Help & Advice: HDTV newbie

homerjsimpson_2

Looking for some advice.

I need a HDTV (19"-26", give or take) to use with an XBOX 360.
I've been reading the forums and I am still unsure.
I heard that a monitor will do the job at a lower cost.

-Are monitors HD as standard?
-Can a monitor be used for TV?
-Which is better a monitor or LCD TV?
-Any disadvantage or advantages?

I want something that is a reasonable price and has all the appropriate connections whether it is a LCD TV or not. I do want it to be flat screnn because of liomited space.

Any help or purchasing suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

J;)

Little_John

It is all down to the native resolution of the display.

LCD displays TV and monitor have a number of pixles accross and up the side to display the image. this number is the native resolution.

For a display to be HD ready it must have 720 pixles up 1280 accross or 1080 up and 1920 accross on higher end displays. remember the numbers will be represented the other way round so they will read 1280x720 or 1920x1080.

most PC displays will display the vertical size but not the horizontal size a standard size 17" is usually 1024x768 so it has the vertical but not the horizontal this is a 4/5 screen (square) so a square screen wont do the job.
19" square screens are usually 1280x1050 so that will give you a HD picture you will have black bands top and bottom.

Wide screen displays are more likley but tend to be the higher end of the range and you will again get the black bands top and bottom but they wont be that wide.

The ony problem you may have is finding a screen offering the high resolution and an input that your xbox 360 will output to, I know some screens have Svideo but I dont think that is HD compatible. I also dont know if DVi is HD either so I dont know how you would plug your HD signal in to the monitor.

I do know that some manufaturers call they displays monitors when thay are infact a TV with a VGA.DVi input that the screen can be used as a monitor for a PC.

homerjsimpson_2

Thanks alot.

If anyone has any reccomendations that would be great.

Looking to spend up to a maximum of £350, less would be better.

j

Astaroth

There are many ways to go on this one... there is however a question on if it is worth having a HD screen of less than 32". A PC monitor is different as you only sit a foot or two away from it but given the typical viewing distance for a TV is so much greater (and a HD screen has to be wide screen so in some respects is "smaller" than the equiv size in the conventional ratio) the common thoughts are that less than 32" you wont see the difference - plenty say you wont even see the difference on a 32" screen but I would contest that.

slowen

I have a Dell W2600 HI DEF LCD TV which I paid around £360 as it was an end of line TV and some people have had problems with this TV but mine is ok and I find the Xbox 360 looks great on it as the TV is 26" but I would not bother with a TV being less than 26"