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HOLIDAY SHOPPING Q&A: Get the answers to your gift-buying questions
Holiday Shopping Q&A: Get the answers to your gift-buying questions
Monitor for TV
(December 7, 2004)
Q I'm interested in getting an LCD monitor for my new PC. I'd like to be able to watch TV while on the Net. I'm confused by the difference between LCD monitors and LCD/TV monitors. What is the difference? Does one offer a better picture than the other?
Submitted by: Dave P., upper New York
Felisa Yang
Felisa Yang
Associate editor,
CNET Reviews
The difference between an LCD monitor and an LCD/TV monitor is really just one of marketing and extra features. A display advertised as an LCD/TV will likely come with add-ons such as a TV tuner or component/composite inputs for entertainment devices (VCRs or DVD players), though not always. Some LCDs also come with these extras but are labeled as multifunction LCDs, not LCD/TVs. Moral of the story: Don't rely on the manufacturer's designation of the display.

If you're planning to watch a lot of video on your computer, we suggest that you figure out what extra features you want and test a bunch of LCDs in a store by viewing video on them at their native resolutions (LCDs always look best at native resolution).

As a general rule, the faster the pixel-response time, the better moving pictures will look. But we've seen 20ms displays that look better than 12ms displays, so your best bet is to watch video and pick the one that looks the best to you.

We really liked the 17-inch Samsung SyncMaster 172X and the 21-inch Planar PX212M. Both offer great video-image quality and a multitude of extra features.



MORE RESOURCES
CNET monitors area
Monitor buying guide
Editors' top monitors
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