Select a TV for our conference room

September 17, 2009 6:04 AM

Help me select a TV (to be used as a computer monitor) for our conference room. We've got a small conference room at the office. I'm considering buying a used LCD (or plasma?) TV to use as a computer monitor for meetings. I need a little guidance in choosing the right specs.

Size: We don't have too much wall space, so I'm thinking a 36" class would work. We will be sitting no more than 6 to 8 feet from the screen.

Input: The TV will likely hook up to an older 2GHz Intel MacBook. I assume most TV made within the past 3 or 4 years have standard inputs for computers (VGA and/or DVI). Should I be looking for something specific in terms of inputs?

Resolution: My biggest unknown is using the TV as a computer monitor. We are generally going to be looking at web stuff using a browser. I obviously want clear text and images. I don't know anything about how TV resolution compares to computer resolution. Most of the websites we'll be visiting are designed to be about 950 pixels wide, I guess to fit properly in 1024px monitor resolutions. For the TV, I want the browser window to roughly fit the screen -- not a very small window and likewise nothing that requires horizontal scrolling. So I guess the questions is, what resolution should I be looking for in selecting a model?

Refresh rate: I assume this is not too important in my case. I understand refresh rate to be important for sports (i.e. rapid changing graphics). We won't be doing any gaming in the conference room.

Type: Plasma vs. LCD?

Brand: Once I figure out what I need, I'll be scouring Craiglist for something that fits the specs you recommend. I know there are 'throw away' brands such as Vizio and Polaroid. In visiting people's homes, I see Sony Bravia and Samsung. Any input on brands would be helpful as well. Honestly I don't expect to use this for a 'lifetime.' I'm just trying to get a few years of reliable service. Keep in mind, that it won't get the usage that a typical TV gets. Maybe a few hours a week at most.

Anything else?

Thanks for your input and guidance. Any details that can help me make a decision are much appreciated.

posted by namith to technology (5 comments total)

Input: Many TVs will have a VGA input, some will have DVI, but at this point most should at least have HDMI, which is DVI plus the capability for sound. If you get a TV with HDMI, but not specific ports for the other two, as long as your laptop does DVI, you can get an inexpensive DVI to HDMI converter that will do the trick.

Resolution: LCD TVs are a specific resolution, based on the physical LCD panel. Any signal recieved in a different resolution will be converted to an approximatio in the TVs native resolution. That said, 720p is between 1300 and 1400 pixels wide and should be good enough. 1080p is higher-res, but you may find yourself increasing text size at that resolution, which can make things look funky in some cases.

Type: Recent plasmas have better technology to prevent burn-in, but why take the chance? LCDs tend to be a little cheaper and less risk.

Brand: If it's not going to have much use/abuse, I say it's not AS important. Anecdotally, I have a 37" ViewSonic LCD HDTV that sees regular use and has treated us exceedingly well.

Anything else?

Sounds like you've thought about most of the important aspects, and already have most of the "right" answers. I think you'll be fine with whatever you settle on. If you do purchase from Craigslist, test as thoroughly as possible before paying/taking the TV.
posted by owtytrof at 7:19 AM on September 17

i have had good "prosumer" and professional experience with vizio displays. for your needs you would hard pressed to find a better display or price then this (conveniently at wal-mart). plus they sell universal wall-mount brackets for vesa standard mounting. its native resolution is 1920x1080 and it has a VGA input. if you have a DVI output on your laptop then a simple DVI-HDMI cable (available anywhere) will allow that hook-up as well.

Walmart link

http://www.walmart.com/Vizio-37-LCD-TV/ip/10993795

more generally, LCD will be lighter and less expensive and generally much sharper for computer graphics than a plasma. (i prefer plasmas for TV only viewing but for your computer heavy mixed use stick with LCD.)

good luck.

-c
posted by chasles at 7:28 AM on September 17

You will be fine with a 32" screen. 720p is ok too. Check meritline for a good cheap dvi-hdmi 25' cable. meritline has very cheap screen mounts. You'll also need a "y" cable rca-3.5mm headphone jack. You'll need wireless mouse and keyboard too.
posted by bravowhiskey at 7:56 AM on September 17

How big is your conference room? What's your viewing distance?

In my experience, projectors are much cheaper and can provide a much larger image. You have to be sitting fairly close to a panel to be able to use it as a monitor.

Check out this page. It's about HD resolutions and viewing distance, but I think it will be relevant to you as well. http://carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/
posted by reddot at 8:15 AM on September 17

If you're going to be using it as a monitor, ie displaying text/presentations, 36" is way too small for 6-8 feet away. I would go with 50" or larger.

I would find a professional grade plasma over a consumer model, I use them at work for all our conference rooms.
posted by wongcorgi at 5:05 PM on September 17