TV/Monitor Dilemma

[meneedit]

Hi guys, i'm new here.

I really hope this question qualifies for this forum because I figured that this site would be the best place to get help....

Ok, so there are two things I would like to buy next year:

1. An LCD or LED monitor about 27" or bigger. I'm just wondering which brands I should stay from etc.

Currently I have my music PC hooked up to a TV that was sold in an Aldi store and it doubles as a monitor but not very well. At present I have my res set to 1680x1050 becuase this seems to be the only res above 1024x768 that comes out looking half decent. Text is still not too flash but this is because it's main purpose is to be a TV.

2. A massive LCD TV to chuck in the lounge and have another computer hooked up to it. I've heard that these days there are a few big TV's that work well as monitors, I just don't know where to look.

Now, before jumping the gun, i'll just explain a little bit more about item number 2.....

earlier this year I hooked up my computer to my girlfriends plasma which is this one:

http://www.comparison.com.au/televisions/LG/50PG20D

..and because of the strange res (1680x1050) the text was blurry and strange looking. So basically when I get a new big TV I just want it to be able to comfortably handle at lease one of these resolutions: 1365x768, 1600x900 or 1920x1080


Thank you in advance to anybody who may be able to help.

Have a nice day

[edDV]

Most current generation LCD/Plasma TV sets accept computer connection over VGA or HDMI. Resolutions accepted are usually listed in the manual. Text will be clearest if you feed at the display's native resolution. That LG 50pg20d has a native resolution of 1366x768.

The HDMI input will usually have overscan. Check the manual for a overscan off feature. Samsung calls this "Just Scan".

PC input (VGA) usually has no overscan. Text may be clearer using VGA rather than scaling the desktop to HDMI.

[True Colors]

I did tons of research on this....... I ended up buying a panasonic viera plasma and a year later I am extremely happy with it...... the quality is fantastic and the price was very good. I do use this TV as my computer monitor and it works fine.

(NOTE: some panasonics have a VGA input and others do not. Personally I connect my computer to the TV using an HDMI cable.)

Also, make absolutely, 100% sure that you get a 1080p product....... 720 is cheaper but you will regret it.

TC

[jagabo]

Get a 1080p TV (1920x1080) with a non-overscan, or pixel-for-pixel, option. TVs usually overscan the picture. An incoming 1920x1080 frame is digitally enlarged to about 2016x1134 and only the inner 1920x1080 pixels displayed. The digital scaling causes artifacts -- especially visible with desktop text. To get perfect text you need pixel-for-pixel mapping of the incoming signal and the physical pixels on the screen.

[meneedit]

Thank you for all the replies everybody, it has cleared a lot up.

Can any of you recommend a good LCD TV with non-overscan/pixel-for-pixel, wide viewing angle, and no ghosting?

I know it seems like a lot of specs but I just want to make sure i'm getting something good.

I'm not interested in plasma though.

Thanks again.

[edDV]

So many models even within a brand name. In the reviews, Samsung usually comes out at or near the top. Even so, they have eleven models for just a 40" size ranging in list price from ~$799 (value 720p) to $2800 (3D). The differences will be processor quality, 60 Hz vs 120 Hz, connectivity features, codec support, florescent vs. LED backlight and 2D vs. 3D.

PC ports and "just scan" mode seems standard on all.

[True Colors]

??

2. A massive LCD or Plasma to chuck in the lounge and have another computer hooked up to it.

I'm not interested in plasma though.

[meneedit]

whoops lol, yeah, no plasma don't know what that was about, haha.

[olyteddy]

I've got a Vizio XVT472SV and the computer connecting is simple. HDMI has no overscan and the VGA input has an 'auto scale and optimize' item in the menu that seems to work really well. Right now I'm feeding it HDMI from an Acer Revo (nVidia ION chipset) and am quite pleased. We play a Scrabble game that runs @ 800 X 600 and the TV autoscales that over HDMI too.

[meneedit]

hey guys just wanted to revive this thread and say that i'm having a hell of a time finding a decent LCD TV.

Why is it that in both reviews and specs for Samsung and Vizio I can never find anything about "overscan"?

Does it have other names?

[jagabo]

Samsung calls non-overscan mode "just scan". I think all the 1080p Samsungs have it. It's semetimes called "pixel-for-pixel" mode. And yes, the feature is hardly ever mentioned in product literature or reviews.

[olyteddy]

On my Vizio when I connected by VGA (Vizio calls it RGB I think) there was a menu option for optimizing the scan. Via HDMI it optimizes automatically, no over or under scanning, when using 16:9 ratios. I play a SCRABBLE game that is 800X600 76 Hz and it stretches the image to fill the screen. The nVidia driver I use also has scan optimizing and centering options. You can probably find the user manual for any set you're interested in online. I did.

[meneedit]

thanks guys ill have another look around

[edDV]

On my Vizio when I connected by VGA (Vizio calls it RGB I think) there was a menu option for optimizing the scan. Via HDMI it optimizes automatically, no over or under scanning, when using 16:9 ratios. I play a SCRABBLE game that is 800X600 76 Hz and it stretches the image to fill the screen. The nVidia driver I use also has scan optimizing and centering options. You can probably find the user manual for any set you're interested in online. I did.

I have a couple of Vizios and yes the "autoscan" on VGA works well but that is not pixel for pixel. The added scaling stage does distort text clarity. The idea of pixel for pixel mode is to avoid scaling in the TV.

Same goes for NVidia output scaling. The best result for text is unscaled 1920x1080 (or other monitor native resolution) with no xy scaling at the display card or TV/monitor.