Best HDTV to also use as monitor?

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DarkDubzs

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 3, 2014
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354
I want to get a larger 1080p hdtv to use as a tv and monitor for everyday use which includes reading text of course, so it has to be sharp and clear, and for gaming on pc and console. What would be the best 1080p tv for this use around 30+ inches? I would prefer to keep the price as low as possible, but i am open to see all my options.

Please and Thanks!
 
This subject comes up often. Many people do not know that there is a huge dedicated thread already here on HardOCP with very in-depth information and discussion.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1645885

There is new information mostly about 2013 sets at the end of the above tread.

There is also this tread - http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-l...s/1466061-2013-lg-ln5300-led-hdtv-review.html

The general consensus right now for anyone wanting to get into this space, using a larger screen format for their desk is the LG 5300 39" or 42". These displays are very cheap ( currently ) and offer 4:4:4 Sub-sampling, thin bezel design, excellent fit and finish, low latency and depending on the panel, excellent viewing angles. If you play your cards right you can even find a S-IPS panel version of the LG 5300 42" display and it's picture is excellent. Also, many owners of this set and there are quite a few have provided calibration settings to help you get your set looking it's best.

Here is a tread started in Hot Deals - http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1820585

Don't waste your time on the Seiki 39", fit and finish / construction is questionable and it's only a 30hz display meaning, the max FPS your games can run at is greatly greatly reduced.

Ordering from Europe?

With all due respect, the hardwork has already been done for you. I would dig into the 3 provided links and educate yourself as much as possible. When dealing with these type of displays, education is king. You don't want to make the wrong choice as all it will do is cost you time, money and a lot of frustration. Also, try and avoid the general random suggestions. Although, I do suspect there is a very nice Samsung out there that would do an excellent job. I'm having trouble finding this model however

Personally speaking, I could never ever use a 24" or 27" display. I find the larger 39" and 42" 1080p displays provide totally immersive experience you just can't get with a tiny 24" monitor that's barely over the width of a standard keyboard. I find it comical in fact. Also, a lot less eye-strain and easier to read web and email. /my 2cents

I'm obviously very passionate about this subject. If you have any more question I will be glad to try and answer them. I will tel you this, you're making an excellent choice. I use my 42" for PC gaming, movies, console, etc.
 
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I've used a 32LN5400 for a short while (European version of the 5300 with slight differences) it was a bit better than the 32LD450. Motion blur was a bit worse on those LG sets compared to the Samsung F5000 though.
I think the 'successor' to that LG 'series' in 2014 is the LB5800, but there's more talk about the LB6100 on avs if that means anything.

BTW I wasn't exactly suggesting to buy from Europe, but how are we supposed to know every member here lives in the US ?
Also sorry for the random suggestions, like mentioning 4:4:4 support, or a non-outdated product that's most probably the best gaming TV available.
 
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Just check displaylag database to buy the fastest one. :)
Input lag can be very high on some TV.

If you want to adopt a 4k TV, the Panasonic AX800 is the only one with Display Port, necessary for 2160p@60hz connected to a PC.
My friend just purchased it and he is very satisfied. :)
 
SixFootDuo said:
Don't waste your time on the Seiki 39", fit and finish / construction is questionable and it's only a 30hz display meaning, the max FPS your games can run at is greatly greatly reduced.
Click to expand...

Wut? It does 1080p@120hz with no more lag than my catleap.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Don't waste your time on the Seiki 39", fit and finish / construction is questionable and it's only a 30hz display meaning, the max FPS your games can run at is greatly greatly reduced.
Click to expand...
after calibration the seiki also doubles as one of the most perfect sRGB displays at its price point
J72oqjz.jpg
 
SixFootDuo said:
Don't waste your time on the Seiki 39", fit and finish / construction is questionable and it's only a 30hz display meaning, the max FPS your games can run at is greatly greatly reduced.
Click to expand...

First of all, thanks for all that info, ill check it all out right now, but i want to first address this. On Newegg, the TV says "120Hz Refresh Rate, 4K @ 30Hz." So what does that mean exactly? Apparently with the resolution at 4K, it will be 30Hz which is horrible for gaming (i can already imagine all the tearing, even 60hz isnt enough for me sometimes), so how can i get it to be 120Hz? Is there a setting to adjust it to like 30 or 120? Or do i have to set the resolution lower to something, i would hope at least to 1080p.

