Best LCD Monitor for watching TV, DVD, and VHS tapes

[dzachau]

I would like to upgrade my LCD monitor from my 17 inch KDS I bought in 2002 to the best 19 inch I can buy for about $650.00. I want a monitor that is best for watching movies on TV, VHS, and DVD. Any suggestions would be most helpful.

Thanks!

[guns1inger]

Get a CRT instead. Picture quality of LCDs, especially for video playback, still lags substantially behind a good CRT. And CRTs are so cheap nowadays.

[rumplestiltskin]

For $650, I'd buy a $300 19" LCD for my computer and a $350 32" Toshiba TV.

Unless you're displaying HD, you're limited to 640x480 from the TV signal (assuming NTSC).

VHS? *sigh* I'm almost finished digitizing my old VHS footage to DVD. Even then, it will still be 640x480.

[redwudz]

You might look here: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/computers/lcd-monitors/

I don't know if I would go by their ratings, but they do list a few units that may be similar to what you are looking for. Or do a Google search for '19 inch TV and computer monitor'. That's how I found that link.

[teevee]

I wouldn't buy a 19" monitor. The pixels are too big...unless you can find one with a native resolution higher than 1280 by 1024. While looking for a new monitor for my desktop pc, I did some reading and saw that all the 19" lcd monitors had a native resolution of 1280 by 1024. While comparing monitors in a store, I noticed the text wasn't as sharp on the 19" as on the 17" or 20" lcd screens. I think that's because the pixels on the 19" are bigger. Most 17" lcd screens also have a native resolution of 1280 by 1024, so the pixels must be smaller. I went with a 20" screen which runs at 1600 x 1200. Try for yourself if you like... have a close look at letters on the 3 different sizes of monitors...I compared the text under the same icons on the desktop. I noticed the diagonal lines, like in the letter A, were more jagged on the 19" monitor.

[teevee]

....of course if you are looking to watch movies on it rather than reading text, the pixel size might not be as important as the response time...and I remember reading somewhere that it's a bit easier to refresh larger pixels than smaller pixels, so you might find the leading edge in response time on the 19 inch monitors...just a thought.

[dzachau]

I want to stay with LCD due to size constraints. Does anyone have a specific recommendation for a monitor best suited for movie watching? 19" or 20" are the sizes that I am interested in. I want the best LCD monitor in that size category I can find for movie watching.

[rumplestiltskin]

A 20" display will usually provide 1600x1200 resolution whereas the 19" monitor will usually provide 1280x1024.

Your NTSC signal will generate 640x480 so you will either be driving more pixels (19") or WAY more pixels (20"). The 20" LCD will be "sharper" (due to reduced individual pixel size) but the 640 pixel width will be extrapolated out to the 1600 pixels and, likewise, the 480 pixel height will be displayed out over 1200.

Frankly, LCD TV in anything other than native resolution is not very pretty. Buy both and return the one that looks worse.

[dzachau]

Thanks for all the feedback. I was at Circuit City tonight looking at monitors and was directed to 20" LCD TV's that are PC-ready. What about the option of buying an LCD TV that can be hooked up to the PC as an alternative to an LCD monitor? It seems logical that the LCD TV will have an excellent picture for movie viewing. Is there a downside to this option??

[skeg64]

ViewSonic VP930. Tom's Hardware is the best place for LCD monitor reviews as they use their own testing methods.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/index.html

[rumplestiltskin]

Thanks for all the feedback. I was at Circuit City tonight looking at monitors and was directed to 20" LCD TV's that are PC-ready. What about the option of buying an LCD TV that can be hooked up to the PC as an alternative to an LCD monitor? It seems logical that the LCD TV will have an excellent picture for movie viewing. Is there a downside to this option??

TV LCDs are designed for TV, not Computer use. Even if you find an LCD TV with an auxiliary VGA input, it will be unacceptable for use as a computer monitor.

[teevee]

ViewSonic VP930. Tom's Hardware is the best place for LCD monitor reviews as they use their own testing methods.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/display/index.html

I find it very odd that tomshardware doesn't even mention that 19" monitors have larger pixels. When I checked out 3 monitors, a 17", 19", and 20", and looked closely at the same diagonal lines, I could see the difference. I imagine that this might be at least a consideration for people doing certain applications, like CAD work for example.. they run the monitors thru all these highly technical tests that maybe the eye might not even "care" about, but fail to mention that 19" monitors at 1280x1024 have more jagged diagonal lines...weird.

[skeg64]

yes a 19" has larger pixels, but have you tried working on a 17" at 1280x1024 (native) resolution? It's too small for my eyes anyway.

[teevee]

yes a 19" has larger pixels, but have you tried working on a 17" at 1280x1024 (native) resolution? It's too small for my eyes anyway.

That's why I got the 20"