LCD TV's as computer monitors?

[jeffro11]

Just curious, what is your budget? You can get a nice Acer 24" monitor for just under $200. That supports 1080p and can take HDMI/DVI/VGA in. Would be the best solution for everything.

[noiseredux]

Just curious, what is your budget? You can get a nice Acer 24" monitor for just under $200. That supports 1080p and can take HDMI/DVI/VGA in. Would be the best solution for everything.

really??

My budget is oh -- just under $200.

HOWEVER a hook is that I'd like whatever I buy to be available through Best Buy, as I have some gift cards from my bday that I'd like to use toward this.

ALSO, my monitor now has a DVI input, can I cheaply/easily plug say my PS3 into the DVI port? Is DVI as good as HDMI?

[wootcube]

I think I've seen small TV's hooked up to laptops in Best Buy before...

You could always ask them to hook up a floor model laptop to one of the TVs in the store. I don't know if they would do it, but the people selling the TVs get a commission so I don't see why they wouldn't unless its not allowed.

Computer stuff looks okay on a TV, as long as you aren't doing any serious reading. Any photo editing (or editing any kind of picture for that matter) is crap though because the colors are way off.

[irixith]

ALSO, my monitor now has a DVI input, can I cheaply/easily plug say my PS3 into the DVI port? Is DVI as good as HDMI?

Yes you can, I play my PS3 using the DVI port on a monitor. You need an HDMI to DVI adapter (I had one that came with my video card, but HDMI to DVI are cheap cheap). Plug the HDMI end into your PS3, and then use a DVI cable as normal.

You will of course need some way to process the audio. I use the PS3 soundbar connected via Optical.

As for my input to your original question, get a monitor with multiple inputs. The monitor I'm using right now has composite/s-video/component/d-sub (vga)/dvi/hdmi. It also has a decent panel, not the cheap TN shit that passes for "ok" in the low end of the monitor market. Trying to read text when using a television as your monitor is a no go. You will have a wide range of problems, running from blurry text to jaggies to poor colour reproduction to a very limited range of resolutions. It's much better to go the monitor with multiple inputs route than it is to go with a TV if you will using it with a computer.

[noiseredux]

All of these are available at the BB near me... Thoughts on these anyone:

Gateway 23" HD LED - has VGA, DVI, HDMI - $180
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+2 ... Id=1757344

Dell 21.5 LED - has VGA, DVI, HDMI - $180
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+21.5 ... Id=1375073

Acer 23" LCD - has VGA, DVI, HDMI - $190
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+23%2 ... Id=9183224

LG 21.5" LED - has VGA, DVI, HDMI - $190
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/LG+-+21.5%2 ... Id=2074657

[noiseredux]

Yes you can, I play my PS3 using the DVI port on a monitor. You need an HDMI to DVI adapter (I had one that came with my video card, but HDMI to DVI are cheap cheap). Plug the HDMI end into your PS3, and then use a DVI cable as normal.

how does that look? Does HDMI to DVI look as good as HDMI straight-up?

[fastbilly1]

DVI-I and DVI-D have no signal loss when converted to HDMI, and vice versa. DVI-A is not compatible.

[noiseredux]

DVI-I... DVI-D ...DVI-A

now you've lost me.

[Ziggy]

If you want an HDTV to double as your computer monitor, my vote would be against that. I've had my HDTV hooked up to my PC for years now (I mainly use it for Netflix streaming and stuff like that). Any time I put a browser on the TV, the text is noticeably blurry compared to my computer monitor. I couldn't imagine using the TV as a PC monitor for this reason. As Jeff pointed out, you could get a big ass computer monitor instead. That's what I would suggest, if this is what you want to do.

[noiseredux]

If you want an HDTV to double as your computer monitor, my vote would be against that. I've had my HDTV hooked up to my PC for years now (I mainly use it for Netflix streaming and stuff like that). Any time I put a browser on the TV, the text is noticeably blurry compared to my computer monitor. I couldn't imagine using the TV as a PC monitor for this reason. As Jeff pointed out, you could get a big ass computer monitor instead. That's what I would suggest, if this is what you want to do.

Zig, I linked 4 different monitors that also have HDMI input above... any thoughts on any of those?