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What's the best solution for combining both tv and mac running

Grolubao

Grolubao

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 23, 2008
1,579
583
London, UK
Hi to all,

I will me moving to a new house on the near future. I use the mac a lot but sometimes I like watching some normal Tv.

I only have space for having one display at a time, so I was wondering what would be the best solution to combine both the Tv signal and the normal use of the mac with that display. Basically:

- Buying a 24" Apple display
- Buying a normal 24" tv display

I have no idea... Can you please shed some light to the topic?

Thanks in advance!
 
Well, you have two options. You could buy a monitor with a built-in TV tuner like one of these, or you could buy any monitor (Apple or no) as well as a separate TV tuner. The latter option will be more expensive, but it will allow you to choose any monitor you want and you will be able to record TV programs.
 
BlueRevolution said:
Well, you have two options. You could buy a monitor with a built-in TV tuner like one of these, or you could buy any monitor (Apple or no) as well as a separate TV tuner. The latter option will be more expensive, but it will allow you to choose any monitor you want and you will be able to record TV programs.
Click to expand...

Hey!
Thanks a lot for your answer!

But this TV tuner can use the cable tv?
 
What i used to do when I lived in a dorm was use the RCA video input of my dell display hooked into an old VCR that had a tuner (most do, I believe, check any old ones you have), which had the coax cable running to it. I also had my computer plugged into the DVI port of the dell display, and simply changed the inputs when I wanted to watch TV or use the computer. It was cheap and easy, as I already had all the parts I needed to make it work and didn't have to buy anything special.
 
What do you think it's the best solution? It's that for the price of the Apple 24" display, I can get a 30" tv or bigger...

Will it display with poor quality on a normal tv?
 
Using a monitor as a TV is fine, but using a TV as a monitor is not. The quality of a TV is perfectly good for watching shows and movies, but not up to snuff for use with a computer.

However, there's no need to buy an Apple display unless you're especially affluent or are a professional that needs perfect image quality. Any computer monitor will work fine for the purpose.
 
I think the best solution would be to get a 24" display for your mac (I usually recommend dell's displays for cost and quality). Now, there are two ways you can go about it from there to get TV on the display.

1. If you don't mind having to have the mac hooked up to watch TV, get a TV tuner for your mac (elgato makes the best ones). If you go this route, get the current dell 24" displays, the 2409 I believe, which goes for around $329.

2. You could go for a dell 2407WFP or a 2408WFP which cost more, but they have the analog inputs that runplaysleeprun was talking about, and you could hook up a VCR or DVR as another input on the monitor

I think the first option is the best because you can have TV up then while you're surfing or set the mac to record TV. You just can't unhook the mac if you want to watch or record TV.
 
Alright! Maybe I can boost to a 27" display, and have the best of both worlds.

Besides the Dell, what 27" monitor I should be looking at?

Again, thanks a lot for your answers
 
I have been reading about people having difficulties connecting for example a PS3 to their monitors. Will this be the start to a lot of problems trying to have one display that would suit both the mac and tv?
 
I have a 22" Samsung TV monitor/tuner that the person posted a link to on newegg. Love it, works great. And the best part is that it has a DTV tuner built in, so I can watch all my local channels in HD. I would suggest going this route if you want a good television, and a great monitor. The best part is it also supports 1080p for my Xbox 360 and PS3


edit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001278
that is exactly what I have... and I paid $399 for it in August :(
Here is a pic of my dorm setup:apple:
 

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