Anyone using a LCD television with their Mac? Need opinions

[NJRonbo]

Here's my situation...

I currently have my Mac Pro (2007) hooked up to a Dell 30" LCD monitor.

It looks great, but quite frankly, I want something a little larger and
a bit more glossy. I was hoping Apple would release a 30" glossy
Cinema Display, but that has yet to happen.

(Please no comments on gloss vs. matte. I know the good and bad.
I just happen to prefer glossy).

I am thinking of going with a 40" LCD television. I would connect
it DVD-D to HDMI.

Plasma has a better "gloss" factor but I wouldn't dare risk burn-in.

Friends are telling me that I will lose valuable resolution with a
40" LCD display. However, I occasionally read stories of people
having great success with hooking up their Mac to a large screen TV.

Are any of you using an LCD television with your Mac? What do
you think? Would I be losing valuable resolution going this route?

Finally, if I am considering 40", do I have to look at 1080p displays
above $1000? I was hoping to stay within the $1k or less range.

Thanks in advance!

 

[milk242]

This is my opinion, when people go with an LCD tv they were probably using something like a 15 or 20" 1280X1024 res monitor, but you're going from a 30" 2560X1600 res to a 40" with a 1920X1080 res. So it might take some adjustment and you are losing screen real estate.

 

[MisterMe]

This is my opinion, when people go with an LCD tv they were probably using something like a 15 or 20" 1280X1024 res monitor, but you're going from a 30" 2560X1600 res to a 40" with a 1920X1080 res. So it might take some adjustment and you are losing screen real estate.

This is correct. Your 30" example monitor can display four 720p images at full resolution; your 40" example HDTV can only display only one. Several posters have recently asked about connecting the computers to TVs lately. However, what was true back in the old CRT days is true today--TVs may poor computer monitors. A large flat panel TV is adequate as a secondary display for PowerPoint presentations and such like. However, it sucks as a primary computer monitor.

 

[wakerider017]

This is my opinion, when people go with an LCD tv they were probably using something like a 15 or 20" 1280X1024 res monitor, but you're going from a 30" 2560X1600 res to a 40" with a 1920X1080 res. So it might take some adjustment and you are losing screen real estate.

Well said..

You are buying a larger screen and getting less resolution.

Everything will look huge on a 40" 1920X1080. Plus you would be loosing that nice IPS panel and probably be getting a TN panel... I'd stick with the Dell 30"

 

[danny_w]

Not only will things look huge on a tv vs. a 30" monitor, but it will most likely also look blurry and the colors won't look right. I tried using a tv as a monitor (smaller but still and hdtv), and I found that text esp. was difficult tor ead and not nearly as clear as my monitor at the same resolution.

 

[gwihannom]

I have somewhat of a similar setting.

I have a mac mini that is no longer a primary machine, but rather than giving it away or selling it for cheap, I hooked it up to my media center.

So the 42' plasma television is my sole display for mac mini and no other displays are connected to it.
Then I put a wireless mouse and a keyboard for it and watch videos / television shows, etc on it from a distanced sofa.
It's perfect for THIS setting.

I don't know for what purpose you are looking to switch, but if you are thinking of actually replacing the current LCD monitor with a LCD Television to use as your primary display, forget it.
Besides the lose of resolution, no one works in front of 40+ inch display. It's a very awkward setting and it's not a working quality.

From my setting and from a distance, I can read, type, browse internet, watch movies, etc. But do I read an article or prepare a document on it? I can't do it even if I wanted to. It's not an optimal setting.