Yeah, flat panel monitor with built-in tunner HDTV capable but I have no idea what to look for.
I know..., I could search and read reviews but I'm being lazy...
Don't be that lazy. Many links on the last page of the review too.
oh no, by the time I finish reading one of your articles HDTV will be obsolete...
No seriously, you being the expert (I trust your opinion 100%), can't you just recommend me one that I can use as PC monitor and TV at the same time? I'm thinking at least 1024x768 with a $1000 to spend or maybe more if I have to.
Sceptre is a less expensive line. Do you have a DVD you are familiar with? Something you own and know the movie well?
Pack it down to the store and have a peek. Look at the monitor for all angles including down low and up on your tippy toes. Make sure you have the field of view.
Above all...go look at a conventional TV...just a regular one on regular basic cable...NO satellite feed. Then look at the LCD with the regular cable. Just to make sure you are happy with the picture.
I have heard nothing to alert me to bad about this unit. But go and play with it and look at the back connections. Etc. Don't be afraid to walk away from it either.
UPDATE:
EQ,
My instincts say that LCD TVs will become more popular vs. plasma. LCD TVs are cheaper to make. DLP TVs will most likely supercede other projectection screen TVs due to their extremely light weight. DLP TVs "look" like regular projection screen TVs but they are 25% the weight which makes the very attractive in that respect. They also take up less room but, of course, are probably twice the price.
The thing I want you to think about is "what is this for?". Are you aiming to have a TV-computer combination screen. Something that would sit in the living room where you can watch regular TV and also get the added benefit of a computer.
Then this may be a little small for screen size.
I went with a 36" wide screen and that is the minimum for comfortable screen size. I sit 8 feet away. I could have gone larger...40" but then the TV may have been too big for the room. It's a happy balance.
If you are going to use this more for a computer monitor primary...tv secondary...then damn...I'd sure love to have a 30" computer monitor.
Remember that a 30" widescreen which is 16:9 is roughly the same as a (approximately) 25" 4:3 regular TV. I always watch mine in full screen mode and your get used to/hardly notice the aspect ratio change to bring a 4:3 TV picture to widescreen mode. Check that in the settings too. You should be comfortable with the aspect enhanced image...people shouldn't look short and fat.
The set natively supports 1080i resolution. That's 540 scan lines progressive. The 576p throws people a bit. Remember that there are a few lines in TV that go to other things and aren't seen...36 of them.
That means a 720p signal will be converted to 1080i. It supports the input but converts. 720p native sets are not as common and probably more expensive.
I have the same specs in the Toshiba CRT. It supports 1080i native but here's the twist. I have an HDMI input port for the computer. It does display the computer screen but much smaller. Like an inset window with black all the way around.
Since the LCD version you are showing me is XVGA input then this may not be a problem. It's also meant for computers.
LCD is probably better for Computer/TV combo support.
The next upcoming marketing hook to get us all to re-buy DVD players is HDMI ports. Gone will be RGB for best signal output. The DVD player will feed the TV digitally.
HDMI DVD Players are just starting to enter the marketplace but they are $$$$.
I also just replaced 4 19" X9G Agama analog/digital lcd's with 4 Dell 2100FP's. I was very happy with the 19" Sceptre monitors in terms of reliability over a 1.5 year period, color saturation, contrast, no dead pixels, etc. But, the Dells blow them away! There is a visable difference. As far as the TV/Monitor combo goes, I will Never buy a non-HDTV LCD monitor again and try to use it as a computer monitor. I realize that the monitor you're looking at has much better resolution than mine, but I want to warn you not to do what I did just to save a buck.
I then bought a Sharp Aquos 26" HDTV with DVI input and it makes the Sceptre TV look like it's from the stone age! Of course it's 1366 X 768 resolution doesn't hurt either!
One more thing, the Dell 2100FP's have PIP and S-video inputs and with a cable or satellite box and a separate sound system, you can have a great monitor and a TV picture on the same screen.
Sorry about the wordiness!
Good Luck with your choice.
Comments
I know..., I could search and read reviews but I'm being lazy...
Something like this:
Don't be that lazy.
