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General discussion

HD TV or LCD Monitor with TV Tuner for My Setup?

by r00tsdigr Aug 26, 2008 5:07PM PDT

I want to:

1. watch over-the-air HDTV through an HDTV antenna (I have a Terk TV-55) on a true HD screen without having to turn on my computer first

2. watch HDTV and online shows on that same screen and record a few of them onto my PC's hard drive, so I can remove the ads and record them onto DVDs for only me and my family to view (Is it true that that's possible in spite of HDTV's DRM, as opposed to recording onto a DRM-ed cable / satellite service's DVR?)

3. play low- and medium-quality-graphics PC games

4. not have to pay $1,000 or more for a true 1080i/p screen

My questions:

1. I'd like to get a 24-inch Dell UltraSharp LCD, although I wish it didn't have a lag in games, and an external HD TV tuner.
a. Would I also need to get an HDTV converter or does an HD TV tuner convert the signal?
b. Would one of those setups do the trick to get the equivalent or, I've read, better than the resolution of 1080i/p?

2. If not, is it cheaper to get an HD TV that include a TV converter or to get them separately, or does it just depend on where you look?

3. Is there a significant difference in quality between HDTV converters?

4. Is it true what I've read elsewhere that you can't tell the difference between 720i/p and 1080i/p on a screen smaller than 50 inches?

5. Is the TV-55 a piece of junk? One person's post said it is. He may be right, since I barely get a channel that's 17 miles away. At least half of the channels in my area are about 30 miles away.

Discussion is locked

3 Posts

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by jonnybones Aug 27, 2008 2:17PM PDT

If you can find a true 1080P monitor, get that plus a converter box.

Answers to your questions:
1A) you need the converter (unless they came out with some trick cards/monitors since i looked last)
1B)no (it should also be noted that 1080i and 1080p are TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!! 1080i is essentially up-scaled 720p but 1080p is in a league of its own, anyone who tells you otherwise is either stupid or blind)
2) almost all have the converters built in now (ATSC tuners)
3) some say no, some say yes, some are blind; i say no and i see 20/20
4) no, that is 100% false (unless you are blind, in that case you shouldn't be buying a TV)
5) in my experience, terk makes good antennas, as for the TV-55 i dont have any personal experience

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What About An HT TV Tuner?

by r00tsdigr Sep 2, 2008 12:27PM PDT

If you can find a true 1080P monitor, get that plus a converter box.

Ok. The Dell monitor I mentioned then? Dell's site says it supports 1080p. Won't I also need an external HD TV tuner?

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Anybody Have the Answers?

by r00tsdigr Sep 10, 2008 4:53PM PDT

Anybody know and willing to give me the answers to my last two questions? I would really appreciate it.

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