Which is better? a proper monitor or a HD TV?

That depends on price and panel type and specs such as resolution, contrast (not that dynamic bull) and what inputs each has, etc.
 
As mentioned in the post above mine, there is no quick answer. But for monitor use, a good monitor will trump the TV every time.

And even for occasional video use that same good monitor will likely trump the TV. Most TV's in the 26" range have poor video quality and higher input lag. This has a lot to do with the parts used and how the firmware is poorly programmed on smaller TV's.

Quality TV's begin at the 32" size.
 
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a monitor is better than a tiny TV for computer use. You will spend less money on a higher quality panel with a monitor than a TV.
 
I have tried output to 2 diiferent HDTV's for text / graphics its never as good as a monitor but what are you doing that needs text?
My 26 inch monitor looks great when I sit 2 ft away.
My 60 inch plasma looks great when I watch video from 6-10 feet away.
 
If you are planning on using the TV with your computer, chroma 4:4:4 is a much for sharp, clearly legible text output.

Here is a compiled list in a thread here on the [H]

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

Also read this wiki article on what chroma means

Not to mention if you go to a store and look at the tv's/ lcd monitors, you can develop an eye for detail when you gain the experience. Try and distinguish panel types by viewing angle and look for sharp changes in gradation, or ugly changes in colors when a gradient appears on screen. This is because some monitors use TN panels, which mostly only support 262 thousand different colors.

At its roots, each pixel can support 6bits of color information per subpixel, totaling to 262k different color combinations.

Higher quality IPS panels, found in the better televisions and lcd monitors, have 8bits per subpixel, for a total of 16.77 million different colors. This is why you see color gradients more clearly. IPS panel tech also allows for wider viewing angles of about 178 degrees.

If you are looking at the tv, most retailers dont know what the fuck any of this means, so you are shit out of look trying to ask what tv has what, etc. So a quick run through of viewing angles and watching a high quality source image on the TV will allow to choose quickly what is good/bad.

Also be aware that people turn the contrast etc down and fuck up settings on some tvs that are actually nice in an attempt to sell a newer model, etc.
 
Better value and panel quality in TVs in my opinion. I went through a bunch of modern monitors, trying to replace a 24" CCFL IPS panel, and all the new ones use LED with bleed issues.

I settled on a Panasonic 32" 1080p E5....

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIE...ED-LCD/dp/B00752RACW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top


...no 4:4:4 chroma, but I don't notice really, I guess I don't experience those situations. Great for games and movies, no input lag and excellent blacks, and no bleed.
 
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It doesn't have to be this complicated if the OP sticks to the 24" ~ 27" range, because all he would need is a monitor. Any small TV in that size range will either have junk parts or poor visual results.

vick1000 said:
..no 4:4:4 chroma, but I don't notice really, I guess I don't experience those situations. Great for games and movies, no input lag and excellent blacks, and no bleed.
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I share your opinion on Panasonic IPS-alpha but we are in the minority. Most people do not like colors that appear either dithered or wide-gamut or smudged colored-text, they want everything tight and sharp and can pick it out from a mile away and cry loudly about it.
 
Face it plugging a computer into a TV looks like crap, even 27" at 1080p, everything gets blown up and fuzzy.
 
SJetski71 said:
It doesn't have to be this complicated if the OP sticks to the 24" ~ 27" range, because all he would need is a monitor. Any small TV in that size range will either have junk parts or poor visual results.

I share your opinion on Panasonic IPS-alpha but we are in the minority. Most people do not like colors that appear either dithered or wide-gamut or smudged colored-text, they want everything tight and sharp and can pick it out from a mile away and cry loudly about it.
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I wish this screen had an IPS Alpha panel, it's just an LG panel I believe. Panny only makes CCFL Alphas, correction....MADE them.

Really the only issue I have is with bright red text on a bright blue background, or bright blue over red background. And if a website is using either of those God awful formats, I wouldn't want to be there anyway.
 
I miss the hell out of my old 32inch LG TV. Picture was amazing for text and games. Way better then the 27 inch HP monitor I currently have (TN panel...). The LG blew out @ 1 year and 13 days after purchase. :mad:

Getting a HDTV that makes a great monitor is tricky though. If you go that route buy local so you can return it if need be.
 
Tvs seem to lag... Monitors are much better for text and gaming. Plus monitors can be purchased that have higher resolution the 1080p
 
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