Also, would 30Hz be good enough for normal TV use like hd cable television or Netflix? I believe television is set to about 30fps, so 30hz should be fine if that is so, but i have also heard people say that if you want to watch sports, you need to get a 120Hz+ tv so the screen wont tear from the fast panning and stuff i guess, but that would mean cable tv is not locked to 30fps, so im really confused on that part. Any help anyone?

I guess if I were to get that 4K, which is sounding really attractive because its 4K mainly and its an excellent price, I would set the it to 120Hz for pc gaming (console gaming seems to never go much over 30fps, but I would see and adjust as needed) and maybe 30Hz for TV watching if 30Hz is enough for TV. I hope it is actually sharp enough and pixel dense enough to be used as a monitor so the letters and display wont be all pixelated and crap, but it would still be good just as a TV i think.
 
DarkDubzs said:
First of all, thanks for all that info, ill check it all out right now, but i want to first address this. On Newegg, the TV says "120Hz Refresh Rate, 4K @ 30Hz." So what does that mean exactly? Apparently with the resolution at 4K, it will be 30Hz which is horrible for gaming (i can already imagine all the tearing, even 60hz isnt enough for me sometimes), so how can i get it to be 120Hz? Is there a setting to adjust it to like 30 or 120? Or do i have to set the resolution lower to something, i would hope at least to 1080p.

Also, would 30Hz be good enough for normal TV use like hd cable television or Netflix? I believe television is set to about 30fps, so 30hz should be fine if that is so, but i have also heard people say that if you want to watch sports, you need to get a 120Hz+ tv so the screen wont tear from the fast panning and stuff i guess, but that would mean cable tv is not locked to 30fps, so im really confused on that part. Any help anyone?

I guess if I were to get that 4K, which is sounding really attractive because its 4K mainly and its an excellent price, I would set the it to 120Hz for pc gaming (console gaming seems to never go much over 30fps, but I would see and adjust as needed) and maybe 30Hz for TV watching if 30Hz is enough for TV. I hope it is actually sharp enough and pixel dense enough to be used as a monitor so the letters and display wont be all pixelated and crap, but it would still be good just as a TV i think.
Click to expand...
I don't think there will be much tearing if vsync is on. But in any case, I'd just run games at 1920x1080. When you set the resolution to 1920x1080, you can set the refresh rate to 60 or 120 without issue.
 
450 said:
I don't think there will be much tearing if vsync is on. But in any case, I'd just run games at 1920x1080. When you set the resolution to 1920x1080, you can set the refresh rate to 60 or 120 without issue.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I wouldnt even be able to game at 4k lol. I only have a gtx 660 sc right now in my rig and i would need something like a gtx 780 TI or a couple to get 4k at high or ultra settings. Im mainly concerned about the sharpness and color of the display. There isnt even much 4k content out yet, not even movies, but it would be nice to have 4k capabilities if i need it, but that leads to my other concerns, is 30Hz enough to watch TV and movies?
 
Bestio said:
Just check displaylag database to buy the fastest one. :)
Input lag can be very high on some TV.

If you want to adopt a 4k TV, the Panasonic AX800 is the only one with Display Port, necessary for 2160p@60hz connected to a PC.
My friend just purchased it and he is very satisfied. :)
Click to expand...

Richard Jones said:
Just a couple examples;

The best 1080p is the Sony KDL-42W700B.
UK review: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/kdl42w705b-201402233639.htm
Maybe too big and expensive though.

A cheap but decent 32" alternative is the Samsung F5000.
It's an 'old' model, can still be found in Europe though.
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-ue32f5000-201308253262.htm
Click to expand...

All of those tv's you recommended are way too expensive for me and i cant find them in the US. Sorry, i forgot to mention i live in the US.
 
