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General discussion

lcd tv versus monitor? video games?

by 2200369377273106477909636 May 30, 2008 11:12AM PDT

I am looking into purchasing an lcd display, 19-24", known brand, a decent ms response time, less than or equal to $300, for the following uses:

A) A second screen for my laptop computer
B) to watch movies and play games on my laptop on a bigger screen
C) to connect my gamecube and playstation 2 to

Now, a new small hdtv will certainly work for all the uses, I could get a 22" monitor from a well known brand for less money than the cheapest 19" tv from Dynex. The only factor holding me back from making the obvious decision to purchase a monitor is the video game systems, Playstation 2 and Gamecube. Is there any way to connect these to a computer display and have good quality video and normal response time? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Discussion is locked

16 Posts
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Monitor vs TV
by Dan Filice May 30, 2008 12:30PM PDT

First, if you use a computer monitor, it will not include a TV tuner. Not a major factor since most people are connected to a cable or satellite box which is your tuner. Second, a monitor may not come with built-in speakers. If the one you are considering does have speakers, then you are set. Third, for connections, I only know about a PS3, which I have. It has HDMI-out and the AV Multi-out (with RCA audio and video connections). You need to determine how your computer monitor allows connection to a video source. They typically have VGA and DVI. Use the DVI and you can buy an HDMI to DVI cable. You still need to figure out about audio. HDMI carries audio and video. Once you convert HDMI to DVI you lose audio. So, let me ask: You are considering a DYNEX TV, which is pretty low-end. Or a better brand computer monitor. To me, a computer monitor, although having a better picture, may create connection issues for TV and a game system that's not so easy to solve. What's the response time of the DYNEX? 8ms? That's typical, but 4ms is better. If it's higher, forget it. And, if you decide on the DYNEX TV, then you need to make sure that your computer has a matching resolution. Most do. It's not an easy answer.

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Thanks
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 30, 2008 1:52PM PDT

I'm not concerned at all with actual television channels, as I don't watch tv, just movies and gaming. As for sound, I can always hook up the audio to something else. I have a stereo system for that. You're right, Dynex is pretty low end. And so I think my best bet is a 22" monitor. I think HDMI is much newer technology than what the PS2 and GC has for connections, so I'm out of luck there. But I found this site. What do you think?
http://www.rtv-veg.com/
The VEG-N has been reviewed on G4TV apparently.
I appreciate your responses.

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Whoa
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 30, 2008 1:57PM PDT
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eh
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 30, 2008 1:58PM PDT

However that might actually be RCA output, not input, huh?

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Westinghouse monitor
by Dan Filice May 31, 2008 2:06AM PDT

The 22" Westinghouse monitor shows that it has all the important inputs for your game systems. It has RCA inputs, so having a PS2 system also, I know that will work. It also has VGA and DVI inputs and separate audio inputs. It's got you covered. That converter box for which you had a link, looks pretty cool, but you don't need it with the Westinghouse because it has all the necessary inputs. Now, the question is: Is the Westinghouse 4:3 or 16:9? If you will use it for watching movies then a 16:9 format may be something you want since most movies now are widescreen. Not a big thing if you'll be sitting close to the monitor, but you will get black bars on the top and bottom when viewing a 16:9 movie on a 4:3 TV. Oh, a 5ms response time is better than 8ms. If you do use the RCA inputs on the monitor, don't expect great things since that is the lowest quality for video, but it may be your only option on a PS2.

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you're right
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 31, 2008 2:49AM PDT

with a monitor like that, I wouldn't need the converter box. But when you say don't expect much with the composite video, do you mean that it will have a worse response time, or that the image quality will be horrible with the PS2?

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RCA inputs
by Dan Filice May 31, 2008 4:16AM PDT

The RCA composite inputs will simply deliver an inferior image compared to what you would get with DVI or HDMI because these two deliver a digital signal vs. composite. You may also not get all of the resolution options when using composite vs the digital inputs. Composite won't be total crap, but there is a definite quality boost when you can use a digital signal. But, with your two game systems, I don't think you have a choice. And, don't worry about hooking up a converter that will change composite to digital because regardless what you do, the source signal will be composite.

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Thanks
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 31, 2008 5:43AM PDT

I think I may go for the Westinghouse monitor. I really appreciate your input. Thank you!

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go with a monitor
by jymcat1 May 30, 2008 4:05PM PDT

I have a Samsung 226cw 22" monitor which was kinda expensive @ around $350 when I got it. I use it as external for laptop -- which is great when using photoshop or writing research papers (you can compare sources and your piece side by side). The biggest advantage over a similar size tv is the resolution: most 22" monitors are 1680x1050 -- alot more resolution than the 720p you will find in a tv of this size. I use to watch blu-ray's and play games via PS3 before I bought a tv (more on that later) by using a HDMI to DVI converter. It has an analog VGA input as well, which I assume can be converted to/from s-video/component with some piece, but check around as I assume some monitors have s-video. The biggest advantage to this monitor, and I didn't realize the importance until recently, is the response time. The 226cw claims a 2ms response time, but this is via some software trick "enhancement" or other when enabled in the menu; the native, or true response time is 5ms if i remember correctly. I never thought about this too much until I purchased a 46" Samsung 550A series TV this past week. While the TV is impressive in many respects and has gotten rave reviews on the net, I have to say i'm pretty dissappointed by the ghosting in this model. The 550A has 8ms response time, and I'm not sure if 1. the difference between 8ms and 5ms is a big deal, 2. the 2ms "overclocking" feature of the 226cw is actually really effective, or 3. there is something else at play here -- but the difference in ghosting between these two, very differenet LCD's is dramatic. If you're a gamer and don't want to see 3-4 distinct outlines of Niko's head trailing behind you every time you run through a dark area, I'd look into a fast computer monitor. Good luck.

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samsung
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 31, 2008 12:50AM PDT
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better yet
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 31, 2008 12:57AM PDT
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so
by 2200369377273106477909636 May 31, 2008 1:12AM PDT
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Cable Adapter
by Dan Filice Jun 1, 2008 4:07AM PDT

The cable you are considering is good because it will allow an S-Video connection. S-Video is better than composite for the picture because it separates the chromanance and lunimance part of the video signal, even though it's still an analog signal. It's a step above using the RCA connectors for video. Since S-Video connections do not include audio, you will still need to use the RCA plugs for Left-Right audio, but this will work perfectly.

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Thanks
by 2200369377273106477909636 Jun 1, 2008 1:01PM PDT

I will keep that in mind. I appreciate your knowledge and input on this topic. S-video seems to be my best bet for getting the best quality out of a PS2 and Gamecube.

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Actually...
by stuntman_mike Jun 2, 2008 4:36AM PDT

Component video would be your best bet for best picture quality on the PS2 and Gamecube. Though I admit that I am totally ignorant to whether they make monitors with component video inputs as I have never had a reason to investigate this issue.

Component video is the cable with 5 connectors. Three for Video (red, blue, green) and two for audio (red and white), and it offers the best picture quality of the analog sources that are compatible with those game systems.

I don't play it anymore, but I had component cables for my PS2, and it was a noticeable step up form RCA and even S-Video.


Good luck.

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Nice
by 2200369377273106477909636 Jun 3, 2008 1:42AM PDT

I appreciate the advice. I will keep that in mind. Thanks!

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