Which is better for me a Monitor or TV?

[mikehende]

Hey guys, I am really lost on this issue and would appreciate anyone's advice/opinion please? I use my laptop to play music, watch pics in slide shows, watch youtube videos plus videos from my Hard drive in my entertainment room, I need a bigger screen and have a choice between a 26" Flat TV and a 32" monitor, which would be the better option for me overall to view images or pics and videos when connected to my laptop which has an SVGA out and not an HDMI?

[usually_quiet]

Either a monitor or a TV with a VGA port will generally work for connecting a laptop via VGA, assuming there is a VGA connection. (Some flat screen TVs and some monitors no longer include a VGA port.)

A TV will have its own speakers, a tuner and possibly analog video connections like composite or component that you could use with a VCR, older DVD player, or a game system. A TV can also do a better job scaling video from HDMI when the resolution does not match the TV's native resolution. Monitors are usually very poor at scaling video, because the video card is usually responsible for that, and a monitor might include speakers, but won't have the additional analog connections that a TV has. If you don't have a use for the things TVs have but monitors don't have, get a monitor. Monitors usually cost less compared to a TV of the same size.

[mikehende]

Think I will go with the monitor since I never have use for a TV and not using HDMI, thank you very much for helping me decide!

[davideck]

A word of caution regarding HDTVs with VGA ports. There are some that will only support standard VGA resolutions (VGA 640x480, SVGA 800x600, XGA 1024x768, etc.) with limited or no support for 16:9 formats. I would expect a VGA Monitor to be more flexible. If possible, download the manual of any monitor or TV you're interested in to see what screen resolutions are actually supported.

[mikehende]

Thanks for the tip, that is very important, will do!

[DB83]

Well you actually answered your own question when you said "I have no use for a tv". So even considereing one appears to be a no-brainer.

[davideck]

My favorite VGA "Monitor" is my Westinghouse (of all brands!) 39" HDTV. It handles every screen resolution that my laptop can throw at it and nicely interpolates to Full HD.

[mikehende]

Well you actually answered your own question when you said "I have no use for a tv". So even considereing one appears to be a no-brainer.

Only reason I considered a TV was to figure out if it would be a better option for my purpose, meaning, the technology.

This is what I am contemplating getting guys, any problems anyone foresees with this for my uses please?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/410911-REG/NEC_LCD3210_BK_LCD3210_BK_32_LCD.html

[jagabo]

1366x768 native resolution is too low for a 32 inch screen if you're using it as a computer monitor (sitting 18 to 24 inches away). You'll want to be about 5+ feet away.

[usually_quiet]

Well you actually answered your own question when you said "I have no use for a tv". So even considereing one appears to be a no-brainer.

Only reason I considered a TV was to figure out if it would be a better option for my purpose, meaning, the technology.

This is what I am contemplating getting guys, any problems anyone foresees with this for my uses please?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/410911-REG/NEC_LCD3210_BK_LCD3210_BK_32_LCD.html

That monitor appears to be made for professional video work and is more like a tunerless multi-system 720p TV than a normal computer monitor. If you can find one, it will likely be second hand, and could still cost more than a new 32-inch 720p TV, (it is discontinued at B&H and out of production.) The resolution is an issue. 1920x1080 is a better resolution than 1366 x 768 for a computer monitor, It has BNC composite and component analog video connections rather than RCA analog connections and you will need adapters to hook it up to anything but pro video equipment using those connections.

[mikehende]

I have a choice between the NEC monitor mentioned above and this TV, they both cost the same locally here "used" but both in mint condition with warranty, which is my better option please?

http://www.amazon.com/Dynex-DX-L26-10A-widescreen-720p-HDTV/sim/B002RJNJ9G/2

[usually_quiet]

Neither is a good option as a computer monitor in my opinion, but the NEC monitor is a higher-quality product.

[mikehende]

Remember that this will not be for normal computer daily use, I will only need this bigger screen when I am hanging out on the weekend and strictly only for watching videos from my pc and off of youtube and slicedshow pics. I am not expecting "super" quality from these cheaper units as I am not a quality buff, just want a bigger screen to view what's mentioned and have it show good enough so my better option of the 2 would be the NEC, is this right?

[Hoser Rob]

1366x768 is ridiculously low for a computer monitor. Not surprised the bhphoto site lists it as no longer available.

I use a decent sized monitor as a tv myself ... I haven't watched much tv in ages. But from what I can see, when you go above 24" in a monitor the price rises pretty quickly. Unless you really need a high quality computer monitor for 32" or more I think you may as well get a tv.

[usually_quiet]

Remember that this will not be for normal computer daily use, I will only need this bigger screen when I am hanging out on the weekend and strictly only for watching videos from my pc and off of youtube and slicedshow pics. I am not expecting "super" quality from these cheaper units as I am not a quality buff, just want a bigger screen to view what's mentioned and have it show good enough so my better option of the 2 would be the NEC, is this right?

Yes, the better of the two options is the NEC monitor. One of the manufacturer's recommended uses for the NEC monitor is as digital signage, so it should be fairly durable. Dynex is a budget brand, and a Dynex TV is probably not nearly as well made.

[mikehende]

Cool thanks! I was leaning towards the NEC from the beginning mainly because the Company selling it is an Audio/Visual company who installs monitors for entertainment purposes and they swear by it.