# HDTV vs Monitor for PC gaming ?



## jonathan1107 (Mar 15, 2011)

I currently have a 24 inch full hd monitor and a full hd 32 inch HDTV...

I was wondering if I should try connecting my PC to the HDTV instead of my current monitor. I have a radeon 6950 which would allow a HDMI to HDMI connection to the HDTV...

What would be the PROS and CONS of doing this. I've heard you can get deeper blacks on HDTV and a more dynamic color range...

I also hear a PC monitor is better "pixel wise"... I'm not really an expert on the subject. What do you guys think? Let me know :O)


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## AsRock (Mar 15, 2011)

Pros
Every thing bigger
makes things easier to see
Great for Track IR
HDMI carrys sound so you could plug it in your receiver first

Cons
Can make things more blocky
MIGHT need more AA ( depends on a few factors  like resolution ) 
Screen refresh is typically higher.
I sit pretty dam close to mine but love the larger screen over a smaller one so to me the pros defiantly out do the cons.
More space taken up

Try it only real way if ya going tell if ya like it or not.


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## xvi (Mar 15, 2011)

The TV might have a bit of lag. Be sure to set it to "game mode" if it has one. The TV might also ghost more than the monitor. Be sure to set the HDMI audio as your default sound device (Radeons have a built-in sound card).

..but as AsRock said, if you have both of 'em handy, try them out. A friend of mine used his HDTV on his computer. Had the stupid thing a few feet away from his face. Had to turn his head to follow the mouse around. He enjoyed it quite a bit, but ended up selling it to pay the bills.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Mar 15, 2011)

I've never been able to stand the tv monitor setups. I'm running 1080p on a 21" because anything larger just isn't sharp enough. I mean ignoring that it's pretty ridiculous to have to move your head around trying to see everything on some 42" 3 feet in front of you. It's just silly and awkward unless you're a considerable distance from the display. Like I guess if your pc desk was right up against the back of your living room sofa it would make sense.


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

as long as the TV is set to 'game' or "pc" mode, its lag free and fine.

the only concern is making sure theres enough distance between you and the screen - a meter or two at least (if its 26"+)


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## Robert-The-Rambler (Mar 15, 2011)

*32" 1080p HDTV is the sweet spot*

For a long time I have jumped on the modern HDTV as a monitor bandwagon. The short of it is a quality LCD HDTV with decent response time will be a great monitor. There are a few things to consider other than response time. It is kind of a crap shoot but certain HDTVs will be more optimized for PC use. On the Vizio VO32L I am using right now its VGA input is awesome for PC use. It supports a wide range of resolutions and the auto adjust feature is easy to manage. It suppors full 1080p resolution without scaling needed. Some HDTVs are not real 1080p sets even though they claim to be. They simply automatically scale to there actual native resolution which is close but not all the way 1920 * 1080. The Sceptre X32BV Full HD TV I had did not truly support 1080p via VGA because it in fact only supported something like 1800 * 1000. It will not even run Shadowgrounds Survivor due to resolution issues. The game crashes. When you used HDMI it had all sorts of scaling issues and support issues for gaming. It also had poor response from black and ghosted even though the backlight was very uniform. Ghosting was at it worst in VGA.

As long as you sit a few feet back from a 32" 1080p LCD HDTV you will be mesmerized at how awesome it really is. There is no better and easier on the eyes way to play a RTS game. Everything is legible on the screen and it my case the pixel density is just fine from about 4 feet away. Lets just say that depending on the videos you watch it is a very lifelike experience. I say go quality HDTV and don't look back. 32" is ideal for a true multimedia monitor.


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## jonathan1107 (Mar 15, 2011)

thx for your advice... What about Cable choise? My Radeon 6950 supports HDMI, DVI and more...

But I guess my HDTV supports HDMI... I know there are a bunch of HDMI to DVI connectors or stuff alike...

But what about using HDMI to HDMI. Is that good? Can anybody actually tell me in simple intelligible words what the difference is between monitor and HDTV in terms of quality??

I would like to know if there's any lag... if the screen size bein 32 inch vs my 24 inch monitor an issue. Does a HDTV require stuff like AA or scaling... BTW, my HDTV is an LG 32 inch full HD (or at least that's what it says on the box :O)


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## AsRock (Mar 15, 2011)

xvi said:


> The TV might have a bit of lag. Be sure to set it to "game mode" if it has one. The TV might also ghost more than the monitor. Be sure to set the HDMI audio as your default sound device (Radeons have a built-in sound card).
> 
> ..but as AsRock said, if you have both of 'em handy, try them out. A friend of mine used his HDTV on his computer. Had the stupid thing a few feet away from his face. Had to turn his head to follow the mouse around. He enjoyed it quite a bit, but ended up selling it to pay the bills.



But that's a good thing in my case as i play Arma 2 a lot and fly and drive a lot in that game and when using Track IR  you can have it less sensitive than normal.


