Monitor vs TV

[dingdongbubble]

If I get a Macbook, I will be giving up the large screen on the iMac. I will want a 20-24" display. Maybe more f I get a TV.

What are the differences between using a TV as a screen and a monitor as a screen? And the TV will be 1080p or 720p.

[NickD]

In a nutshell, TV's have lower resolution, and monitors have higher resolution. TV's are fine for watching media, monitors are better for web browsing and text editing.

You'll want a monitor also for pixels and color accuracy if going into design, web design, video, or photography.

There's more to say, but that's the gist of it.

[kuebby]

Everything NickD said is right, BUT: If you get a 720p or 1080p HDTV this has the same resolutions as most monitors and would be fine for basic computing tasks (internet, word processing, music, video, iPhoto work, email, and calender).

[Killyp]

1080p is higher resolution than a MacBook display, 720p isn't though.

Some TVs are very colour accurate, others are not. Depends what you get. Generally, they are very poor at reproducing colours and tend to over-highlight outlines or soften things up too much. The best TVs on the market produce a neutral, 'even' picture without feeling 'rich' or 'dull'. Higher resolution does not necessarily mean better. I'd love an Apple Cinema Display, but at the same time, I've used a TV before as a monitor, and it's one of the few times where I actually feel it works really really well, despite the considerably lower resolution than something of the same size from Apple.