How to configure Plasma TV as a monitor

[edcentric]

I have a 50" LG plasma. I have a computer with an ATI video card.
LG says that the resolution is 1366x768.
When I set the video card to 1360x768 I can hardly read anything on the screen.
I have updated drivers and the video card knows that it is a TV.
What have I missed?
The picture looks better at 1080x768, but it all stretched out.

[Thrax]

Tell it to use it as a TV and use 1920x1080. 1366x768 is a monitor mode.

[edcentric]

well, sort of.
I can't see the whole screen if I go 1920x1080 30Hz
But it is clear.

I can't figure out how to set 1366x768 at 30Hz, since that is where the display is built to run.

[Thrax]

You should be able to resize the screen using ATi controls. There's no reason to be running 1366x768@30Hz when the TV can do 1920x180@60Hz (or even 120Hz).

[tmh88]

You need to make sure it's a widescreen resolution or else it looks stretched out. I had to do the same thing for my 42" plasma. If it's 1080P TV, the resolutions should be at 1920x1080 like Thrax said.

This isn't necessarily direct towards you, just anyone using plasma as a computer monitor.

Make sure you don't leave stationary images on the screen for too long because it WILL cause burn in, as I'm sure you've heard. While companies are saying burn in doesn't happen any more to newer models, it still can and will burn in if you leave an image on for extreme periods. While burn in is definitely not as serious of an issue as it used to be, it is still something to watch out for.The ant-burn in technology behind it has improved tremendously compared to models say 4 or 5 years ago. There are technologies like pixel shift that can prevent it, but still aren't perfect. Just make sure you don't leave the windows bar up for too long. (ex. leaving it on for 4 hours a day for a month will most likely leave a permanent windows taskbar on the bottom of the screen)

You will most likely see some IR(image retention) if you leave a still image up for a while. Ex. having firefox open for 20 minutes, you will most likely see all of the buttons and toolbars when you change to a different image or blank screen but they will go away if you watch some moving images.

The more you use your TV without burn in and having a safe contrast, the less likely you are to get burn in/IR.

[Thrax]

Or you can invest in LCD and never deal with that crap again. :)

[tmh88]

There is no way to get into this plasma/LCD argument without starting a war. Both have their pro's and cons.

[Thrax]

Plasma: Black levels.
LCD: EVERYTHING ELSE.

;D

[Cyclonite]

Thrax, I'm not sure, but it sounds like his TV may only do 720p, in which case he wouldn't be able to reach the resolution you're stating. That's probably why he doesn't see the entire screen. Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

[Thrax]

A 50" HDTV that only does 720p would be criminal, not to mention tremendously unlikely. He also said he couldn't see all of the screen at 1080, which means it works just fine and needs to be centered/resized with the ATI controls.

[Cyclonite]

A 50" HDTV that only does 720p would be criminal, not to mention tremendously unlikely. He also said he couldn't see all of the screen at 1080, which means it works just fine and needs to be centered/resized with the ATI controls.

I agree with you on the criminal aspect. However, if LG claims 1366x768, that's a 720p. I have a 720p LCD sitting in another room that uses the same resolution for PC display.

In my recent search for a 50"+ television, I stumbled across A LOT of 720p sets. I'd get excited about the price, and then realize why it was so inexpensive. Not trying to argue. Just want to help the guy.

Let's clear it up, I guess. edcentric, what's the model? :)

[fatcat]

yea its a plasma 720p, the resoultion is 1366x768

http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/tv%7Caudio%7Cvideo_plasma%20flat%20panel__50PG20.jhtml

[Thrax]

I am curious as to why it displayed 1920x1080, then.

[fatcat]

I am curious as to why it displayed 1920x1080, then.

it displayed 1366x768 of the 1920x1080 :thumbup

I can't see the whole screen if I go 1920x1080

if I change my 1440x900 monitor to say 1680x1050, it displays, but doesnt show all of the desktop. I have to move my mouse to the right/up to see the rest of the desktop, but it only shows 1440x900 pixels at a time.

[Thrax]

I guess I'm used to my LCD where it simply refuses to set that resolution.

And I stand corrected on the resolution bit. Huh. I guess there's no real way to clean it up, Ed. That resolution is gonna look funny because it's outside of the range the monitor can crisply display. More or less, it's trying to fit 60,000 too many pixels into the space, so info gets dropped and it'll look blurry. Calibration can clear it up some, but I don't know if it'll ever be perfect.

[TheLostSwede]

You do not want to have a PC monitor at 30 hz, but using HDMI or DVI input on the telly might force 25 or 30 hz. Use the VGA input (can also be called PC input on some models). That should sort you out.

[edcentric]

Thanks guys. I found that the best image for text is actually at 1280x768 60Hz.
Yes, 720p on a 50" is a waste, but at least it isn't 1080i.
Thanks again for the advise.

[Cyclonite]

Glad you got it sorted. :)

[tmh88]

Plasma: Black levels.
LCD: EVERYTHING ELSE.

;D

True response time(Yes, LCD response times have come down a lot in the past few years). If you are a hardcore gamer you CAN tell a difference. Try playing a game like Halo on a plasma, and then an LCD.

Black levels make a big difference. I'm not sure why you said it so sarcastically. Colors seem so much brighter and more realistic on plasma. I figured you out of anyone would know that. Higher end LCD's look amazing, but they're still extremely expensive. Sorry, I don't have $3000 for a TV. Until you get to high end LCD's, which most people can't afford, plasma definitely holds.

My Sharp Aquos claimed to have a 5ms response time, which it obviously didn't. I ended up playing on my parents vizio plasma and it definitely had a better feel to it. If you turn around to quickly shoot someone, you can feel it lagging slightly with the accuracy. My room mate had a 32" samsung LCD and the response time also hurt me on there. Maybe thats be cause it's a console, but I tried both HDMI and component. If you're good at a game, you can definitely tell a difference in response time of FPS'. I play much worse on LCD screens compared to plasma when playing FPS'.

I refuse to ever buy an LCD again unless it's a very high end model (or until those drop a ton in price). I played on an LCD for about 3 years, switched to plasma, and I'll never go back. I've played on LCD screens a lot since and I really don't like them as much. Just a hardcore gamer's opinion.

[NiGHTS]

FWIW, my LCD screens (HPw2207, Compaq 'Clearview') look much better with a glass coating over the top... much like that of my family's Plasma screen.


I logged considerable time for gaming, as well.

[tmh88]

Before someone tries to call me out, I'm not saying LCDs are bad for gaming. I just don't like the feeling while playing FPS' on them. Nights, I agree too about the glass coating.