your primary use is as a TV away from the desk, get a hi-def monitor. TV/monitor combos usually lower res than monitor alone in your size.
My current desktop monitor just died, so I am faced with the decision of whether to get a regular LCD monitor (that could play TV with a tuner in my computer) or a HDTV. They would both be the same size (19 inch), but I wanted to see what people think the pros/cons would be of getting one vs the other. I assume they would be able to achieve roughly the same resolution and performance as a computer monitor, and if I got an HD tuner for my computer, they might be similar as TVs too. Would there be any difference in expected life or other factors? Thanks.
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