Compatible HD TV for computer?

9 years ago

Hopefully this is the best topic for this discussion.

I haven't owned a television in over ten years so I'm out of touch with the current technology. I checked out CNet which had a good list but I'm curious about personal experience.

Most friends who have TV don't use it with their computer so I can't ask them. My mother in law has a beautiful Plasma tv but I'm not sure of the size. I like the fact that Plasma can have a real dark affect as I remember television being too bright at night.

So what's your set up like? Wireless? Pros and cons? Smart TV or just connect it to a laptop for same effect?

The space is awkward so we'll be fairly far back, about 14 ft away but if necessary we could move furniture now and then for a better view.

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mtvhike

9 years ago

I am using a 32" Samsung TV as my second display. I find that it overscans - that is the image is slightly larger than the TV, so the icons on the top right don't appear when I use full screen. Also, the text seems to be a little less sharp than the Samsung monitor which is my main display. Because my vision is becoming less sharp, I like the larger screen and was thinking about an even larger one, but am concerned about the overscan problem.

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Comments (8)

azinoh
9 years ago
Do you want to stream video to your computer via a web page from some place like Hulu, Netflix or the network of your choice? Then go ahead. If it doesn't work, you'll likely get an error message saying what you need to do to make it work. On The Other Hand...if you're talking about tuning in the channel of your choice on your computer as provided by a cable/satellite company or over-the-air that is more complicated. It's likely you will need to install a tv card in your computer and an antenna for OTA, and it would be easier to accomplish with a desktop...harder with a laptop IHMO. You also haven't said which computer/operating system you'll be using.
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User
9 years ago
Lots of different ways: Connecting your Laptop to an HDTV. Myself I like connecting Wirelessly if I'm going to connect to a HDTV, I hate those cables. I really just end up using my Laptops 15.6" Screen. My Acer Aspire V5 573p-6896 Laptop has a 1920 x 1080 Resolution, it's a Crystal Clear Picture, as good or better than my HDTV (No, I'm not complaining about my HDTV). The Normal Resolution for most 15.6" laptops is 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900.

We don't have a Smart TV in our Front Room where I'd use the Wireless at (Older 42" Magnavox LCD HDTV). I do however use a Google Chromecast hooked up to this TV to Stream with. Our Bedroom TV's ( 32" Magnavox LED & 48" Vizio LED ) are Smart TV's which are usually used for either Netflix or VUDU. I usually use the Frontier FIOS Cable Box to watch TV.

Azinoh mentioned, there are TV Tuners for your computer. I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 in my Desktop Computer and I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q for my Laptop. These Tuner Cards work pretty good for Viewing TV on your Computer. I only have an Antenna's hooked up and I receive around 14 High Definition Channels. I did have a Cable Box at one time in my Computer Room that was hooked up to the Hauppauge 1600 TV Tuner Card. But since I spend more time on my Laptop these days, I decided to save a few $$$ and get rid of the cable box!
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I'm sorry kudzu9, I didn't see your response since I was so busy looking for those graphics to post. I read over the article you linked to and must say I disagree. With this particularly......... "Surprisingly, in both of those cases, video playback can actually look quite good. What I mean is that if you're using your TV as a computer monitor and to do typical things like reading email or surfing the web, you'll be quite disappointed. However if you are playing back a video - say playing a DVD in your computer and watching it on the monitor - it seems to be quite acceptable." My experience since 1999 is just the opposite. My computer monitor displays just fine. I do video editing and photo videos on the computer while displaying and recording to the television. Those are acceptable also. However, playing a DVD on the computer produces a horrible picture on the TV. The reason is as he explained - the TV does not have enough lines to re-produce the color, so the picture is awful. I cannot explain why when recording to VCR or DVR, the picture is not noticeably affected. He also suggested S-video hookup, but that cannot work since S-video is output, not input. Both the output device (computer's capability or video card) as well as the input device (TV,VCR, or DVR) must be S-video capable. Most televisions and VCRs are not. Therefore, outputting/broadcasting in S-video is useless when going from the computer to the TV. It's doubtful the television will pick up any signal at all, much less one of better quality. You'd have to go from computer to VCR (or DVR) to TV. And, that poses still another problem since today's VCRs do not support the signal from the monitor in color, only in B&W. When my old VCR went out and I had to purchase a new, I had a rude awakening. I took it back for a different brand - didn't work either. Took that one back for a VERY EXPENSIVE Sony with all the bells, whistles, and hookups - still didn't work. What I ended up doing was giving my new Sony to my cousin in trade for his old VCR - his beloved old one so it took some doing LOL. Not even the new VERY EXPENSIVE Sony enticed him, so I had to beg. It has been three years and I still get his complaints. When his old VCR goes out on me, my only option is to find one at a second hand shop or a pawn shop. With all that said, I must include being able to use my DVR for that purpose even though I cannot use a relatively new model VCR. And, it must be a DVR and not a DVD player. DVD players are not input capable (none that I've seen but there may be some) since you must be able to plug the video card into it. Clear as mud? LOL
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Mike C
9 years ago
I like the concept of using a TV tuner in your PC. Unfortunately, cable companies have (at least Spectrum in north Texas) went to requiring digital adapters for almost everything but local channels (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC). If your PC has an HDMI port or TV has a VGA connector, you're probably fine with whatever you get.
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Original Author
9 years ago
Gosh this is a lot of info to digest. I need to research these things before I can properly respond but in the meantime thank you for replying. I guess my most basic question is how to watch HD youtube videos etc by connecting the laptop to the HD TV (we are considering a Plasma TV if that matters) but also we might want the option of getting direct service eventually. So maybe a Smart HD TV is what we should be looking at to start with.
azinoh
9 years ago
If you're going to get a Smart tv, most likely it will connect to your network directly and you'll be able to watch Youtube without involving the laptop.
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Mike C
9 years ago
Plasma TV technology ended in 2015. You can still buy, but probably won't get any repair support.
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Mike C
9 years ago
Check this out - the answer - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277895-33-hdmi-screen-display. This is what I had to with my Samsung 48" smart tv. This worked on Win 7 and an Nvidia card.
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Compatible HD TV for computer?

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