Using a TV as a PC monitor

Personally I'd go for a 32" monitor, text will be legible and images crisp. It's chalk and cheese between a tv and a monitor. You can watch tv on a monitor too with the right apps and software. My grandson was using a 40" Bush tv to play games, bought him a monitor and now he's stopped needing to wear reading glasses!

I used my Panasonic TV as a monitor for a time. Because I had a linux computer acting as a satellite TV with a satellite card in it. I bought a remote keyboard/mouse thing as well.

I am sorry to tell you that it was completely unusable *as a normal computer*, for one very simple reason.

The TV buffered the HDMI signal by up to half a second, so the mouse pointer lagged the mouse and the keyboard entry took that long to appear on screen.

Now that is not a necessary property of a TV, but it was on mine, So test and try before you buy,

Take a laptop with HDMI into the store an plug it in, and if they object, walk out and don't buy it

I should have said that I was thinking of a TV purely because of the available screen sizes: I didn't realise that 32" monitors are also available and at reasonable prices, some of them from big-name manufacturers. This Samsung model looks interesting:

Bert

Thanks for that. I honestly hadn't realised that 32" monitors are available at reasonable prices.

Bert

Am 06/06/2023 um 09:24 schrieb Bert Coules:

Newer generation TVs are not inferior to PC monitors provided both TV set and PC support HDMI.

It's quite common to use an HDMI TV connected to a Raspberry Pi as a media centre.

bought > a remote keyboard/mouse thing as well.> > I am sorry to tell you that it was completely unusable *as a normal > computer*, for one very simple reason... Thanks for that. For some reason I hadn't realised that 32" monitors are available at reasonable prices. For this location I'm not particularly interested in watching TV, so a monitor would be a far better bet, though I have found this 32" 4K "smart monitor" which looks interesting:

Sorry about that: posted the same link twice.

Bert

Bear in mind most decent PCs can support at least 2 if not 3 HDMI desktops. I have setup people to use a portrait one for documents and landscape for the rest.

I use a 43" LG 4K telly as PC monitor, it's excellent. I use it for work and it's been in daily use for eight (?) years with no problems. If it broke down, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

My daughter uses a 32" TV as an additional monitor for her work. She keeps one here for use when she visits, and it does seem to work well.

Be careful, the most reasonably priced 32" TVs are 'HD Ready', i.e.

The resolution is often not marked on the box, so you want 'Full HD'.

Thanks, Joe.

Bert

and> landscape for the rest.

Thanks for the thought. I have wondered about that, but it seems that it would involve a compromise in viewing angles: I like to be facing the screen and my desk doesn't easily accommodate swivelling round, even slightly. But I do have another monitor, so I'll give it a try.

Bert

Bert

Thanks for that. As is usual here, both sides of the argument have their supporters, and all views are useful.

Bert

Sorry abut the formattinmg and layout there. Quoting a previous message seems to be messing things up; I'll investigate.

Bert

I am neither for or against it, I was merely reporting that the particular TV I have, made a s*it computer monitor.

Others appear to have no such problem, so its clearly not an intrinsic quality.

That's an interesting thought, thanks. But it's beginning to seem as if even a 32" screen might not be enough: for an exact equivalent, or better, of the monitor I'm using now in portrait mode I need a landscape screen that has a visible vertical dimension of at least 40cms; the models I've checked so far are all below that - just slightly, but possibly enough to make a difference. Ideally, as has been suggested, I need to try them out in person.

Bert