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## cyriene (Mar 15, 2011)

jonathan1107 said:


> thx for your advice... What about Cable choise? My Radeon 6950 supports HDMI, DVI and more...
> 
> But I guess my HDTV supports HDMI... I know there are a bunch of HDMI to DVI connectors or stuff alike...
> 
> ...



I use HDMI and it works well.
But we can't answer your question - too many variables. It depends on ther HDTV panel quality and monitor quality. 
My U3011 kicks the shit out of my 42 inch Scepter HDTV quality wise. But that may not be the case with a quality TV and shitty monitor.

What I'm trying to say is hook it up yourself and see how it compares and answer your own questions.


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## IndigoGoose (Mar 15, 2011)

My TV downstairs which is a 50inch 
Has a laptop always connected to it to watch films, youtube, music etc
And i have played a couple of games doing on this and i have to say it is lush 

My upstairs monitor 23inch has a HDMI slot should i be using it 
At the moment i am using DVI just because it was easier to set up when i first got it


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

IndigoGoose said:


> My TV downstairs which is a 50inch
> Has a laptop always connected to it to watch films, youtube, music etc
> And i have played a couple of games doing on this and i have to say it is lush
> 
> ...



apart from adding audio, theres no real reason to move to HDMI for a PC monitor.


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## IndigoGoose (Mar 15, 2011)

Mussels said:


> apart from adding audio



For audio i have my Logitech X-540 5.1 surround sound
So HDMI is pointless for my monitor other than connecting a PS3 or Xbox which niether i own?


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

IndigoGoose said:


> For audio i have my Logitech X-540 5.1 surround sound
> So HDMI is pointless for my monitor other than connecting a PS3 or Xbox which niether i own?



pointless to upgrade to for video, yes. the video part of HDMI was directly copied from DVI, so they're essentially the same.


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## erixx (Mar 15, 2011)

TO OP:

Just take your ueber flatscreen and test it with the pc! It is not heavy like a CRT TV

You WILL have to adjust watching distance: TV screens are not as finepixeled as PC monitors, by design it is for watching from some meters away!

Some DVI carries sound, in my case: from DVI (PC) to HDMI (TV) with a DVI-HDMI cable  You must use the sound driver of your HDMI video card.


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

erixx said:


> Some DVI carries sound, in my case: from DVI (PC) to HDMI (TV) with a DVI-HDMI cable  You must use the sound driver of your HDMI video card.



thats not quite correct, you're still using HDMI.

I get what you're saying, but for some reason i just dont like the way you worded it, nerd-sense is tingling...


edit: got it. you said you're getting audio over DVI, which isnt true as you cant use a DVI cable, or DVI on the monitor/TV end for audio.

You cant even use a DVI to HDMI cable - it has to be a specific DVI to HDMI adpator on the video card, and a HDMI cable to the screen.


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## HookeyStreet (Mar 15, 2011)

Mussels said:


> thats not quite correct, you're still using HDMI.
> 
> I get what you're saying, but for some reason i just dont like the way you worded it, nerd-sense is tingling...
> 
> ...



I thought it was strange that he said he was getting audio through a DVI cable aswell


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## erixx (Mar 15, 2011)

Mussels said:


> thats not quite correct, you're still using HDMI.
> edit: got it. you said you're getting audio over DVI, which isnt true as you cant use a DVI cable, or DVI on the monitor/TV end for audio.
> You cant even use a DVI to HDMI cable - it has to be a specific DVI to HDMI adpator on the video card, and a HDMI cable to the screen.



Sorry Sir, you are wrong! My NVidia GTX 470 offers sound out off the DVI connector. I have direct cable from there to the HDMI-in on the monitor. And getting sound. Bingo.

Note: this was already discussed in some thread


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

erixx said:


> Sorry Sir, you are wrong! My NVidia GTX 470 offers sound out off the DVI connector. I have direct cable from there to the HDMI-in on the monitor. And getting sound. Bingo.
> 
> Note: this was already discussed in some thread



you misread me, and misunderstood my point.


You are still getting sound via HDMI, not via DVI.

You are converting your DVI port to HDMI and getting audio through the use of a special adaptor for your card, but its still HDMI and not DVI that you are using.


for a relevant example - if you used a DVI to VGA converter for a CRT screen, you wouldnt say you were running DVI on the screen - you're running VGA.


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## erixx (Mar 15, 2011)

aha, you are saying that my DVI port looks like a DVI port but is acting like a HDMI port? No problem with that 

BUT: no 'adaptor' here in any form or shape, fyi.


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

erixx said:


> aha, you are saying that my DVI port looks like a DVI port but is acting like a HDMI port? No problem with that
> 
> BUT: no 'adaptor' here in any form or shape, fyi.



yes, its HDMI hiding behind in DVI port. its how they get DVI, VGA and HDMI from the one port when you use adaptors.


