Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TV and monitor

Computer monitor as TV, and vice-versa?

st starseed — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:55:56 -0800

Computer monitor as TV, and vice-versa? My wife and I are now in the market for a new computer monitor that works quite nicely as a television. The idea is to put it in the den/man cave/playroom and utilize it as:

1. The full-time computer monitor for internet browsing, document creation, photo editing, video editing, and motion graphics...

and

2. A video display so we can sit about 6-8 feet back and watch movies or television.

1080p, 1920x1080, and an HDMI input (to run from the video card to the display) are my requirements; I'm not locked into any particular size, although I certainly don't want to go so big that I can't sit a few feet away and do some writing or webbrowsing.

Other notes: We already have a nice 42" LCD in the living room...Please don't mention the projector idea...I am not loyal to any particular brand, but I'd rather spend a few more dollars to get something better than try to hoard a few dollars and get something lame...the budget in my head is anywhere from $200-$400.

Has anyone had any luck finding something that works well for them?

Select a TV for our conference room

namith — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:04:16 -0800

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.

Apparently Daewoo makes TVs. Where can I find parts for one?

twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:45:24 -0800

Where can I get a display stand for a Daewoo DP-42SM plasma monitor? Asking for someone else:

I'm looking for either a service center or a place where I can order a display stand (not wall-mount) for a Daewoo SP-42SM plasma monitor. Can anyone offer any advice? Their service centers don't seem to be that well represented online in the US.

Thanks in advance.

How do you hook up a TV to use as the monitor for a macbook?? I'm having some problems..

0217174 — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:43:03 -0800

How do you hook up a TV to use as the monitor for a macbook?? I'm having some problems.. I want to use my TV as the main screen for my macbook, and have everything plugged into a receiver.

The TV is a Sony Bravia, 40". Macbook is I think from 2004. I have the miniDVI-to-video adapter and a s-video cable. The audio goes out from headphone jack to rca and that works fine.

But the s-video to the receiver, no video shows up. I think it might be that it can't convert it to those component outs. Is that what it is??

Anyone know details on getting this to work? The more geeky the better.. if it helps, heres an image of the back of my receiver:
Denon AVR-2803

*If I plug the s-vid directly from mac to the TV, it does show up.

*While I'm at it, I also want to know how to get it to fill the entire screen. There's about 2 inches of black space around it. I played around with resolution settings but the bars stay there.

Thanks!

Do all TVs make crappy monitors?

muscat — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:25:56 -0800

Dual use TV and second macbook monitor (with as little compromise as possible on both uses)? I have a small room that I want to double as a guest bedroom and a home office. I'd like to have a flat panel in there that I can use as an external monitor for my macbook that guests can also watch TV on.

I know TV pixels and computer pixels are much different, and I currently can hook the MB up to the living room plasma via HDMI, with expectedly crappy results.

Are there any products out there for just this purpose? Or can I buy something relatively simple that will run TV on an LCD monitor?

Cheap computer to run Spore?

raygan — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:23:12 -0800

What's the cheapest reliable computer I can buy that will play Spore? Challenge: I want to use my 32" HDTV (with VGA) as a monitor. My girlfriend bought Spore and we were both excited to play it, but it won't play on either of our laptops. (She has a newish HP of some kind running Vista and I have a MacBook) Neither of us has a desktop right now. I'm looking for an inexpensive desktop that would be capable of running the game, but it's been a long time since I've bought any computer that wasn't a Mac and I would like some recommendations. Budget is the main controlling factor. CHEAPER THE BETTER! I don't need the game to look great, I just want it to run.
I don't have a spare monitor, but my 32", 720p HDTV has a VGA input and I'm hoping to use that. Would the game be playable on such a monitor? How about routine web-browsing and so on?
My plan has been to get something that could sit under my TV and occasionally double as a video-player and second computer, so quiet would be nice.
Links to Newegg or similar appreciated.
Thanks!

Is there a dpreview-like site for LCD monitors/TVs?

odinsdream — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:42:16 -0800

Is there a dpreview-like site for LCD televisions and monitors? Alternatively, suggest a good LCD television or monitor. I do not have cable. I currently use a standard CRT television with coaxial input hooked up to a DVD player, a computer, and a VCR. All of those get routed through a receiver whose output is then sent through a modulator before going to the TV.

I'd like to replace this with an LCD monitor or an LCD television. I'm leaning more towards a "computer" monitor since I don't need speakers and would be mostly viewing things sent from the computer. Getting an actual television would give me the tuner input, which would be nice, but here's where I have some questions.

Almost every LCD television I've seen in person has horrible picture quality. I'm not sure why - but it looks like there are severe differences in software or hardware that does the scaling and rendering in the TV when showing something from the tuner input.

