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View Full Version : 36" - 40" TV for my secondary monitor?



Cortexian
March 11th, 2009, 05:04 PM
I'd like a 36" - 40" LCD TV for my next "computer monitor", mainly just because I have HDMI out on my new graphics card and because I watch almost 98% of my TV Shows and Movies on my PC. Now I'm just looking for a great TV for computer output, but I have NO clue what to look for in a TV.

Is 120Hz required or will 60Hz do?

What's a good contrast ratio to go for (my store has a 1,000,000:1 Samsung 950, but it only comes in 55")?

What else should I look for?

I don't know a whole lot about TV's.

paladin
March 11th, 2009, 07:55 PM
Ive spent many hours trying get my to work. Does your tv have an adjustable resolution? it too my hours to setup mine correctly.

Cortexian
March 11th, 2009, 08:26 PM
Ive spent many hours trying get my to work. Does your tv have an adjustable resolution? it too my hours to setup mine correctly.
I don't have the TV in question yet. I'm looking for suggestions on what to get... lol...

Amit
March 11th, 2009, 08:39 PM
Buying a TV is much like buying a monitor only there a few other things you must consider.

These are the main things you should look for when buying a TV:

Type of HDTV: LCD or Plasma? Fuck plasma, you MUST get an LCD.
Display Size: 36"-39" TVs are sort of hard to find at 1080p but you can get them. If you go with a 40" TV your options open up even more.
Display Capabilities: 720p or 1080p? Preferably 1080p.
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: You want to look for something with at least 15000:1 contrast ratio. Try to find a TV with a really high contrast ratio while balancing out other specs and staying within your budget.
Refresh Rate: You want this to be as high as possible but generally 60Hz will do the job very well.
Response Time: I'm sure you know what this means. If not, you want it as low as possible. Generally 5ms and lower will do.
Native Resolution: Kinda goes hand-in-hand with the Display Capability. With 720p its 1366x768 while 1080p is 1920x1080.
Inputs: How many HDMI ports, how many Component inputs, USB ports, and other connectivity stuff? Most 37"+ TVs have 3 HDMI ports and 2-3 different sets of Component inputs. My LG 40" 42LG50 has 3 HDMI ports (2 on back, one on left side of TV) and 2 Component input sets (both on back).

That covers most but not all of what you need to know. Others shall help explain it all, though.

itszutak
March 12th, 2009, 01:50 AM
Type of HDTV: LCD or Plasma? Fuck plasma, you MUST get an LCD.

At any reasonable viewing distance, plasma is hard to beat IMHO. The colors and contrast are amazing. Burn-in is pretty much no problem with more recent sets.

Get something with a good return policy, in case it fucks up or you find it unsatisfactory. Also, nVidia has some pretty useful controls for adjusting TV scale, etc. Make sure you make use of those.

Atty
March 12th, 2009, 02:01 AM
I've been happy with my 550 (or is it 650?) 32'' Samsung 1080p 60hz LCD TV. Picked it up for a steal at Best Buy last October.

HD DirecTV looks brilliant, TV/Movies streamed from my 360/PC look good (when I'm in bed watching them, they look really good, but when up closer, sitting at the desk, I can see the artifacts a bit more clearly, but it's still incredibly viewable.)

Cortexian
March 12th, 2009, 02:37 AM
I've been happy with my 550 (or is it 650?) 32'' Samsung 1080p 60hz LCD TV. Picked it up for a steal at Best Buy last October.

HD DirecTV looks brilliant, TV/Movies streamed from my 360/PC look good (when I'm in bed watching them, they look really good, but when up closer, sitting at the desk, I can see the artifacts a bit more clearly, but it's still incredibly viewable.)
I was thinking of a 40" Samsung 550 series, so it looks like I wasn't that far off.