If you're not using an adaptor, you cant use the audio...


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## Dogshitjoint (Mar 15, 2011)

Mussels said:


> yes, its HDMI hiding behind in DVI port. its how they get DVI, VGA and HDMI from the one port when you use adaptors.
> 
> 
> If you're not using an adaptor, you cant use the audio...



Great explanation to why I were baffled when I actually did get sound on my HDTV/Mon speakers setting up HD-Audio in NVCP, using a DVI-HDMI cable.

//Dog


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

Dogshitjoint said:


> Great explanation to why I were baffled when I actually did get sound on my HDTV/Mon speakers setting up HD-Audio in NVCP, using a DVI-HDMI cable.
> 
> //Dog



you're lucky it worked with the cable, the cables usually dont work.


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## Dogshitjoint (Mar 15, 2011)

Mussels said:


> you're lucky it worked with the cable, the cables usually dont work.



Yeah I figured how can this even possible

Meh I use SPDIF/Coax for sound anyways so I dont know if lucky is the right word.

//Dog


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## erixx (Mar 15, 2011)

so we are 2 lucky ones,


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## DrunkenMafia (Mar 15, 2011)

I have recently shifted from gaming on my 14in laptop to gaming on a 32in LCD..  And I must say I love it!!  I sit approx 1m from tv max and it rox, I must admit though - playing BC2 I do have to look around the screen so to speak to see it all.  I want to sit a little further away but do not have a cordless KB yet or anything to sit my mouse on (I use it on entertainment unit)   

I have always had issues with using HDMI on my TV.  It is a full HD lcd and HDMI looks great with movies etc.  but the desktop looks shit using HDMI.  I stick with VGA and it looks as good as my Dell 24in LCD upstairs.


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## Dogshitjoint (Mar 15, 2011)

DrunkenMafia said:


> I have recently shifted from gaming on my 14in laptop to gaming on a 32in LCD..  And I must say I love it!!  I sit approx 1m from tv max and it rox, I must admit though - playing BC2 I do have to look around the screen so to speak to see it all.  I want to sit a little further away but do not have a cordless KB yet or anything to sit my mouse on (I use it on entertainment unit)
> 
> I have always had issues with using HDMI on my TV.  It is a full HD lcd and HDMI looks great with movies etc.  but the desktop looks shit using HDMI.  I stick with VGA and it looks as good as my Dell 24in LCD upstairs.



Man...do a test & create your own (lowered) custom resolution in NVCP when using HDMI (Digital) w. desktop & you will most certainly get a clean sharp pic. thats greatly improved from VGA (Analog).

I have done so myself (32" HDTV) & my custom res. is quite low (but clean/sharp) compared to native res. in VGA.



//Dog


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## Mussels (Mar 15, 2011)

oh on that, its likely that you're running at the wrong resolution.

HDMI loves defaulting to 1080i, when many screens are 1360x768 (or 1366x768) P.


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## Dogshitjoint (Mar 15, 2011)

Mussels said:


> oh on that, its likely that you're running at the wrong resolution.
> 
> HDMI loves defaulting to 1080i, when many screens are 1360x768 (or 1366x768) P.



Spot on Mussels


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## BumbleBee (Mar 15, 2011)

for those interested. a couple 32" 3D LED televisions are coming out this year.

the Sony Bravia KDL32EX720 and Coby LED3DTV3286.


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## Robert-The-Rambler (Mar 15, 2011)

*Me Very Interested*



BumbleBee said:


> for those interested. a couple 32" 3D LED televisions are coming out this year.
> 
> the Sony Bravia KDL32EX720 and Coby LED3DTV3286.



The 32" size from a few feet away is just perfect for 3D. You can illustrate this by trying this awesome analglyph 3D video at youtube. Trust me. Track down some cheap 3D glasses and you will understand just how awesome true color HD 3D can and will be on a monitor that size. Here is the link. The video is really awesome and it has CGI dinosaurs. Very cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjJeYfAwQw


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## DrunkenMafia (Mar 16, 2011)

Mussels said:


> oh on that, its likely that you're running at the wrong resolution.
> 
> HDMI loves defaulting to 1080i, when many screens are 1360x768 (or 1366x768) P.



But my TV is full HD 1920 x 1080.  Shouldn't that be fine?


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## Mussels (Mar 16, 2011)

DrunkenMafia said:


> But my TV is full HD 1920 x 1080.  Shouldn't that be fine?



maybe its not... sometimes its easy to be misled. PM me if you want, theres a fair amount of stuff that complicates things. mostly, i need to know your video card, OS, and TV model.


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## Mr McC (Mar 16, 2011)

My rig's connected to a 37" Samsung lcd via an HDMI/DVI cable and I couldn't be happier. If it's an either-or-choice, I say tv.


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