Use monitor as my HDTV?

[imported_deathblow]

I dont have an HDTV yet but i have been looking into them. I was thinking that the LCD monitors now are not much different from HDTVs and the LCD monitors seem to be cheaper when comparing sizes with HDTVs. My initial thinking is that I would get an LCD monitor that had a resolution of 1920 x 1080. I want it to have atleast one of Analog RGB, Digital Connectors, D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI.

My thought is that i could connect my computer to it and also my directv and Wii. does this sound like a good plan? I am sure i am missing some details but as I said I am looking into it.
Newegg had the ASUS VK246H for 270$ and its 24inches. Even a low end 22inch 720P hdtv is 280$ (roughly).
It just seems that monitor technology is as good as HDTV's and they are cheaper.

 

[s44]

It's fine if you can deal with the TN panel... Also, the cheaper ones don't have component connectors for your Wii.

 

[BassBomb]

LCD Monitors will typically not handle RCA/COMPONENT very well (ie your wii) but will do fine for things like HDMI/DVI/VGA to some extent depending on the quality of the panel.

You may notice artifacts that may not be present on a regular TV but for the most part it will work but the TN's will suck

I use my IPS Monitor (20" 1680x1050) @ 720p for my PS3 via component cables and it works and looks alright

 

[Eug]

Huh? LCD monitors are cheaper? Try finding a low priced 30+" monitor. OTOH, 32" TVs are uber cheap these days... as long as you don't mind 720p or 768p. For a TV that small, that's perfectly fine.

Not all monitors support HDCP either, but most do nowadays.

And finally, where are you going to find a 1920x1080 computer monitor? Most of them in that range are actually 1920x1200.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Eug
Huh? LCD monitors are cheaper? Try finding a low priced 30+" monitor. OTOH, 32" TVs are uber cheap these days... as long as you don't mind 720p or 768p. For a TV that small, that's perfectly fine.

Not all monitors support HDCP either, but most do nowadays.

And finally, where are you going to find a 1920x1080 computer monitor? Most of them in that range are actually 1920x1200.

There actually are a few 1920x1080 PC monitors, but they're not really TV sized.

I do think the OP is a bit confused, TV resolution has always been inferior to PC displays, it's only in very recent years that it's even close. And for the enthusiast it's still not THAT close (2560x1600). It sounds like a 1080P LCD TV is what he really needs.

Viper GTS

 

[imported_deathblow]

To start off with, I am confused. People keep telling me to get a 720p HDTV. I have not liked the pictures of any HDTV I have seen so far. the picture looks modeled and just isnt good at all. But besides that, to get a 1080p HDTV would cost me atleast $700.00 at BB.
Their lowest priced 1080p HDTV today is $700 LG 32 inch 1080p

Costco has one for $450 by Sceptre but I have never heard of them. sceptre 32 inch 1080p

Neweggs lowest priced one is also the Sceptre for $600 sceptre 32 inch 1080p


Now i cant spend $600 on a TV. Plus i have a feeling that the lowest price one will probably not give me all the inputs i need. The monitor I quoted in my original post was $280 (Link to Asus 24 inch. Newegg has one today that is $320. ACER 24 inch 1080p monitor

So my original point was will a monitor work for HDTV? I know i could go get a cheap HDTV and plug it in but is the cheapest hdtv as good as a very good monitor i could get?
thanks for the replies.

 

[Eug]

Well, you'll still need a component input for your Wii, as others have mentioned. Most LCD monitors for PCs don't have that. Neither the Asus 24" nor the Acer 24" you linked have that.

And 24" is quite small these days for a TV, but it depends on how close you sit. One thing to note is that with a 1080p TV, if you try to read computer text on it, it's very difficult to read unless you're sitting very close (or change all the font sizes). From normal living room television viewing distances, it's much easier to read computer text on a 720p or 768p LCD TV (assuming that TV has proper 1:1 pixel mapping).

For a computer monitor, I'd much rather have a 24" 1080p than a 32" 768p unit. However, for a TV, I'd generally would much rather have a 32" 768p unit than a 24" 1080p unit.

BTW, at home, I have two 24" LCD monitors for my Mac, and I have a 42" 768p TV for my living room. I sit 3' away from my Mac, and I sit 10' away from my TV.

 

[Cheeseplug]

I have a 20" samsung syncmaster monitor, and for my really cramped apartment it works great for OTA HDTV broadcasts, and the occasional high definition movie. Will get a bigger screen when I have more space available.

I am going to sound like such a spokesman for samsung, but the syncmaster monitor series are nice because they are really easy to rotate and turn, so you don't have to worry as much with the viewing angle as you would if it were more fixed.