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Using your HDTV as a PC Monitor

Getting your PC on the big screen

Compare prices on all sizes of HDTV's

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The High definition TV has brought something new to the PC users world. The ability to use the PC with a really big screen. Many times I've sat at home watching the TV thinking what a great idea it would be if I just hooked up my PC to the main TV and played games on 32" or bigger screen. Well why don't you, its actually quite a simple thing to do. What you need to remember though is while the HDTV does not give you the horrible blurry pictures the old TV's used to give you in PC mode, they are still no match for your computer monitor in terms of resolution. This guide will show you how to connect up your TV and the advantages and disadvantages of using an HDTV as a PC monitor.

Resolution

This is the main point when deciding whether an HDTV will work for you as a PC monitor. This is the TV's main weakness, While HDTV has dramatically improved the resolution available on televisions, Monitors have also been improving in this department but at a slower rate. So how do you know if the TV's resolution will be good enough for you? Well there are a few things you will have to consider. Most importantly how big is your TV? then how far away will you be sitting from the TV? And finally what is the main function of the PC you will be using it on?

How big is your TV?

The TV size compared to its native resolution is a big factor in the quality of the display when using it as a PC monitor. Standard HDTV's have the same resolution, 1280x720, they sometimes vary very slightly but are all based around this resolution. Now if this resolution is displayed on a 26" TV it will be fairly condensed and appear sharper. Larger TV's will have to stretch this image over a larger area. While watching TV from a distance the human eyes don't recognize too much of a problem, however close up when using a PC these stretched images can look poor and blocky.

With a monitor you get a smaller screen and larger resolution together producing a much sharper image that can look great even close up. There is a reason why monitors are more expensive to buy than TV's and monitors are generally smaller.

How far away?

Carrying on from the resolution issue, comes how far away you will be sitting from the screen. This obviously has nothing to do with the technology involved but with the way the human eye perceives things. The further away you sit from a screen the more forgiving the subtle defects are. An image that looks blocky close up can look perfectly acceptable from a further distance. This can give an advantage to having a large TV in the living room for your PC monitor. With a wireless mouse and keyboard, you can relax on the sofa and browse the internet, still be able to read everything and the picture is forgiving at that distance. You can also then be playing games on a big screen where the resolution isn't making as much difference. With a monitor moving away from the screen will obviously mean that you will struggle to read the text.

So this is one of those factors that will be determined by your personal preference or circumstances. Don't think I could move further back and it will be OK, think about where the ideal seating position is and then decided if a monitor or a TV is best to fir the bill.

The main function of the display

When deciding between a standard PC monitor and an HDTV, you will have decide what the main use of the PC will be. If its mainly used as a games machine then the HDTV's deficiencies as PC monitor will be less obvious and even outweighed by the stunning view of a large screen to play your games on. Likewise if your PC is going to be used as an entertainment center to watch movies or music video's etc then the quality of of the screen will be more than acceptable. However for general PC use, I.E. office type applications or web browsing you may find that the quality of text can vary wildly from screen to screen.

You may find that the reason for using the HDTV as a computer monitor is a money saving technique and for this respect our opinion is that its a good idea, you can't expect the best of everything but it's more than acceptable for general use and can save you the price of a new computer monitor.

Next we will look at refresh rate, response times and connection types as well as the suitability of 3DTV's for a 3D PC monitor

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