Difference between LCDs and HDTV LCDs?

lots of things (and you may want to look some of these terms up)...

resolution
dot pitch
aspect ratio
gamut
panel bit depth
panel type (TN, MVA, PVA, IPS)
contrast ratio
video scaler
deinterlacer
number and type of inputs
tuners (NTSC, ATSC)
advanced video processing (120hz, dynamic contrast)
HDCP (iffy support on 30"ers)

that's just too much info to break down for you, but...

some things you should know about 30" desktop LCDs is that most of them have no internal scaler, meaning they only run at their native resolution (2560x1600) or half that (1280x800). if you want to run at other resolutions, video card scaling has to be properly supported by the game/program, video card, video drivers and OS. that has been a problem lately with recent video cards and drivers (8800 series and 16x.xx drivers under Vista, for example). this kind of ties into the HDCP problem whereby if you want to run a blu-ray or HD DVD player on your 30" monitor it will most likely be limited to 1280x800 because there is no internal scaler allowing 1920x1080. same problem with connecting consoles e.g. xbox 360 and PS3.

bottom line is get a desktop LCD for exclusive computer usage, and an HDTV for everything else... or a good HDTV for both.
 
Blahman said:
bottom line is get a desktop LCD for exclusive computer usage, and an HDTV for everything else... or a good HDTV for both.
Click to expand...

Amen to that, like my Westy 37"....full on 1080p for gaming, desktop use, and hd movies.
 
Blahman said:
bottom line is get a desktop LCD for exclusive computer usage, and an HDTV for everything else... or a good HDTV for both.
Click to expand...

Would you consider this Atec monitor a good HDTV? It says that is uses LG.Philips panel so I suppose this should be IPS one or am I mistaken here? If so, what are the differences between Philips panels used for computer screens vs TV sets? Obviously apart from resolution, dot pitch size, aspect ratio and tuner. I checked the manual and it looks like it supports all standard PC resolutions so there shouldn't be a problem with a desktop cut at the top/bottom.
But what about image quality with the Philips TV panels? Is it comparable to PC screens or is it a completely different technology which has no other use than watching films and playing games? The response time is 5ms g2g so there is no difference here but what about color reproduction quality? Also do they offer scalling or is the picture always gonna be stretched to fill the screen? What are your thoughts about using it as a computer monitor?
Thank's a lot for all the answers!
 
i'm not an expert on this, but i've never heard of atec...

its pretty common for lesser known brands to take a decent panel and slap in a bunch of mediocre electronics to undersell the competition. on the other hand if it is just a rebadged LG 37LB5DF then it should be good set. but do your research. AVSForum.com is the place to go for user to user info/discussion on specific models/lines.

e.g. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=833701
 
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