recommendations for small monitor

No, you're Alan. Imagine if your mother had named you Verbose.

Typical "real" monitors might be 17".

Portable monitors (no Linux driver) are at 15.6".

The price will not be attractive for that last item.

The even-smaller panels are likely to be TN rather than IPS, and the colour shift will drive you crazy.

You should buy by price and availability. If a local seller has a 17" IPS, just buy it and move on. I got a cheap 17" in a January sale years ago, and it was just fine. One stuck pixel, but at the price, who cares. You will pay too much, or get inferior goods, if you go too far from the mainstream.

It would be fine, if everything was made to the same standards, but unfortunately, small == crap is the norm.

Phone displays on the other hand, you notice those can be high quality. When they want to, they can do a good job.

Paul

I just read the Subject line, and thought of this:

Use a terminal session from a laptop, while sat in a comfy armchair?

Bloody Drachinfel. If you leave your computer on you tube, he pops up eventually

or if the HTPC is Windows use window's own RDP?

failing that theres TightVNC, ReaVNC, Teamviewer etc.

There might even be apps available for Tablets?

A tablet rather than a "monitor"?

look for monitors designed to be fitted in vehicles, you'd need to rig up a 12V supply to it.

or those designed for Raspberry Pi if your HTPC has a HDMI output or use a DVi to HDMI cable if the HTPC has a DVI port.

Anything you can get from Freegle is good value. A VNC session to your phone might be a bit small and slow.

Lots of small flat screen monitors available on things like freegle, or local Facebook goups, or for very little in second-hand shops like Cash Converters. I've got several that way which are only used rarely to boot or configure systems which run headless or with the head turned off.

Andrew