24 inch HDTV as monitor

I know in the past that TVs made very poor monitors. I was hoping with the current generation of HDTVs running 1080p (1920x1080 resolution) they would look as good as dedicated monitors. I tried one out - a 24" 1080p HDTV - and it did not look too nice. Even though it was running 1920x1080 - same physical size & resolution as our monitors at work, the texts did not look as crisp and it was difficult to get the colors just right.

Is there some other parameter that would indicate if a TV would work well as a monitor? Or is there just something inherent - unmeasurable - that would not allow any HDTV to look as good as a dedicated computer monitor even at the same physical size and resolution? I guess what I'm trying to find out is whether it's worth trying a different brand or just give up the idea of having a combo monitor + TV.

My neighbor has been trying to find an HDTV that will double as a computer monitor for months now. She's tried at least a dozen different makes, models and sizes (27-32inch) by bringing her laptop into stores and plugging it in to the demo TV's.

She hasn't found one yet that's nearly as good as an actual PC monitor. She did bring a Toshiba (30inch) and a Panasonic (32inch) home to try out, both of which I viewed and they were not what I would call suitable replacements for a monitor. I think she's given up that idea by now.

Having said that, my media server PC (new generation core i3) is plugged into my 37 inch HDTV and the results are good for that purpose.. I'm using the setup exclusively for online streaming media and DVD's.

Text and webpages are not close to what I would call crisp. I would not want to use it for browsing, reading, email etc because it would be (is) very hard on the eyes after a short period of time. They are also a lot brighter than a computer monitor and staring at it at close range is a little blinding (but that can be adjusted if necessary)

EDIT-

This article pretty much sums up what I've experienced..

http://lifehacker.com/5884040/is-it-...mputer-monitor

You might be better off checking out a Samsung computer monitor with a built-in TV tuner.

fink: Yes, just for streaming it works great but as an actual PC monitor it doesn't do so well. Not surprising about the larger ones because the same # of pixels are being spread over a larger area. Even that lifehacker article talks about using 32" sized TVs as monitors.

But if the monitor and HDTV are the same size, the pixel density is also the same so there must be something else going on. Maybe the brightness as you suggested but I played around with all kinds of brightness, contrast, and color setting on the monitor. I also played around with the nVidia settings on the computer and that made it look better but still not as good as an actual monitor.

jdc2000: I've heard about that. Sounds nice - not sure how much it runs for but will check it out.

Link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=1&srchInDesc=

The resolution on that 27" Monitor/TV is 1920 x 1080, which is the same as on this laptop with a 13.3" screen.

In order for that 27" Monitor/TV to have the same detail as that 13.3" screen would require ~4 times the number of pixels, i.e., 3840 x 2160.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpywareDr

The resolution on that 27" Monitor/TV is 1920 x 1080, which is the same as on this laptop with a 13.3" screen.
In order for that 27" Monitor/TV to have the same detail as that 13.3" screen would require ~4 times the number of pixels, i.e., 3840 x 2160.

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Correct. But if both are 24", then the resolution & pixel density are the same yet the TV does not look as nice as the dedicated monitor. I guess I'm trying to find out why.

I did read some great reviews on that Samsung monitor with TV tuner, so that might be the best choice.

What are the make and model numbers of both?

Well, for example at work we are using Samsung 24" monitors model LS24PUHKFV. And the 24" TV I just tried out at home is Insignia NS-24E340A13.

Both 24", both 1080p (1920x1080) resolution.

Was hoping to be able to compare panel details online but, I can't seem to get Google to cooperate this morning. :( :)

No sweat - thanks for trying to look up! :) Is there a specific detail you were looking for? i.e., some parameter other than the standard size, resolution, etc.?

More intimate details that could be compared, (how they were made, etc.,: http://www.plasma.com/classroom/what_is_tft_lcd.htm)