Thoughts on using a 32 inch HDTV as a monitor?

[AndrewL1950]

I need to upgrade my monitor and have a 2007/2008 Sharp Aquos LC32D62U currently not being used. It's 1080p, 5 MS, 32 inch. I am currently using and gaming on a 22 inch 1680X1050 display and feel it's time to upgrade.

I was wondering if using an HDTV similar to the one above would work fairly well, or if I should go for something designed to be a PC monitor.

[Johnny87au]

Well it would be alot better then using your 22inch crappy res monitor , sorry :D , 32" full 1080p, i'd say HELL YEAH massive upgrade imo :) , the contrast and picture wont be as clear obviously as your monitor is a TN but for gaming/videos etc will be alot neater :)

[Kingcarcas]

hehe i was just thinking about this, since i replaced the 65'' RPTV with a projector and a DIY $20 Screen. I was like "why do i buy monitors when you can get a 32'' TV for $300 and maybe a 42'' for $400 if you look in the right place"

I say hell yah! For me i might just wait until this 24'' craps out.

[Frag Maniac]

Yes, a 32" HDTV is not a bad way to go. You might want to take a look at the Panasonic TC-L32U22, which can be had for around $400 right now, but the Super Bowl sales will probably be a bit lower if you happen to be in the US.

For about $250 more in 37" Panny has the D2 120Hz LED lit series, which have better contrast and more accurate colors, most notably reds, but the D2s crush the blacks more than the U22 series. A bit of tweaking lessens the crushing, at the expense of the blacks not looking quite as deep.

[slaveondope]

Been running a 32" 1080p Insignia (Samsung BestBuy rebrand) as my main for almost a year now and it comes very close to matching my 23" Acer H233H after some tweaking.
One major down side was having to create a custom driver for it so Windows7 wouldnt label it a Generic Display and limit the resolution to 1080i (30hz) over HDMI.
Getting through that and scaling issue's are the only major down sides.

[Johnny87au]

Been running a 32" 1080p Insignia (Samsung BestBuy rebrand) as my main for almost a year now and it comes very close to matching my 23" Acer H233H after some tweaking.
One major down side was having to create a custom driver for it so Windows7 wouldnt label it a Generic Display and limit the resolution to 1080i (30hz) over HDMI.
Getting through that and scaling issue's are the only major down sides.

Yeah i had a similar issue, where i had the Relabel HDMI1 to Game which helped keeping the resolution/picture alot clearer, weird but it works.. Also had to change the ATI settings , RGB 4422 or something similar but yeah just giving a heads up to the OP..:up:

[daveyjane]

i'm in agreement with the first four or so responders. I use a sharp lcd 32" for a monitor, and it's just great. You have to make a few adjustments, but then your done; I highly recommend an icon program that remembers positions for multiple resolutions. I use iconoid. then you can switch resolutions whenever you want. from native, to bigger or smaller. and push the icon restore button and they all fall right where you have remembered them........ you might need a top performing video card, but i assume you already have one.

Go for it.

[TBahre]

I ran a 32" samsung HDTV (LN32A550) as my main monitor for about 2 years. Basically it worked out really well for games and movies. I recently moved back to an actual computer monitor (Dell u2711) because I was looking for better picture quality. Really I wish I had kept the samsung HDTV and left it hooked up as a second monitor to use only for movies. I miss being able to sit a little further away from the screen.

[Johnny87au]

I ran a 32" samsung HDTV (LN32A550) as my main monitor for about 2 years. Basically it worked out really well for games and movies. I recently moved back to an actual computer monitor (Dell u2711) because I was looking for better picture quality. Really I wish I had kept the samsung HDTV and left it hooked up as a second monitor to use only for movies. I miss being able to sit a little further away from the screen.

Yeah for movies/gaming the hdtv's do rock, but for picture viewing/web browsing isnt the best tbh, no wear near as sharp as a Monitor..thats coming from me who uses a IPS hdtv..

[Frag Maniac]

I think a decent IPS HDTV is still easily THE best all around display though, esp if you pick a good one.

As far as icons go, I gave up plastering shortcuts on my desktop long ago. I find making custom toolbars is far better. That way you can categorize them and they're all conveniently located on pop-up lists on the taskbar, launching with one click once you open the list. I have all the shortcuts I need on 6 toolbars, and they take up less than half the space of the taskbar and of course zero desktop space. The lists are alphabetical and each shortcut shows it's original icon next to it. I'll never go back to cluttering my desktop with shortcuts.

[Johnny87au]

I think a decent IPS HDTV is still easily THE best all around display though, esp if you pick a good one.

As far as icons go, I gave up plastering shortcuts on my desktop long ago. I find making custom toolbars is far better. That way you can categorize them and they're all conveniently located on pop-up lists on the taskbar, launching with one click once you open the list. I have all the shortcuts I need on 6 toolbars, and they take up less than half the space of the taskbar and of course zero desktop space. The lists are alphabetical and each shortcut shows it's original icon next to it. I'll never go back to cluttering my desktop with shortcuts.

Well i have one of the best IPS panels around, using a 32" Panasonic viera with LED backlit also, costed me quite a bit.. Takes a while to get use to comparing a monitor to a TV.. I really miss the sharpness and contrast of a monitor though over a HDTV..

[Frag Maniac]

Well i have one of the best IPS panels around, using a 32" Panasonic viera with LED backlit also, costed me quite a bit.. Takes a while to get use to comparing a monitor to a TV.. I really miss the sharpness and contrast of a monitor though over a HDTV..The problem with monitors is good ones are expensive and if TV is part of the use you want to get out of your display, the TV tuner cards are woefully inadequate and not well software supported, esp since the rep for AutumnWave left.

I'm really not liking the still lingering major gaps in combining PC and HDTV technologies. If there were decent monitors that had good TV tuners as an option, or decent internet television subscriptions, it wouldn't even be an issue. This niche of the market has been very slow to evolve.

Part of the problem is, the TV subscription providers only support actual TV manufacturer's on the hardware end, and even then the features they've contracted to provide like cable cards, have essentially flopped.

The idea of Ethernet ports on TVs needs to evolve into much more than what it is currently. In the back of my mind I fear if I spend too much on current technology, I'll only be upset that I didn't buy cheap or wait for TVs with Ethernet ports that actually have DSL TV subscription plans equal to satellite.

I still haven't made my purchase though. I'm liking the PQ of the LED Panny TC-L37D2 a bit better than the U22 series, but if I catch even a slight glimpse of such tech being forthcoming, I'll probably just settle for a 32" U22 model, which can be had for $370 vs $660.

There's talk of our apt building having funds for a satellite install, but the amount they've set aside is lower than most installers will do the job for, so I'm not counting on it.

[Johnny87au]

Most new modern tv's have ethernet ports, mine and my dads do.. In all honesty i think its useless as whos gonna browse the net on a TV , when you have devices such as iphones,ipad,laptops,desktops.. come on.. I still recommend a good TN panel over a HDTV for gaming though as the picture and response rate is great cant beat it, Most hdtvs are like like 7ms+ even in game mode.... but like i said movies and stting atleast 5 yds away from it the TV will be in good use..