It's definitely possible to do, but probably easier to use a monitor that's set up for TV. If you're listening to satellite radio on TV that means that you have cable or satellite, right? If you have a box for that you don't need a tuner, and the tuner is the difference between a monitor and a TV.

Mine is a Samsung, and excellent. I was doing some related research recently and Samsung still seems to be well thought of. Check with your computer guy.

plllog - so is your samsung actually a laptop or desktop? And you can watch regular tv programming through it, just as if you were watching on a regular t.v.? Do you know the exact model of your Samsung, so that I sound (hehheh) like I know what I'm talking about when I call my computer guy. Also, what can I expect to pay for it, if you don't mind telling me? Many thanks :-D

I recently bought the Samsung LN26B460 26" LCD TV for $359. As I remember, I also considered a monitor that was the same item (minus the tuner), and it cost about $80 less. (Stupid me thought I needed the tuner, but forgot I had to get a digital tuner from the cable company, so I could have gone with the monitor. The display on this television is just spectacular - everyone comments on it.

I hook my laptop up to this television often, using an HDMI connection. (If you don't know much about laptop-to-tv connections, as I didn't, this is the easiest one. It requires only one cable, and that cable carries both audio and video information. With other sorts of connections, you need separate audio and video connectors. If you're looking for a new laptop for the kitchen, be sure it has an HDMI-out port.)

If you can hook up your laptop and your laptop has a webcam, that would be the easiest way to web-chat. It's really easy to set up. Feel free to email me with questions.

In addition to the web conferencing, there are other benefits to being able to hook up your laptop to a flat-screen tv or monitor. For example, I can buy or rent movies online and watch them immediately while baking in the kitchen. (LOVE THIS!) I can watch shows from Hulu or other TV websites. I can listen to the radio via the internet with the laptop, using the television speakers (which are better than the laptop speakers). I can listen to music that's stored on my laptop, again using the television speakers. I can (another favorite) pull up a recipe online and actually be able to see it from across the room, because it's on television.

One thing you need to remember if you're going to do this is to set the power settings on the laptop so it doesn't turn off after a certain amount of idle time.

I am no expert on any of this, but I am enjoying having the television that can be connected to the laptop *so* much!

It's just a monitor. It does computer in and TV in.

Mine is too old to be useful to you, and the only reason I know the brand is that it says so right on the frame. My computer guy found it for me to go with this computer.

I found a newer one for you to look at to get the idea. Mine is more like a computer monitor in the way it's mounted. And mine has a sturdier stand. But this one has a built in tuner, which you don't need if you have to have a cable or satellite box.

As for the computer part, you probably don't need anything very powerful just for Skype. You can probably do fine with a netbook as long as it has an ethernet or wi-fi connection for your internet, and a port for an external monitor, or you could go with a small laptop if you want to use it also as a DVD/cd player.

My DH, who, unlike me, knows about these types of things, says that TVs and monitors are becoming interchangeable. The one thing to be sure about, though, if you get the monitor, is that it has speakers; TVs, on the other hand, always have speakers. FWIW.

I have a 26" Vizio tv that's wall-mounted above my built-in desk in the kitchen, and I have a Lenovo laptop in a docking station that's connected to the tv using a VGA (regular computer monitor) cable. The television is also connected to the family room Tivo via a 50' HDMI cable that I had an electrician install under the house. That way the sound is synchronized, and when you change the channel in the family room, the kitchen tv channel changes at the same time, and it doesn't drive me crazy having two different sound tracks going.

I've had good luck using Google chat that's part of Gmail for video chats, although I haven't used it with that particular set up.

Having a computer in the kitchen is really convenient. For safety I don't like to leave the kitchen when I have pots cooking on the stove or things in the broiler, so having a computer right there keeps me from being tempted to step away from the kitchen.

Good point about the speakers!

I am wall mounting a 42" television with integrated speakers in my kitchen. And separately, I have a Dell MINI (10" screen) that I can skype and surf the internet with. It is small enought not to take up too much valuable counter space and it's mobile to boot!

It's nice to have the skyping moniter on a mobile laptop, which I hadn't even considered, because you can carry it with you to another part of the house to chat with your daughter too.

Thank-you so much everyone for your advice. Plllog, I printed off your info. re: the samsung, that is exactly what I am looking for. Between buying 2 laptops (for my daughter going to Spain and the other leaving for university next year), and having 2 desktops in the house already, I really don't want to buy another computer if I don't have to - the Samsung monitor seems to fit the bill, at a great price to boot!