I was reading up on 4k tv's and reviews and basically it is said that if youre gaming on a 4K display at 30Hz, its better to have higher fps in your game, like 60fps... but i dont understand that logic. If the display can only handle and show 30fps if its at 30Hz, why would you want to game at 60fps?... wouldnt that just result in a lot of screen tearing because the display can only display 30 fps, but youre pushing out 60, so screen tearing would happen, no? Wouldnt you want to aim at 30fps in game if youre watching on a 30Hz tv?

Luckily, i guess, i would have to set the TV to 1080p to game since my rig would explode if i tried gaming at 4K, and all the 4K tv's ive seen are 120Hz at 1080p.

Any help on that point too, guys?
 
DarkDubzs said:
I was reading up on 4k tv's and reviews and basically it is said that if youre gaming on a 4K display at 30Hz, its better to have higher fps in your game, like 60fps... but i dont understand that logic. If the display can only handle and show 30fps if its at 30Hz, why would you want to game at 60fps?... wouldnt that just result in a lot of screen tearing because the display can only display 30 fps, but youre pushing out 60, so screen tearing would happen, no? Wouldnt you want to aim at 30fps in game if youre watching on a 30Hz tv?

Luckily, i guess, i would have to set the TV to 1080p to game since my rig would explode if i tried gaming at 4K, and all the 4K tv's ive seen are 120Hz at 1080p.

Any help on that point too, guys?
Click to expand...

You don't SET the TV to anything. Hz aren't dictated by the TV. The source (PC, Xbox) and the content are what determines the refresh rate.
 
450 said:
You don't SET the TV to anything. Hz aren't dictated by the TV. The source (PC, Xbox) and the content are what determines the refresh rate.
Click to expand...

But the TV is listed saying it supports up to 120Hz @ 1080p resolution and 30Hz at 4K. I know the source is what determines the fps and refresh rate, but the TV can only handle 120fps at 1080p or 30fps at 4K, so the TV could be the bottleneck if the source it outputting a higher fps than the TV can handle or refresh, which would result in screen tearing. Thats what im trying to say.
 
DarkDubzs said:
All of those tv's you recommended are way too expensive for me and i cant find them in the US. Sorry, i forgot to mention i live in the US.
Click to expand...

Yes of course I just wanted to show the Sony as a reference (13ms input lag, awesome internal scaler).
It can be found in the US but only in a limited number of stores (usually Canadian) like NCIXUS. Awfully expensive though, yeah...
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=94164&vpn=KDL42W700B&manufacture=Sony%20Consumer%20Electronics

Back to more affordable stuff, I believe the LG mentioned probably was a LN5300.
Here's the amazon link, where you can select 32", 39", 42"
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-32LN5300-32-Inch-1080p/dp/B00BB0ZTM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404892466&sr=8-1&keywords=32LN5300
 
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another +1 for seiki. I mean even the 50 inch has been as low as $429.

Its cheap enough that its comparable pricing to a 1080p TV. So even if you buy it and just use it as a native 120hz 1080p TV then its still good. The 4k is really nice for desktop work, video, etc... 30hz is fine for everything non gaming. I love using my 50 inch as a monitor @ 4k as the text size is great, still decently large, and lots of desktop real-estate.
 
You're right, a lot of people have zero patience and cannot wait. They are hell bent on having it right now no matter what.
 
What about the whole "TVs don't do real 120Hz like computer monitors do" issue?
 
Is the Seiki good for X1 or PS4 TV? I'm looking for TV to use it dedicated for my consoles. Would this be the best bet?
 
Are those seiki's even any good as actual TV's? Only reviews/user feedback I see is as a monitor.
 
Richard Jones said:
Back to more affordable stuff, I believe the LG mentioned probably was a LN5300.
Here's the amazon link, where you can select 32", 39", 42"
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-32LN5300-32-Inch-1080p/dp/B00BB0ZTM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404892466&sr=8-1&keywords=32LN5300
Click to expand...
Thanks. Thats a good TV for the price and LG is a good enough brand, and plenty of good reviews, only $300 for the 39" and only an extra 20 dollar bill for the 42". I saw the input lag was 29ms, is that good enough to not notice a delay or lag when moving my mouse and typing using my pc and gaming with a console connected to it-would be an xbox 360 with wireless controller.

houkouonchi said:
another +1 for seiki. I mean even the 50 inch has been as low as $429.

