17/20" iMAc vs Macbook with HDTV

[dingdongbubble]

I cant afford a 20" right now but if there is a price drop as rumored then I guess I will be able to. I will only consider buying after the upgrade rolls out.

So either I buy an iMac 17/20 which ever is available in my price range. Or I buy a Macbook and hook it up to an HDTV.

I am not going to get involved with heavy graphics just very basic IF I do at all. But the dedicated graphic card seems to be a 'safer' option if I do need to do graphics (I dont expect to). I will mostly be web developing so I would appreciate a large screen.

Would an HDTV be as good as a monitor? There resolutions are pretty good. Will a 720p display look pathetic like SDTV with a Macbook hooked up? I presume a 1080i would be screaming good?

How would an iMac be a better choice? I would love the portability of the Macbook and the ability to hook up to an HDTV (without feeling guilty about not using the iMacs large screen). Also the market for used laptops is higher than desktps IMO. On the other hand I feel the iMac would be better performance wise, would give me breathing room and would last longer (much bigger HDD, dedicated graphic which is I have heard 30x faster).

Please help me in deciding. If Apple rolls out a Macbook withan x3000 graphic card then I will most prolly go for the MB.

 

[dingdongbubble]

Would a 'small' LCD HDTV be a good enough replacement for a 'large' monitor? Will it be able to display two or more windows at once?

 

[Killyp]

The iMac is a much better machine, desktops are much better machines, full stop. Laptops may allow you to carry things round with you, but even when used in clamshell mode (external monitor, mouse + keyboard), their functionality just seems limited and they just begin to feel 'old' much quicker. My G3 iMac still feels absolutely brand new, and performs brilliantly (not exactly a speed demon, but it's quick enough).

The same can't be said for laptops. Get the iMac

 

[robbieduncan]

Would a 'small' LCD HDTV be a good enough replacement for a 'large' monitor? Will it be able to display two or more windows at once?

Depends on the actual native resolution of the panel in the TV. Lots of HD ready TVs claim to support 1080i but they do it by resizing the image to fit on whatever resolution panel they have. Whatever the native resolution of the TV is will be the resolution you want to run your MacBook at.

 

[dingdongbubble]

Lets say I have a true 1080i or 1080p 'small' screen (20-24") so will it act as a good replacement of a 'largel' LCD monitor? Will it 'feel' the same?

 

[robbieduncan]

I've never seen a true 1080i or p screen in that size. Doesn't mean there isn't one, but I think you'd struggle to find one. 1080i is interlaced so you'd probably see tearing effects dragging windows and so on as the screen only redraws every second line for each update. A p screen is progressive so updates every line, every time. Other than that a TV might have a lower refresh rate than the latest gaming monitors...

 

[dingdongbubble]

ok lets say I get a 720p HDTV, hook it up with my Macbook so how will this setup compare with a 20" iMac?

 

[robbieduncan]

A 720p panel (an actual 720p panel: you need to check the specifications very carefully to check the actual panel resolution) is 1280x720 pixels. A 20" iMac is 1680 x 1050

 

[tristan]

Why not wait for the update and then by the older model as a closeout or refurb? A macbook hooked up to an HDTV sounds kinda nuts. In that case, shouldn't you get a used mac mini or something? Why get a portable and then hook it p to a huge TV?

 

[dingdongbubble]

A Macbook because of portability. If I wated a desktop I would go for an iMac. What is the problem with using an HDTV instead of a monitor with a similar resolution? It would serve as a TV and a monitor.