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Resolved Question

Samsung smart tv UN32EH5300F used as PC monitor

Aug 14, 2014 8:26PM PDT

I just bought a Samsung UN32EH5300F to use as a computer monitor AND as a smart TV.
-- I have installed it using an HDMI cable from the PC (Windows 7 Home Premium) to the TV in HDMI port 1(DVI).
-- I also have the TV hooked up to the u-verse cable box in HDMI port 2.

It works perfectly for u-verse cable TV.

It is not working very well on the computer.
-- I have the highest resolution selected, and I have done all the MSWindows adjustments I can find (maybe I have not found them all?), but the resolution is still not very good when being used as a monitor.
-- It is usable, but I would think the picture would be at least as good as the four year old 20" computer monitor it replaced. The old monitor is still a lot crisper than the Samsung smart TV.

Are there any more resolution adjustments to make on the PC?

Are there some adjustments to make on the UN32EH5300F itself?

Is there a different driver to use when using a UN32EH5300F as monitor?

Thanks for any help!

Bob

Discussion is locked

Gyrobobb has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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found some improvement
Aug 15, 2014 7:59AM PDT

I did three adjustments that helped quite a bit.

In windows, I used the color management procedure to adjust the hues, brightness, contrast, etc. It didn't help any with the resolution, but it did make the color normal.

Then, in the menu for the UN32EH5300F, I used the picture mode function and selected "movie" instead of dynamic or standard or natural. That made a HUUUUUUGE difference.

Also, I noticed the screen was a bit clipped, so I used "screen fit" on the screen adjustment menu. That matched the picture exactly to the edges of the screen.

Bit by bit, this thing is starting to work. I'm sure it could use some more tweaking.

Thanks for the responses.

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Answer
Re: screen
Aug 14, 2014 8:30PM PDT

- What's the resolution of your TV?
- What's the resolution your video card is set to to deliver across hdmi?

Kees

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video card resolution
Aug 15, 2014 7:49AM PDT

How would I find out the resolution for the video card for HDMI?

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Answer
I'm going with no.
Aug 15, 2014 1:10AM PDT

It's a TV and not a monitor. The designs diverge and you find folk pining for the clarity of a monitor at times.
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN32EH5300FXZA-specs shows it's a pretty standard 1080 TV so all I can write is to send it the exact pixels that match the screen. If you send " the highest resolution selected" then you may be getting less than is possible.

This link shows why that is -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_resolution

Having seen this issue and complaint before I know we can tweak it up but monitors are almost always better than TVs.
Bob

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match pixels to screen
Aug 15, 2014 7:51AM PDT

"send it the exact pixels that match the screen."

Sounds like a good idea. How do I find out how to adjust pixel output from the computer, and pixel requirements of the screen?

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Re: adjust resolution
Aug 15, 2014 8:03AM PDT

That's somewhere in the graphic settings. But since you say on your first post that you have " selected the highest resolution" I assume you know how to do it.

The same resolution as your TV, that's what is best. Since Bob says it's a "pritty standard 1080 TV" I assume that is 1920 x 1080, the typical HDTV size. But you know what you bought, don't you, and you have the manual.

To get a better picture when using it as a monitor, experiment with turning off all picture enhancing in the TV when using it as a monitor.

Kees

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What or who is "pritty"?
Aug 15, 2014 9:04AM PDT

Around here we think it's Pritty Kitty.
Bob

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(NT) That's a typo.
Aug 15, 2014 6:31PM PDT