No seriously, you being the expert (I trust your opinion 100%), can't you just recommend me one that I can use as PC monitor and TV at the same time? I'm thinking at least 1024x768 with a $1000 to spend or maybe more if I have to.
Thanks in advance.
http://www.sceptre.com/Products/LCD/Specifications/spec_X30SV-NagaIII.htm
30"(29.4" viewable) wide color LCD TV
16:9 Wide Screen Aspect Ratio
500 Brightness cd/m2
600:1 Contrast
1,280 x 768 Resolution
16ms Response Time (Tr/Tf ms)
1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i (NTSC)
Pack it down to the store and have a peek. Look at the monitor for all angles including down low and up on your tippy toes. Make sure you have the field of view.
Above all...go look at a conventional TV...just a regular one on regular basic cable...NO satellite feed. Then look at the LCD with the regular cable. Just to make sure you are happy with the picture.
I have heard nothing to alert me to bad about this unit. But go and play with it and look at the back connections. Etc. Don't be afraid to walk away from it either.
UPDATE:
EQ,
My instincts say that LCD TVs will become more popular vs. plasma. LCD TVs are cheaper to make. DLP TVs will most likely supercede other projectection screen TVs due to their extremely light weight. DLP TVs "look" like regular projection screen TVs but they are 25% the weight which makes the very attractive in that respect. They also take up less room but, of course, are probably twice the price.
The thing I want you to think about is "what is this for?". Are you aiming to have a TV-computer combination screen. Something that would sit in the living room where you can watch regular TV and also get the added benefit of a computer.
Then this may be a little small for screen size.
I went with a 36" wide screen and that is the minimum for comfortable screen size. I sit 8 feet away. I could have gone larger...40" but then the TV may have been too big for the room. It's a happy balance.
If you are going to use this more for a computer monitor primary...tv secondary...then damn...I'd sure love to have a 30" computer monitor.
Remember that a 30" widescreen which is 16:9 is roughly the same as a (approximately) 25" 4:3 regular TV. I always watch mine in full screen mode and your get used to/hardly notice the aspect ratio change to bring a 4:3 TV picture to widescreen mode. Check that in the settings too. You should be comfortable with the aspect enhanced image...people shouldn't look short and fat.
UPDATED UPDATE:
You'll notice this piece of info.
- 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i (NTSC)
- Scanning format 1080i,576p, 576i (PAL)
The set natively supports 1080i resolution. That's 540 scan lines progressive. The 576p throws people a bit. Remember that there are a few lines in TV that go to other things and aren't seen...36 of them.
That means a 720p signal will be converted to 1080i. It supports the input but converts. 720p native sets are not as common and probably more expensive.
I have the same specs in the Toshiba CRT. It supports 1080i native but here's the twist. I have an HDMI input port for the computer. It does display the computer screen but much smaller. Like an inset window with black all the way around.
Since the LCD version you are showing me is XVGA input then this may not be a problem. It's also meant for computers.
LCD is probably better for Computer/TV combo support.
The next upcoming marketing hook to get us all to re-buy DVD players is HDMI ports. Gone will be RGB for best signal output. The DVD player will feed the TV digitally.
HDMI DVD Players are just starting to enter the marketplace but they are $$$$.
I have the 20" version of the Sceptre here:http://www.sceptre.com/Products/LCD/Specifications/spec_X20SV-agamaII.htm
I also just replaced 4 19" X9G Agama analog/digital lcd's with 4 Dell 2100FP's. I was very happy with the 19" Sceptre monitors in terms of reliability over a 1.5 year period, color saturation, contrast, no dead pixels, etc. But, the Dells blow them away! There is a visable difference. As far as the TV/Monitor combo goes, I will Never buy a non-HDTV LCD monitor again and try to use it as a computer monitor. I realize that the monitor you're looking at has much better resolution than mine, but I want to warn you not to do what I did just to save a buck.
I then bought a Sharp Aquos 26" HDTV with DVI input and it makes the Sceptre TV look like it's from the stone age! Of course it's 1366 X 768 resolution doesn't hurt either!
One more thing, the Dell 2100FP's have PIP and S-video inputs and with a cable or satellite box and a separate sound system, you can have a great monitor and a TV picture on the same screen.
Sorry about the wordiness!
Good Luck with your choice.
Flint