College TV suggestions

A

alkaline

Gawd
Joined
Jan 31, 2006
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I need to get a TV for college. Heres what i want:

-LCD, 19in or 20in
-Widescreen display
-Has VGA in
-Reasonable price [under $300 would be prime]

any suggestions? I'm a bit of a TV noob. Thanks guys.
 
for that price id say just get a monitor and then get like a cable box. as i have a 19 inch samsung tv but its 500.
 
actually if you already have a nice monitor for your PC (big if) then i'd look into a TV tuner and save some cash. thats what i did for college. still have it in fact, but its a TV wonder VE which is kinda crappy :/ theres much better ones out now though. just a thought;)
 
alkaline said:
any suggestions for a cable box?
Click to expand...
http://www.epvision.com/ Epvision PHD-205...covers all the bases NTSC/ATSC/QAM in one box. It's what I have hooked up to a 42" commercial plasma that lacks a tuner. Of course if you toss a box into your budget you might as well hop on the $399 AR NEC 20WMGX2 from the Egg....it has a more than capable NTSC tuner built in and you'll be getting the best 20" widescreen available.
 
I also think a TV tuner is the way to go. Some HDTV tuners are even tiny and connect via USB.
 
TV tuner was great for me because as an engineering student i needed all the space i could get. rez gave us a tv, i shoved it in the closet and freed that space up for homework. i'm not too neat with a desk when i get working on any calculations either;)
 
NEC 20WMGX2. (comes with speakers, remote for TV and monitor)
ADD an ATI/AMD 650 TV card with HDTV
 
abcdelight said:
NEC 20WMGX2. (comes with speakers, remote for TV and monitor)
ADD an ATI/AMD 650 TV card with HDTV
Click to expand...

He said $300...

I would suggest a 22" widescreen and an HDTV tuner card. The size will come in handy for multiplayer gaming if you have a 360.
 
abcdelight said:
alkaline said:

"Reasonable price [under $300 would be prime]"

Seems we had some wiggle room. That being the case, a NEC 20WMGX2 for $399 (rebate) at Newegg (no shipping) would be extremely wise choice. It was $700 last fall. Does 1080p to boot. It will beat any rubbish TV for that price and any monitor as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Flat+Panel-_-NEC+Display+Solutions-_-24002319
Click to expand...
I got one last week and I can truly say that once you dial the picture in (separate adjustments for the tv!) the NEC does better with normal tv watching than many 19"-20" lcdtv's that I've seen...and you also get a great pc monitor.;)
 
abcdelight said:
alkaline said:

"Reasonable price [under $300 would be prime]"

Seems we had some wiggle room. That being the case, a NEC 20WMGX2 for $399 (rebate) at Newegg (no shipping at least once a week) would be extremely wise choice. It was $700 last fall. Does 1080p to boot. It will beat any rubbish TV for that price and any monitor as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824002320
Click to expand...

It's hardly 1080p, since it isn't 1920x1080. There are also some limitations (taken from the big 20WMGX2 thread):

"I'm disappointed with the way it handles external devices.

It can do 1080p over DVI, but scaling options are not available, even in DVI-HD mode, so the image is stretched to fill the screen. It can't do 1080p over component.
1080i has some sort of ugly pixel-doubling bob deinterlacing. The image appears pixelated and bobs up and down.
720p over DVI has tearing with aspect scaling. 720p over component seems fine.
480p over DVI is not scaled properly. It's 3:2 instead of 4:3.
480i is not supported over DVI. 480i over component has the same ugly deinterlacing that 1080i does.
There is no luminance correction over DVI, so the PS3 looks washed out over HDMI.

S-video, composite, and component all look like they have some sort of ugly frame-blending noise filter, which degrades the image, and there's no way to disable it. I'm not happy with the image quality, but most people might not notice or care."

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1043429

Regardless, I still love mine, but I haven't used it as a TV device yet. I think 720p over VGA or Component for an xbox 360 might work great based on this post. I think there is a fix for the PS3 problem mentioned as well. Up to the OP how his/her money is best spent. My friend has a Samsung 226BW and loves it for his 360 and PC.
 
For TV tuners, I would look at the Leadtek Winfast series as a cheap option, ATI, or Hauppauge. Saving money by just getting a tuner for an existing PC is exactly what I did freshman year in the dorms with a Leadtek card. I doubt they have HD service on-campus, although an OTA tuner is an additional option if HD is desired.

EDIT: Oh, the OP has a laptop. Well, they make USB tuners too.
 
-=Antimatter=- said:
. There are also some limitations (taken from the big 20WMGX2 thread):

"I'm disappointed with the way it handles external devices.

It can do 1080p over DVI, but scaling options are not available, even in DVI-HD mode, so the image is stretched to fill the screen. It can't do 1080p over component.
1080i has some sort of ugly pixel-doubling bob deinterlacing. The image appears pixelated and bobs up and down.
720p over DVI has tearing with aspect scaling. 720p over component seems fine.
480p over DVI is not scaled properly. It's 3:2 instead of 4:3.
480i is not supported over DVI. 480i over component has the same ugly deinterlacing that 1080i does.
There is no luminance correction over DVI, so the PS3 looks washed out over HDMI.
.
Click to expand...


Lol..a few quips from a huge thread with lots of ravs don't mean anything. One person is complaining about 1080i issues when it isn't even listed in specs. Besides, even with some of the real limitations the main point is how the NEC compares to a rubbish 300 TV with a lot less features. Your reaching very far...very faaaar
 
abcdelight said:
Lol..a few quips from a huge thread with lots of ravs don't mean anything. One person is complaining about 1080i issues when it isn't even listed in specs. Besides, even with some of the real limitations the main point is how the NEC compares to a rubbish 300 TV with a lot less features. Your reaching very far...very faaaar
Click to expand...

I own the monitor like you...it says 480p, 720p, and 1080i on the box....:rolleyes:

The best solution for the OP seems to be a TV tuner, so he likely isn't buying a monitor. This debate is pointless. I linked the thread so he can determine for himself if the NEC could suit his needs.

It's a damn nice monitor, but it's not the Hope Diamond or something. They aren't even making them anymore IIRC.
 
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