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Flat Boob Tube Lust

I have been tossing around the idea of getting a multi-function LCD monitor with TV inputs. I would plan on using it as a TV for now and using it as a PC monitor for later on when I get a desktop system with an ATI All-in-Wonder card for all my PVR and 3d PC gaming desires.

However I don't really know what brands or technology that I should look for. I was thinking about spending around $600 on a 17-inch system and was looking at a Samsung monitor since that is what I have at work. I am not looking at an HD-TV option because I don't see me requiring it any time soon. I would rather get a smaller screen and have it closer to my couch since my eyes are slightly near-sighted. A big expensive screen across the room would be counter productive given my less than perfect long distance vision.

I am looking to buy a really nice multi-function LCD monitor and using it for about a decade. If you have any products, technologies and brands that I should look at let me know.

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Icon of JakeJake at August 24, 2004 Nerd

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A friend of mine has been doing some research into LCD displays, though I'm not sure whether he was expressly interested in one with TV inputs. I'll quiz him and see what I come up with.

As an aside, I was raving about my ATI All-in-Wonder for a long time, but I've decided to go with another card for my PVR. The AIW is a great card for basic tv-watching on your primary PC, and it can do some basic recording as well. But if you're interested in building a solid PVR, you might look into the Hauppauge line of TV tuners. (the 250 or 350) They use hardware-based MPEG encoders where the ATI cards use software. The Hauppauge cards are much more efficient, and because of this all the build-your-own PVR software packages support Hauppauge.

I've been testing various Windows-based packages, and none of them have any drivers for the ATI All-in-Wonder cards. It was disappointing, but now I understand why. I just placed an order for the Win-TV 350 card, which will kick off my PVR build. I'll try to blog about it in the next couple of weeks.

Posted by: Jeff at August 24, 2004 12:32 PM

As a follow-up, I talked to my friend a bit. He said in his research he found that Sony had the best overall displays, but they were also the priciest. His favorite bang-for-the-buck display was the Samsung 213T or the pricier 243T. These apparently had better refresh rates than a lot of the other screens, so were better for playing games. None of the ones he evaluated came bundled with the TV capabilities you're looking for.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you run across any good deals.

Posted by: Jeff at August 26, 2004 9:32 AM

Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at August 26, 2004 10:56 AM

Find a store that carries that model and have the sales clerk play a DVD on it. Most of the flat panels still have difficulty with video quality.

Posted by: Mike at August 28, 2004 11:41 AM