Opinions about using a TV as monitor

[rezelute]

I was thinking about replacing my 27" (1920x1080 res) monitor for 37" TV (HD 1080p 1920x1080 res) so i have a common screen for watching movies/gaming/browsing. I want to have a common screen mostly for space saving and so i dont have to bother switching outputs everytime i want to watch a movie. So i just want people's opinion about using a TV as a monitor (pros/cons) if you have a 37" or higher.
Graphics card i have is nVidia 260GTX.
[If you have a TV hooked to a PC a screenshot would be nice]

 

[DirtyElf]

a 37" tv is pretty large for just web browsing... i find myself having to actually "look" at different parts of the screen... unlike my 23" monitor where i can just see the whole screen at one time.

it kinda depends on how close you sit to the tv/monitor as well..

 

[Keiichi25]

I was thinking about replacing my 27" (1920x1080 res) monitor for 37" TV (HD 1080p 1920x1080 res) so i have a common screen for watching movies/gaming/browsing. I want to have a common screen mostly for space saving and so i dont have to bother switching outputs everytime i want to watch a movie. So i just want people's opinion about using a TV as a monitor (pros/cons) if you have a 37" or higher.
Graphics card i have is nVidia 260GTX.
[If you have a TV hooked to a PC a screenshot would be nice]

As long as your card can handle the resolution and also for you sitting at a better distance away, it should be fine. For the most part, the cons of having a larger screen is mostly how close you sit in front of it. Unless your eyesight is going bad, you generally don't need to be close to a 37" television set to use as a computer monitor, especially at the resolution you would be at.

 

[kword88]

i use a 47" LCD as my monitor. the only con i can think of is that when the same image stays on the screen for a long time (such as your desktop), you get some ghosting. so sometimes you can see shadows of icons and the taskbar when you're watching TV.

 

[DirtyElf]

i use a 47" LCD as my monitor. the only con i can think of is that when the same image stays on the screen for a long time (such as your desktop), you get some ghosting. so sometimes you can see shadows of icons and the taskbar when you're watching TV.

just set your screensaver to engage after one minute, should cut down on that some. set it to a blank screen as well, or something with alot of motion.

 

[rezelute]

Humm thanks all then i might have to move the furniture around abit to get more distance from seat . Also about the ghosting issue while watching TV, im not really that fussed as i dont intend to use the TV as a TV just as a monitor for the PC (There are no monitors >27inches for prices less than £1500)

 

[Ponmayilal]

.....[If you have a TV hooked to a PC a screenshot would be nice]

I did have many screenshots of my 42" LG LCD TV hooked up to a Zotac Mini-PC but deleted them after posting in Team-BHP forum. Though it is used as a Media Center, I do use it for occasional browsing using a Lenova mutimedia remote and keyboard. You can have a look at it here . (I hope redirecting to my thread/post in another forum is not prohibited here. You can view the pictures there in full resolution.) I shall try to take a few screenshots in a day or two, showing how the web looks therein and post it here.

 

[Solarstarshines]

It shouldnt matter i use a 37 inch vizio for mivies a 23 inch for games and regular pc action

The only draw back to browsing on the tv is you have to change the icon sixze to accomindate for the lack of size also if you are going through hdmi you have to switch the sound back in fourth through the playback process

It is no bother but if you plan on useing dual screen to view movies and do pc you have to kinda box it all to fit on the monitor to do both i find it easier to do one at a time

besides most of the time me and my familly watch cable only switching we do is to catch a movie download or some streamed programs

and to also use our home thearter system all comingled together

 

[boohbah]

i use a 47" LCD as my monitor. the only con i can think of is that when the same image stays on the screen for a long time (such as your desktop), you get some ghosting. so sometimes you can see shadows of icons and the taskbar when you're watching TV.

+1 i also get screenburn particularly if i browse for a while the toolbars burn in a bit ,however there is a fix
JScreenFix deluxe - JADS Limited - Innovative Software Solutions

 

[boohbah]

Humm thanks all then i might have to move the furniture around abit to get more distance from seat . Also about the ghosting issue while watching TV, im not really that fussed as i dont intend to use the TV as a TV just as a monitor for the PC (There are no monitors >27inches for prices less than £1500)

if you have screen burn , it will show regardless whether you watch TV or have the pc running, when you look at a page it will show on it, wallpapers show it and if you watch a movie via media center then in certain scene colours/ lighting it will also show.
trust me im a screen burn victim

 

[Solarstarshines]

screen burn can be avoided if you turn the monitor off or have the win7 theme change it i havnt gotten burned yet thank god but i do leave my screen on for long periods of time with the same pic up maybe im just darn lucky

 

[Ponmayilal]

LCD panels are immune from screen burn unlike CRTs. Neither is it a problem with the present generation Plasma panels, though it is better to exercise a bit of caution.

