New TV as computor monitor

emptybox

Ganga wrote: »

Thanks everybody for taking the time to reply,basically what i was looking for was a tv that i could watch sky football on away from the wife,as we only have a two bedroom house the spare room would e the lae t watch it but-in the spare room as well as a single bed for the grandchildren to stop over is my desk with a desktop comp with wireless keyboard and mouse and monitor so not a lot of room for a tv,if talktalk multi-room is anygood and the price is right i would like to watch tv in the spare room that is why i asked if a tv could replace the monitor that i am using now.

You haven't said what monitor you are currently using for your computer in that room?
You may find that it has a suitable input for the Talktalk box, so you wouldn't need a new TV at all.

Of course that would mean you couldn't watch TV and play on the computer at the same time.
But that would be the same for a TV, unless it had a picture in picture (PiP) facility.

Ganga

emptybox wrote: »

You haven't said what monitor you are currently using for your computer in that room?
You may find that it has a suitable input for the Talktalk box, so you wouldn't need a new TV at all.

Of course that would mean you couldn't watch TV and play on the computer at the same time.
But that would be the same for a TV, unless it had a picture in picture (PiP) facility.

The monitor is an Asus 19 inch model,it has a VGA connection which i use for my computor ans a spare DVI coonection.

another_casualty

I have my old Mac mini plugged into tv . It’s fine. I could either go vga or get a vga-hdmi lead . The tv has an Apple TV / humax freesat Box / now tv Box so it’s basically a monitor anyway ,or even a smart tv . It’ has a DVD player built in also . Does the job

phillw

Ganga wrote: »

What are the shortcomings of using a tv as a computor monitor? is the picture quality not as good? any information is welcomed.

It's like asking what are the shortcomings of a ford ka compared to a lamborghini gallardo.

Dedicated monitors can have better latency than TV's, faster refreshing, better contrast ratio, all designed to reduce eye strain because you're sat six inches away from it for 8 hours a day.

TV's have the extra expense of the tuner and the computer inside to run apps etc. So if a TV is the same price as a monitor, then it's possible they skimped on something in the TV.

It's largely irrelevant asking other peoples opinions though. I couldn't stand watching a friends DLP tv because of the colour separation I got when moving my head. Back in the 90's I would always adjust peoples PC's from the 60hz default, up to 75hz or 120hz because I couldn't stand the flicker. The owners of the computers and the DLP were oblivious to the problem, so it would be a mistake to ask their opinion.

I have a 15" 1080p laptop that I sit about a foot away from, I can't stand using my 42" 1080p lounge TV for anything involving text.

TV pricing might be better because of volume, but you can normally find discounted monitors as well. At work we went through replacing monitors, but the ones we got were terrible. The stand couldn't hold the monitor still when you typed and it wasn't even level when you weren't. I sent mine back and got a much better model for the same price.

emptybox

Ganga wrote: »

The monitor is an Asus 19 inch model,it has a VGA connection which i use for my computor ans a spare DVI coonection.

I suppose you might find a 19" monitor a bit small for telly watching?

It's possible that an HDMI to DVI lead from the Talktalk box to the monitor would work, if it's a relatively recent monitor and the DVI port supported HDCP. You'd then have to sort out a route for the audio.
No harming in trying it before a TV purchase. The lead/adapter can be got very cheaply

But perhaps in your circumstance a larger fullHD TV might be the best option.
I wouldn't buy an HD Ready set, if you intend to also use it with your computer.

Ganga

emptybox wrote: »

I suppose you might find a 19" monitor a bit small for telly watching?

It's possible that an HDMI to DVI lead from the Talktalk box to the monitor would work, if it's a relatively recent monitor and the DVI port supported HDCP. You'd then have to sort out a route for the audio.
No harming in trying it before a TV purchase. The lead/adapter can be got very cheaply

But perhaps in your circumstance a larger fullHD TV might be the best option.
I wouldn't buy an HD Ready set, if you intend to also use it with your computer.

Thanks for the reply,i have not heard anything from Talktalk yet about the proposed Multi-room so will wait till they contact me and outline their proposal ( Talktalk used to be so cheap but their prices have crept up a bit recently )

societys_child

RumRat wrote: »

Calm down...

Hey I am chilled Honestly.

Thanks for the context.
If it does all you need then happy days. It's still not going to be as good as a decent dedicated monitor for longer working stints.

It's as good as anything I've ever had, including top rated monitors, which I spent stupid money on when I was young and naive.

I've no doubt thousands of people use just their TV for their casual online needs. Wouldn't do for us all to be the same....:D
I won't enter into the bragging battle over what tech is in the house.:p
You enjoy your lounge on the sofa.;)

Ahh, I wasn't bragging, the 3 three tablets are, 2 second hand Levono's £20 and £30 and an unbranded thing, £40 new from ebay. The pc in the kitchen is a 5 yr old 'e-machine' - £124 new, the pc 'upstairs is something I built years n years ago and has been updated and reburb'ed a number of times . . and the pc in the lounge is actually a now 5 year old damaged 17" laptop that that I got very very cheap (needed a screen) but still has signs of being dropped as someone unpacked it for the first time. . . one day I'm going to get one of them smartphone things

I still maintain that a correctly set-up large screen tv is as as good as any expensive, 'must have' monitor, (unless your into some serious business, design software applications) so there . . .

Ganga

Thanks everyone for the help,please be nice to each other after all it is nearly Christmas