Its cheap enough that its comparable pricing to a 1080p TV. So even if you buy it and just use it as a native 120hz 1080p TV then its still good. The 4k is really nice for desktop work, video, etc... 30hz is fine for everything non gaming. I love using my 50 inch as a monitor @ 4k as the text size is great, still decently large, and lots of desktop real-estate.
Click to expand...
Exactly what i was planning on using it as. 4K for any non gaming pc work and TV, then 1080p for gaming. Only, another concern i have with 4K TV's and monitors is that if PC game with it at 1080p, wouldnt it look blurry and pixelated due to upscaling? Like, since the TV is at 4K resolution and upscales any lower resolution to 4K, wouldnt it take the 1080p "image" of the game and "blow it up" (upscale) it to fit the 4K resolution display and thus make it look blurry? As if you take an image or gif or video, and zoom in, it starts to get blurry and pixelated, wouldnt it do the same in this case?

SixFootDuo said:
This is probably the best reason to not buy any current Seiki set.

June 24th 2014 - Seiki Announces Trio of 60Hz 4K Monitors:

http://www.pcper.com/news/Displays/...-Ultra-HD-Monitors-HDMI-20-and-DisplayPort-13
Click to expand...
Now that is exactly what i need. 4K native resolution with 60Hz which would be excellent to watch TV and movies with AND i have the ability to game at 4K with a reasonable monitor refresh rate so i dont tear the shit out of my game lol. Im just worried and almost certain it will be significantly more expensive than the current Seiki 4K TV's, but by the time they come out next year i should already be well into a job and be able to afford it. So this is at the top of my list now and ill just wait it out, unless i suddenly come into enough money to afford the current Seiki TV's or something like the LG LN5300, ill probably be too eager and get one of those. Great price on those ATM too, my parents might want to get like a 50" for the living room, ill mention them to them.

xIronCrossx said:
Are those seiki's even any good as actual TV's? Only reviews/user feedback I see is as a monitor.
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Well they were made as TV's in the first place so i assume they perform just as excellent as they do used as monitors. If anything it should be worse being used as a monitor IMO. If everyone loves it as a monitor, im sure they love it as a TV too. Also, as a TV, youll be sitting farther away than if it was on your desk a couple feet away, so imperfections will not be as noticeable if at all.
 
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DarkDubzs said:
Only, another concern i have with 4K TV's and monitors is that if PC game with it at 1080p, wouldnt it look blurry and pixelated due to upscaling? Like, since the TV is at 4K resolution and upscales any lower resolution to 4K, wouldnt it take the 1080p "image" of the game and "blow it up" (upscale) it to fit the 4K resolution display and thus make it look blurry? As if you take an image or gif or video, and zoom in, it starts to get blurry and pixelated, wouldnt it do the same in this case?
Click to expand...

On the 39 inch with the 50 inch firmware (or mine) it does 1 -> 4 pixel scaling (pixel doubling) so it doesn't really make the image blury (like other scaling would) and not really any more pixelated than an actual 1080p TV would be as its essentially just making the pixels 4x bigger. I personally prefer this scaling as it works perfectly for 1080p -> 2160p which is exactly 4x the resolution but some people don't like this.
 
DarkDubzs said:
I saw the input lag was 29ms, is that good enough to not notice a delay or lag when moving my mouse and typing using my pc and gaming with a console connected to it-would be an xbox 360 with wireless controller.
Click to expand...
It's a bit under 2 frames of delay, most people won't be bothered by that.
Don't expect 'top-of-the-line monitor' performance from entry level TVs, but for everything like casual console gaming those are good enough 'big' all-round solutions.
For demanding gamers who extensively play timing-critical games such as FPS, rhythm games, or fighting games for instance, even the best models like the Sonys might not be responsive enough.
 
The LG's over the years, the LD, LK, LN, LB, etc etc ... of which I've owned all model years plays the most demanding games perfectly. Latency has in fact been proven to be lower than some actual PC monitors. I play BF4, RTS, etc and it's lightning responsive.

This is why I would read those threads I provided. Several have already looked at the latency and it's in-deed low
 
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