 

[boohbah]

LCD panels are immune from screen burn unlike CRTs. Neither is it a problem with the present generation Plasma panels, though it is better to exercise a bit of caution.

Call it what you will i just minimized my browser and i can still read my bookmarks that are burnt /ghosted whatever . its a samsung lcd 32"

 

[Ponmayilal]

Well, now I understand what people are referring to here as screen burn and/or ghosting is really not screen burn (which leaves a permanent mark) but persistence of an image or streaking in a fast moving scene which is due to the response time of the pixels in the panel switching on and off. LCD panels with a fast response time and wide viewing angle for discerning users and gamers naturally cost more. ( In the case of my 42" LG LCD TV the same model was available with two different panels and I chose the one with a faster response time. Also different manufacturers use different video processing techniques for the panels used and some may be better than the others with the same type of LCD panel)

 

[kword88]

i chose to call it "ghosting" because it doesnt appear to be permanent (at least not in my case), like "burn-in". as long as the image on screen keeps changing, its probably not an issue. i used the desktop as an example, but ghosting also can occur with any program. i even notice it on regular tv news programs that use a "template", like a stock ticker at the bottom of the screen. so its really not just an issue of using it as a computer monitor. i only mentioned it (as a con) because, on a computer, you tend to display the same image for long periods of time, so ghosting is more noticeable than if you were just watching tv.

 

[WindowsStar]

LCD panels are immune from screen burn unlike CRTs. Neither is it a problem with the present generation Plasma panels, though it is better to exercise a bit of caution.

Not true. LCD and Plasma panels’ new, old, or bleeding edge all can have screen burn-in issues. They are just much harder to burn than a CRT. We have huge convention center with hundreds of 50+ inch LCD and Plasma panels, all of them have burn-in issues from playing the same still shots over time. We have found that we need to have video only, or move the still shots around in different order, or make them do transitions from still to still in a random pattern to avoid burn-in. Some panels are informational and they display the information for the conference rooms. They may display this information for weeks, these burn-in all the time, the fix on these is to have them display the information and then go dark (sleep), we have motion sensors on them to display the information when someone walks up. A side benefit is we are much more green with these in sleep mode much of the time.

On a side Note: We had a LCD on a back wall on a side that did not get much traffic and the program that ran the pictures exited/crashed or something. The LCD was left with the ORB (start) taskbar along the bottom of the panel for days (we don't know exactly how long, but let’s say a week on 24 hours a day) and the ORB taskbar is burnt into that panel. We had to replace it. Just and FYI.

 

[IownAmoneyPit]

I have a Sharp 42 inch LCD hooked up to 2 computers via HDMI cable which includes audio using lower end GT 210 and 220 cards and have had no burn in issues.

 

[WindowsStar]

I have a Sharp 42 inch LCD hooked up to 2 computers via HDMI cable which includes audio using lower end GT 210 and 220 cards and have had no burn in issues.

Granted a convention center is the most extreme case.

I use several LCD panels at home we watch TV and are directly connected to computers (internet, video, movies, etc.) and I have never had any burn-in issues, and the average user probably never will. I stated all that because the post stated are immune (meaning they NEVER have) burn-in issues which is simply not true. I have seen it on all major panels produced again granted in a most extreme case. -WS

 

[rezelute]

.....[If you have a TV hooked to a PC a screenshot would be nice]

I did have many screenshots of my 42" LG LCD TV hooked up to a Zotac Mini-PC but deleted them after posting in Team-BHP forum. Though it is used as a Media Center, I do use it for occasional browsing using a Lenova mutimedia remote and keyboard. You can have a look at it here . (I hope redirecting to my thread/post in another forum is not prohibited here. You can view the pictures there in full resolution.) I shall try to take a few screenshots in a day or two, showing how the web looks therein and post it here.

Thanks for that link, i appreciate you posting more pics of browsing aswell

 

[rezelute]

As for everyone else (as i thought) im getting mixed signals lol, the general idea im getting is that TVs are more prone to ghosting/burn-ins, although from my point of view comparing a TV to a monitor (300,000 contrast, 3ms response time,1920x1080) doesnt seem to have much difference in terms of spec, unless there are other factors like components (transistors, resistors) etc. that have a shorter life span? Also am i getting the idea that a TV isnt as good to keep on as long as a monitor?