Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

use TV as a monitor?

twoodcc

twoodcc

macrumors P6
Original poster
Feb 3, 2005
15,307
26
Right side of wrong
ok, so i'm thinking of getting either a 32 or 37" 1080P tv and use it as a monitor also.

i will use it with my mac pro, xbox 360, and wii.

i would also like to screen share with my mbp also.

what do you think about this idea? i know i could get a 24" monitor that does the same thing, but eventually i'll need a tv anyways, and it's bigger
 
assuming the TV got a DVI or VGA line in, then yes you can totally do it.
the only problem is that, TVs are designed for being looked at from afar, so if you use it for watching movies, playing games etc there's no probs. but if you use it for word processor or spreadsheet or similar tasks, you'll soon have troubles with your eyes
 
phuong said:
assuming the TV got a DVI or VGA line in, then yes you can totally do it.
the only problem is that, TVs are designed for being looked at from afar, so if you use it for watching movies, playing games etc there's no probs. but if you use it for word processor or spreadsheet or similar tasks, you'll soon have troubles with your eyes
Click to expand...

well i would definitely be watching movies, playing games, etc.....but also web browsing, word processing, video editing, etc. how bad would it really be on my eyes?
 
I had a 32" Sharp Aquos for about 2 days. The resolution did not give me the real estate i wanted and photos looked bad on it even after calibration.
In short, I own a 30" ACD.
 
I have my mac mini hooked up to my 34" xbr Sony tv. Its only 720p not 1080p. However it looks fine to me. Use it as an Internet browser, DVD player, and did a little gaming on it with some WoW. For 90% it works fine, I sit 6 feet away and every now and then I need to zoom in. I also have the font size on the browser up a notch or two (so I can read the screen without glasses). All in all I'd works great. Only problems are with matching up resolution from the computer to the tv, although there are programs for it.

Good luck.
 
jessica. said:
I had a 32" Sharp Aquos for about 2 days. The resolution did not give me the real estate i wanted and photos looked bad on it even after calibration.
In short, I own a 30" ACD.
Click to expand...

with 1080P, the resolution will be higher than my 20" dell right now

kellen said:
I have my mac mini hooked up to my 34" xbr Sony tv. Its only 720p not 1080p. However it looks fine to me. Use it as an Internet browser, DVD player, and did a little gaming on it with some WoW. For 90% it works fine, I sit 6 feet away and every now and then I need to zoom in. I also have the font size on the browser up a notch or two (so I can read the screen without glasses). All in all I'd works great. Only problems are with matching up resolution from the computer to the tv, although there are programs for it.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

thanks. but what if i'm closer than 6 feet? like if it's on my desk and i sit at it normally?
 
twoodcc said:
with 1080P, the resolution will be higher than my 20" dell right now



thanks. but what if i'm closer than 6 feet? like if it's on my desk and i sit at it normally?
Click to expand...

It's because the pixels are larger. Even with HD TVs you just aren't supposed to be 20 inches away - you're supposed to be a few feet at least. especially for a 30" screen!

I say get a monitor. I am buying a 20" ACD today because of this very reason.
 
koobcamuk said:
It's because the pixels are larger. Even with HD TVs you just aren't supposed to be 20 inches away - you're supposed to be a few feet at least. especially for a 30" screen!

I say get a monitor. I am buying a 20" ACD today because of this very reason.
Click to expand...

maybe your right, but i'm not buying anything less that 1080p resolution. i have a xbox 360 now, and i'll probably get a ps3 later (when gran turismo 5 comes out)

some people do have 30" monitors
 
twoodcc said:
what do you think about this idea?
Click to expand...

Short version ...?

We have a LCD TV hooked up to our Mac Mini in the living room, and it's just fine, but that's because we're using it in layout suitable for a TV.

In all honesty, I wouldn't want to use it at normal monitor viewing distances (approx 24 inches), but at TV viewing distances (greater than 36 inches) I'm very, very pleased with it.

So: if you're going to sit at a desk and use it primarily like a monitor, I'd say go with a dedicated monitor. If you can afford it, go with an Apple monitor. If you're planning to sit a foot or more further away than that, you should be fine with an LCD TV ... although I wouldn't recommend any intensive text-based tasks on it ...

Cheers

Jim
 
I got my computer connected to a Samsung 32" 720p HDTV and it works fine for web browsing, video, games, etc. But the fonts overall look really bad. We really need resolution independence.
 
Jim Campbell said:
Short version ...?

In all honesty, I wouldn't want to use it at normal monitor viewing distances (approx 24 inches), but at TV viewing distances (greater than 36 inches) I'm very, very pleased with it.
Click to expand...

Kids today :)

Back in the late 70's and early 80's the only choice was to use an ordinary TV as a monitor unless you could spring for an RGB set. Sure, it looked like crap but we coped. Today, you can plug a computer into an LCD TV and it will look pretty damn good. I have used my MacBook Pro plugged into my Samsung 27" LCD and it looked very good indeed. The Mac was able to instantly recognise the native resolution of the panel (1366x768). Of course, the resolution is lower than even the 15.4" LCD on my laptop but still pretty acceptable all things considered. Of course, I also have a 20" ACD which is better for close work. Either way, they are all light years better than the old Grundig 14" Colour TV that I had my BBC Micro plugged into back in 1983 :-D
 
well, i was in Best Buy tonight, and they had an Acer 24" monitor for $399. so i got it. way cheaper than getting a tv, and better on my eyes (according to ya'll). anyways, i haven't opened it yet.

what do you think? x241w is the model number
 
ACD for Xbox?

Does anyone know if it's possible to run a Xbox 360 on a ACD?

Looking to get one for my room as i only really watch movies or TV series on DVD, barely ever watch regular TV. Also will be used to run my MBP, but i'm not to fussed if it means disconnecting it from the MBP to connect the Xbox
 
twoodcc said:
well, i was in Best Buy tonight, and they had an Acer 24" monitor for $399. so i got it. way cheaper than getting a tv, and better on my eyes (according to ya'll). anyways, i haven't opened it yet.

what do you think? x241w is the model number
Click to expand...

I have the 22" version (macbook can't drive a 24") and I love it, nice looking monitor that I pitched my 21" samsung for.
 
50" 720p DLP Samsung

I have a 50" 720p DLP Samsung TV in my living room that I have my computer connected to via a VGA splitter (one going to the TV & one going to my monitor). My couch is about 10-12 feet away from the TV and I use my TV as my main monitor for everything (web browsing, email, even some hobby simple Photoshop stuff) and it works great. It is VERY bright and clear. I wouldn't use the TV as my main monitor it if I were writing a paper for a class or something that would require hours of typing, but for everything else it is great.

I currently have a 4 yr old HP PC that I bought when I came to college even tho I grew up using Mac. I went with a PC for college by recommendation of our engineering department for things like AutoCad etc.

I am currently saving money to make the switch back when Leopard comes out. I plan on using my new 20' or 24' iMac with this same setup.
 
well using your tv as a monitor would mess up text so im guessing it would suck and not be a very good experience so u have two options
wait for leopard which will include resolution independance and in theory make the text better or if you want a solution that you can get right now you can purchase the elgato eye tv hybrid and hook it up to your computer which lets you watch telivision on any display and even lets you record it + more features (it can display analog and digital signals) so heres what i think you should do buy a 30 inch acd and buy the eye tv hybrid (150$) and you get a better deal tahn you would by buying a display and a tv
 
well looks like I'm keeping the 24" acer. I actually got an even better deal at microcenter. $300 after rebate! Can't beat that. I already opened it and so far so good :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back