im just wondering what the general computer use on a 720p hdtv is like? such as using word or internet browseing? is text barely legible or is it crisp? are pictures correct colors and look sharp? does gaming look as it would on a crt monitor? any draw backs for using a 720p hdtv as your primary monitor for all your daily computer functions?
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General computer use on a 720P HDTV?
- Thread starter munkle
- Start date
It mostly depends on your connection, and the type of TV you have. I have a 46" Samsung DLP and I use Dual link DVI to connect my PC to the TV. With Windows XP it is a very easy setup, it automatically recognizes it as a 16:9 monitor on my system.
The picture is very crisp, and just as good as a CRT, and I can read text in the chat box in World of Warcraft, so text is legible. I sit about 10 feet away from the TV but If I increase that distance text starts to become hard to read, because it is very far away.
Games will be hit and miss, but the vast majority are very easily playable with some minor changes to config files, or if you are lucky in the video options. I find that at 1280x720 (720p) there is very small underscan, basically a 1/4 inch black border around the outer edges of the screen (not noticeable at all). Now if I go up to 1920 x 1080 (1080i) on anything other then HL2, I get a small amount of overscan, so about 1/4 inch of the image is offscreen. This is how I play Quake 4 and it is not a big deal at all, as you dont miss anything.
One benefit I see of gamming on my TV is that I do not need to turn on AA. Since I am sitting 10 feet away I cant see the jagged edges of a non AA image, so I am able to play at 1920x1080 resolution with very smooth frame rates because I do not need to use AA, even on my modest system.
Samsung and Mitsubishi TVs, I believe, are the best for using as a computer monitor, but you can get the same results from different TV sets as well. If you use component, or s-video, you will get poor image quality.
Burn in, which is when an image is permantely burned into the screen, used to be a big concern but has lessened to a great extend with new TV technology. On DLP (Digital Light Processing) sets you do not have to worry about it at all, I hear differeing opinions about burn-in on plasmas though.
If you need further information I would suggest the forums at
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/
or the info at : http://www.tigerdave.com/
The picture is very crisp, and just as good as a CRT, and I can read text in the chat box in World of Warcraft, so text is legible. I sit about 10 feet away from the TV but If I increase that distance text starts to become hard to read, because it is very far away.
Games will be hit and miss, but the vast majority are very easily playable with some minor changes to config files, or if you are lucky in the video options. I find that at 1280x720 (720p) there is very small underscan, basically a 1/4 inch black border around the outer edges of the screen (not noticeable at all). Now if I go up to 1920 x 1080 (1080i) on anything other then HL2, I get a small amount of overscan, so about 1/4 inch of the image is offscreen. This is how I play Quake 4 and it is not a big deal at all, as you dont miss anything.
One benefit I see of gamming on my TV is that I do not need to turn on AA. Since I am sitting 10 feet away I cant see the jagged edges of a non AA image, so I am able to play at 1920x1080 resolution with very smooth frame rates because I do not need to use AA, even on my modest system.
Samsung and Mitsubishi TVs, I believe, are the best for using as a computer monitor, but you can get the same results from different TV sets as well. If you use component, or s-video, you will get poor image quality.
Burn in, which is when an image is permantely burned into the screen, used to be a big concern but has lessened to a great extend with new TV technology. On DLP (Digital Light Processing) sets you do not have to worry about it at all, I hear differeing opinions about burn-in on plasmas though.
If you need further information I would suggest the forums at
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/
or the info at : http://www.tigerdave.com/
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- Sep 29, 2001
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- 21,885
With CRT's, the image isn't as sharp as an LCD or DLP unit.
I use my 30" HDTV just to watch movies from my HTPC.
I use my 30" HDTV just to watch movies from my HTPC.