pixel pitch of the HDTV is greater. For the TV I listed, the pixel pitch is 0.485 mm and for the Monitor it is 0.276 mm.

You will be able to get all of the stuff on the TV you can with the monitor, but the TV will be "grainier" if viewed from the same distance.

Mike

Mikerho's correct. A 40" LCD TV is much more expensive than a 22 or 24" LCD monitor. That part of your question is not clear.

I don't have an LCD TV (can't afford them) but I've seen a SONY Bravia at the factory that's being used as a computer monitor. We use it to present the previous day's performance to the management staff. So, if the question is, "can it be used?", the answer is a definite, yes. I don't know how it was done but I have seen adapters that convert the video output of the computer into TV-compatible signals. Just go to your neighborhood computer stores and ask for it.

Most HDTV that are for sale now will work for a monitor there are DVI to HDMI cables. HDMI is DVI and AUDIO connections in one the one connector anyway.

My old LCD TV has a VGA and a DVI connection was made before HDMI came out.

Plasma TV will even be better if you want dual use.

That is really just a plug it in and see how you like it question. No need for advise really. Be sure to adjust your second screen setting to be compatible with the TV.

You shouldn't have any problems. I have done same with XP Pro Media Centre. I watch video on TV screen but still listen to audio on PC speakers. Also have a Vista laptop with media centre. Again can use TV as monitor but also use an audio cable from laptop to TV to overcome obvious crap laptop speakers. This works amazingly well!!

Unless the LCD unit has dvi or vga input, don't bother. The converter necessary to get the resolution wanted will either be pricey or not to satisfaction for the type of resolution you want for the aforementioned activity (Solidworks 3d modeling program).

What you would ideally want would be a television/monitor with the capability of using dvi/vga input to produce a resolution of 2048x1536 on the largest screen you can find, that will work natively at that res (resolution).

This would be a 4:3 ratio, not wide screen setting. Look at your video settings to find out what the highest 16:9 resolution that your video card will produce. Use this number to find the resolution in a TV model as they are mostly 16:9 or wide-screen at this time.

Most LCD TV's have multiple input jacks; some are labeled PC but the most common input is S-video (and you have to have a separate paired left/right speaker input jack for sound.). Best bet is to install a good graphics accelerator to your PC which will not slow your PC while outputting to your TV (get the highest end graphics card your PC can run.). This is true for all versions of PC operating systems to TV output. Having said that not all graphics cards have multiple output options, either. Pay attention and braille your selection to see, (with your eyeballs, look) that the graphics card can output something your TV can accept before buying a graphic card that is likewise compatible with your PC.

Don't bother to do this upgrade if the TV pixel count is low (750 DPI or lower) on your LCD TV and you want to move text to open windows on the TV out of sight from your PC's Monitor and over to the TV - the fuzzy text look will blind you if you try to read that stuff, but pictures look great. Using an open Windows document to transfer objects to and fro is okay, but don't leave them over on the TV before closing them 'Cause you'll never find them again, by fishing with your cursor off screen, if your TV is off or the graphics card goes south. The best use of a TV as monitor is as a slide show, side show while working on the PC's primary monitor, in my opinion. I often have my spouse on my shoulder when working on a family heritage picture project and this is her favorite way to watch slides or youTube, etc. leaving me to work in peace except to change folders for another slide show.

The tough part is fiddling the TV input menu such that it recognizes the input. Some TV's won't accept more than three sources of input, e.g., Cable, Air, Game Console HDMI, AV1, AV2, S-Video Multi-AV, DVD and PC, etc. as sources, albeit their setup menus show these much larger selection choices; in truth their programmable eprom's are just not robust enough for all those source choices at the same time for low-end and middle price brands; though their manuals and setup guides don't mention these limitations if they have them and you'll only find out by trial and error. Buyer beware is the motto, for good cause. Hope this opinion based on experience is of help.

I have had a Vizio 37" for over a year. It is every bit as good as any of the LCD flat panels I have. It has a vga port on it so even with my older nvidia card it works just great.

I run MSI and Asus motherboards with AMD 64 X2 and nvidia graphics. I have used it on several of my computers including SLI graphics with absolutely no problems. (I retired from computer business 2 plus years ago and my machines are about that old)

I run the resolution at 1366 X 768 which is what Visio recommends and it looks good.

I would suggest, if you live near a Costco or something similar, that you get one and try it out. If you don't like it, take it back. They don't mind.

I think you'll be absolutely amazed at the quality.

Oh, and one other thing. I did buy mine from Costco because they offer a 2 year warranty at no extra charge while most others offered only a one year warranty. I have no loyalty to any of the big guys and I buy based upon price and warranty if I have to buy from one of them, which I try not to do.

Good luck,

Randy

TV will be larger in size but won't give you more pixel. Most TV are up to 1920x1080 even if its 50". Any 20" monitor will give you that many pixels. Number of pixels is what give you more details and working area. A real 30" monitor will cost you an arm and a leg.