What I can find online only goes as far as telling me which inputs a product has and other technical specifications. Most sites don't have anything about picture quality. Is there a site like dpreview for LCD monitors that would help me pick the correct model by providing actual metrics related to picture quality?

Also, should I look into getting something with a digital tuner in preparation for the nationwide move away from analog broadcast signals?

Decent TV-to-LCD boxes?

onshi — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:25:42 -0800

Are those inexpensive, make-yer-LCD-a-TV boxes decent? Along the lines of this AskMeFi question, I'm looking for a way to pipe Wii through my 19" Widescreen LCD.

I'd ruled out external TV (and s-video, and component, etc.) to LCD boxes as most ran upwards of $200 CDN and none would drive my monitor @ its native 1440 x 900. Enter the Kworld TV 1440 [see Tigerdirect for $50 after rebate, and Newegg].

As a class, are these things any good? Has anyone tried this particular model, or others by Kworld?

LCD TV vs LCD Monitor

Mave_80 — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:16:22 -0800

Looking to get either an LCD TV or LCD Monitor as a new primary monitor for my computer. Given that I'm not that interested in watching TV on it nor having an ultra high resolution (say 1900 x 1200) which makes more sense to buy? I know a common resolution for TVs is 1366 x768 and I feel like I should be OK with that. Am planning on looking at it as I would a common monitor - probably about 2 foot away when I'm at my desk, but I may choose later to look it from the couch - maybe 5 foot away. As such, I was thinking something around 24" - 26".

Should I go and get a TV with a decent contrast ratio, HDMI etc (maybe HDCP but not that bothered about that honestly) or go and buy a 24" dell monitor (other recommendations welcome)? Remember, not that interested in watching TV on it, although I will be using the PC for gaming and as a media center. Ideally I'd like to be about the $500 range which is why I'm not pulling the trigger on a 24" monitor, but if $700 is what it takes so be it. Just trying to get the most bang for my buck...

Can I view CC information on my monitor?

jlub — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:03:28 -0800

Can I view the closed caption information on my plasma monitor which is hooked up to my dish network receiver? I have a Panasonic plasma monitor that I use for my TV. I bought a monitor instead of a TV because I didn't need an intergrated tuner or speakers. The one feature it doesn't have that I would like is to be able to view the closed caption information. I have a dish network 501 receiver, hooked up through s-video. None of this is HD.

Is there any good solution for this?

I'm buying a new TV: Explain to me the mumbojumbo!

GilloD — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 07:08:49 -0800

HDM-Wha?! 1080i-who? I'm buying a new TV for the first time EVER and I'm in over my head. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108028

I posted the above to an Off-Topic videogaming forum looking to slicit some advice on a new TV. While I got some great suggestions, I also got a lot of technical mumbojumbo that makes me feel way in over my head. So, I implore you, MeFi, HELP! What's all this HDMI 1080i whatever business? I'm usually pretty tech savy, but I just haven't been in the market for a TV or a monitor in, oh, ever, actually. My TV now is a little 12 incher that does the job fine, but I was looking to get an XBox360 and, well, what's the point with a set that small?

In addition, any recommendations or advice to a new buyer are well appreciated. Thanks!

I'll be your mirror... or not.

insomnia_lj — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:35:00 -0800

I've got a Windows Media Center edition PC hooked up to my television using an S-video cable so that I can play DIVX files, and I'm getting my wallpaper showing up on the television... and nothing else. The main monitor still shows all my apps, however. What gives?! It seems to be treating the television as a second monitor, rather than mirroring exactly what's on my PC desktop, and I don't have any obvious way of either changing this, or of running and controlling my video playing software on this second display. Any advice?! I'm using a ATI Radeon X800 to do this, btw.

Why do my PC and TV images simultaneously wobble?

ArmyOfKittens — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 04:48:01 -0800

Strange picture wobble: we have a PC monitor and a television in the same room, and sometimes their pictures wobble in unison. [more inside] The wobble is not severe but it is noticeable: it is as if every other frame is slightly horizonally displaced. It is most pronounced in the bottom-right corner of each screen, where the degree of wobble can be up to a millimetre on the television. There is a greater degree of wobble when the television is running at 60hz (NTSC) than at 50hz (PAL). The wobble seems more severe on the monitor, which usually runs at 75hz. The television and the monitor are about 2 metres apart. They always wobble together, and the wobble usually persists for about 5 minutes.

I’m convinced it’s something atmospheric, and have been confidently using the wobble to predict impending storms. These storms usually fail to materialise, and my Google skills have failed me, so I have turned to Metafilter to ask: Why do our screens wobble? We live in North-West England, and on the fifth floor, if that helps.