buying a macbook, LCD monitor that also doubles as a TV

[mox123]

hi all, i'm thinking of replacing my aging powerbook G4 with a new macbook and a large enough LCD monitor for when i get home. I also want to set up the LCD monitor as a TV as well. Any advice on what's the best setup for doing this? Are there any TV tuners made for the macbook? Or would i need to look for any particular type for monitor so i can plug the cable box into it directly?

there's currently a nice 22" widescreen dell LCD for $299...ideally, i would much rather have my cable box plugged into the LCD directly somehow and not have to go through the macbook every time in order to watch tv....any ideas?

 

[Sayer]

My 42" plasma HDTV double as a PeeCee monitor. It wasn't the floor model, so its like better 'n' stuff. Hah!

 

[feelthefire]

I have a 19" LCD TV that I got for $250 from Newegg. Works great, I run the computer through the S video/composite, and I can hook my DVD player in at the same time, and then run front row through the TV.


I forget the manufacturer of mine but it's been good so far, especially for the money.

EDIT: I skimmed your question. You might be better off getting a TV that can be used as a monitor, instead of a monitor that you might be able to hack into a TV. I have one similar to this and it works great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889160003

 

[NickD]

Yeah. Buy a TV and then wire it into your Mac with DVI.

 

[MattyP]

Don't forget Eye TV

I have a Samsung Syncmaster 940 MW which is a 19" monitor that has a tv tuner which I love.... but if I were to do it again I would seriously consider the USB2 Eye TV analog tuner. The reason why is because you can use it with any monitor, or take it with you if you are traveling and for some reason want to watch tv on your computer. It also has some TiVo like functionality that my monitor doesn't have. I dunno, my two cents.

 

[Royale w/cheese]

I was at Walmart last night and there was a 50" dlp with hdmi and pc input (and it came with a stand) for $697. It was an off brand, but I couldn't help but notice the value. I paid $1818 (now they are half that) after taxes 17 months ago for my sony, (42") granted it is a wega, but $697 is a way good price for a 50" that you could easily hook up a mac mini for a nice multimedia setup for less than $1500, thats kids room prices.

 

[mox123]

oh wow...thanks guys for many good advice! i was actually hoping if it'd be possible to use a strict monitor somehow as a TV since the prices of LCD TV are generally a bit higher than the corresponding stand-alone monitor....

I was at Walmart last night and there was a 50" dlp with hdmi and pc input (and it came with a stand) for $697. It was an off brand, but I couldn't help but notice the value. I paid $1818 (now they are half that) after taxes 17 months ago for my sony, (42") granted it is a wega, but $697 is a way good price for a 50" that you could easily hook up a mac mini for a nice multimedia setup for less than $1500, thats kids room prices.

what's DLP? that's not a flat-panel, right? $697 for a 50" TV of any kind is really cheap! can i hook up my laptop to a screen that's not a LCD?

 

[Royale w/cheese]

what's DLP? that's not a flat-panel, right? $697 for a 50" TV of any kind is really cheap! can i hook up my laptop to a screen that's not a LCD?

DLP=Digital Light Processing

From what I understand, it is kind of like a lcd on top of a projector. It is still High Definition (720i and up) and mine has a great picture. You can hook up your laptop or desktop via the PC input (15pin, d-sub, vga, whatever you want to call it) or through the hdmi input with a dvi adapter. The apple s-video and composite converter isn't bad, although I wouldn't recommend it if you can go the better quality connectors.

DLP are not flat panels but they get extremely thin usually less than a foot deep and some are 7" or less. My Sony Wega is 11" but like I said over a year and a half old.

My mac mini and my macbook hook up fine to mine. My windows laptop doesn't seem to calibrate correctly for the widescreen aspect, but thats windows and compaq for you.

One good thing about walmart though, you can easily take something back if you don't like it!

 

[mox123]

Awesome! I'll now decide between the USB2 tv tuner or just a LCD tv right out....