[ # ] HDTV vs Monitors

/* Posted May 21st, 2008 at 11:03am */
/* Filed under HDTV, Hardware, PC */

winxp running in an hdtv monitor

With the influx of new HDTV’s at 1080p, I was wondering to myself, why do we even need computer monitors anymore?

HDTV Numbers

Native resolution	Commonly called	Meets definition of high-def?	Frequency	Typical TV types
1,920×1,080	1080p	Yes	Rare but getting more common especially in larger TVs	Flat-panel LCD; DLP, LCD, and LCoS projection; very high-end plasma
1,366×768	768p	Yes	Very common in all screen sizes	Flat-panel LCD; 50-inch plasma
1,280×720	720p	Yes	Common in rear-projection but not flat-panels	DLP, LCD, and LCoS projection
1,024×768	HDTV plasma	Yes	The most common plasma resolution	37- and 42-inch plasma
852×480	EDTV plasma	No	Increasingly rare	37- and 42-inch plasma
640×480	VGA	No	Increasingly rare	Small LCD TVs

A 1080p set is 1920 x 1080 = 2.07 million pixels, which is high compared to even an old high-end monitor at 1600 x 1200 = 1.92 million pixels. A friend of mine bought a 40″ Samsung set for his PlayStation 3 and quickly discovered his gaming PC was perfectly usable on it from back on the sofa, especially with a wireless keyboard and mouse, of course.

Forty inches is probably a bit over the top for most needs - and the pixel per inch number for large sets is still quite far from high quality monitors - but it is more viable now than ever before. If you use a screen from anything but very close range, an HDTV can be a compelling alternative on price vs. picture size and pixels.

Computer monitors pixels are much smaller, and squeezed together tighter. They are clearer, whereas a television will be blurry. A monitor’s optimal viewing distance is about 28″ whereas a television, let’s say a 32″ for case being, has an optimal viewing distance of 7 to 8 feet.

The main test: take a 24″ monitor @ 1080p, and a 24″ TV @ 1080p resolution. Display a word document or a web page. Read the text on each. You’ll strain your eyes and squint at how blurry the television would be.

This is also why those crazy computer gamers with a a huge LCD TVs on their desks are all going blind.

Also, per size, you get far better resolution with a monitor.