if you only have a MBA, do you use an external monitor or HDTV?

[Eggtastic]

I currently have a MBA 11' (2011). excellent computer for my uses and I plan o keep it around for a long time. I bought a dell UH2311 (23 inch LCD) monitor to compliment it and it also is an excellent addition to my computer.

here is my dilemma, I have 2.5 yr old 32" vizio lcd tv. it gets the job done and nothing wrong with it, but i feel like now with the new smart tv technology, that I could just sell off the dell monitor + vizio, purchase a nice 46 or 55 inch samsung smart tv, and have that compliment my MBA. I could either hook my MBA to the tv or just use the smart tv feature if long periods of time on the MBA hurt my eyes.

what are your thoughts, any similar story or close to it would be welcoming. I just want to act soon to sell the dell (i only paid 260 for it and could sell it still high because its only a couple of months old).

so basically anyone with a MBA + HDTV smart tv combo could chime in on their experiences and hardware. thanks

 

[Kyllle]

HDTV's aren't designed to be hooked up to computers for normal use, their response time is relatively slow. Sure they're fine if you want to watch a movie from your computer, but if you're interacting the the screen, you'll probably want a monitor.

 

[joe1946]

My new i7 13.3" MBA looks ugly when connected to one of my 1080p HDTVs but looks great when using my Samsung 26" T260 1920x1200 HDTV/monitor. I think it's because the T260 has a pixel pitch of 0.287 mm vs a much larger pixel pitch on my 32" to 47" 1080p HDTVs. The T260 looks like it has the same pixel pitch as my 24" Samsung monitor with 1920x1200 resolution.

 

[Eggtastic]

thanks for the responses. i will be keeping my dell and just saving up for a new smart tv. i can deal with 3 major tech components (TV, Macbook Air, and iPhone).

 

[chrono1081]

Monitor all the way. TV's can't come close to the same resolution as a monitor (or its pixel density.)

 

[saintforlife]

thanks for the responses. i will be keeping my dell and just saving up for a new smart tv. i can deal with 3 major tech components (TV, Macbook Air, and iPhone).

What exactly is a 'smart' tv? What does it do that other LCD or LED TV can't? Do smart TV comes with Google TV installed or something?

 

[aeboi]

Unless you're sitting far away, the low resolution (relative to the size) would look horrible.

I had mine hooked up to a 32" and disconnected it quickly. Went the route of a dual 23" monitor set up and couldn't be happier.