tv's or monitors

Tim Meuris · Jan 22, 2014

Hi,

In a few months I'd like to go for a triple screen setup.
For monitors the budget is in the range of the 27inch screens
but if I go for tv's I can get more inch for the same money

now I've seen several setups where tv's are used instead of monitors
but I'm not completely convinced by it:
-what about viewing distance?
for tv's they advise 2-3 metres, are monitors less harmful for the eyes or so?
-and what about the sharpness of the image on a tv
is it still doable to spot an enemy in Dayz several 100 metres away?
(racing will get priority but I find this still important)
-and what about the latency in ms with tv's how big is that compared to a 5ms monitor
(or is this sthing completely irrelevant?)

please let your wisdom shine upon this mater

thnx in advance

Tim

FerrariMan96 · Jan 23, 2014

I really can't say for sure, but I don't think it should make any difference.... and shouldn't TVs be more expensive because they have extra features monitors don't? (Remote, tuner etc.)

Are the cheaper TVs Full HD/1080p (1920x1080)? You can get cheaper TVs that are at lower resolutions, but the monitors that you've been looking at are probably 1080p.

Tim Meuris · Jan 23, 2014

yeah, good point

i did some more research last evening and I noticed different resolutions
still a difficult choice as I know absolutely nothing bout tv's

FerrariMan96 · Jan 23, 2014

Tim Meuris said:
still a difficult choice as I know absolutely nothing bout tv's

Just think of a TV as a monitor with a TV tuner. No real difference TBH.

RichardHessels · Jan 23, 2014

Well many modern TV's still suffer from terrific inputlag.
So look out for reviews before you go out and buy one.

Leemstradamus · Jan 23, 2014

FerrariMan96 said:
Just think of a TV as a monitor with a TV tuner. No real difference TBH.

There is a difference. Most of your options for tv's are tn panels. You have a much wider selection in the monitor category. I'll add more later. Still at work lol.

Tim Meuris · Jan 23, 2014

Leemstradamus said:
There is a difference. Most of your options for tv's are tn panels. You have a much wider selection in the monitor category. I'll add more later. Still at work lol.

that would be much appreciated

when I finally have my rig configured it will be based on a lot of information I've gathered about all the different parts and the knowledge at RD will come in very handy here

FerrariMan96 · Jan 23, 2014

Leemstradamus said:
There is a difference. Most of your options for tv's are tn panels. You have a much wider selection in the monitor category. I'll add more later. Still at work lol.

OK there is a difference, but it's minor in terms of functionality, is it not?

I'm sure there's a quality difference but how big is it? (And which way - I don't know TBH)

Leemstradamus · Jan 23, 2014

There are differences which we don't need to go into depth about. Will the op use them as everyday monitors? If that's the case don't use tv's but if it is separate and just for racing then they won't be a problem.

Tim Meuris · Jan 24, 2014

Hi Leemstradamus,

I will NOT use them as everyday monitors. This will purely be for my gaming rig.
So for racing it should be okay you say, but how about ARMA where you're looking at a few pixels sometimes?

also what's up with the input lag?
I hear very different opinions about it
from: it doesn't matter jacksh*t
but also: you can't go higher than 5ms input lag because otherwise you can feel the input lag while racing
and when I check this site:
http://www.displaylag.com
I see that the best input lag of a tv is 26ms

Chris Dawson · Jan 24, 2014

I can see several Sony's on that list down at 17ms.

I use three Sony W6's as sim racing displays and I think that they are even lower than that (but I can't see them on that list).

Tim Meuris · Jan 24, 2014

Hi Moog,

can you specify which type of W6 it is?
how about the input lag and motion blur?
do you play shooters with it as well or just racingsims?

Tim Meuris · Jan 24, 2014

and what is the difference between 720p and 1080p?
it has both to do with HDtv's...

Pete Bone · Jan 24, 2014

Tim Meuris said:
and what is the difference between 720p and 1080p?
it has both to do with HDtv's...

720p is 1280x720 and 1080p is 1920x1080, 720p is HD ready whereas 1080p is Full HD.

As for input lag, i use 3 tv's and have never had a problem with it, im fast whatever screen im using, as long as there are 3 of them.

Chris Dawson · Jan 24, 2014

My PC monitor is a Dell with an input lag of around 8ms I think,

The Sony's to my eyes don't look any worse with respect to lag or smearing.

Tim Meuris · Jan 24, 2014

Allrighty, I think I might be able to 'live' with racing on tv's then

If i would have to buy one (actually three) which would you guys recommend
-cost is +/- 300 euros (each max)
-size is 32 inch

furthermore:
-so it's best to go with full HD, right? that 1080p thingy
-any advice about where I should aim for considering input lag with a tv?
-is it harder to get them working hooked on a pc compared to monitors?
-are there certain don'ts when choosing monitors for gaming?
-and what's with the refresh rate? you have some of 60hz and 120hz
what's the difference?

InsaneOzzie · Jan 25, 2014

Tim, I to am looking at putting a triple screen together very soon, and have been tossing up the monitor Vs tv debate myself.

I have decided to go for 3 x Soniq 40inch 50MHz TV's, in my research I found that the 120Mhz monitors are just as expensive as the Tv's but are 13 inches smaller in viewing size. The reason I have chosen 40inch is due to the fact that in Aussie the 32In with 1080x1920 full HD are the same price as the 40in anyway.

I use a single 32in 720p tv at the moment, it is only a 50Mhz resolution but I've had no lag with it at all, and from what I understand the human eye can only see up to 60Mhz anyway, "can someone please correct me if I'm wrong".

Price wise I have found the tv's cheaper, unless your going for the 100Mhz option, then the monitors are roughly the same price.
Soniq 40" 50Mhz full HD TV = $349AUD

Samsung 32" 100Mhz full HD TV = $549AUD
Samsung 40" 100Mhz full HD TV = $689AUD

BenQ 27" 120Mhz 3D Gaming monitor = $549AUD
BenQ 27" 144Mhz Gaming monitor = $599Aud

So as you can see prices are comparable, but when your only using them for racing Tv's for me anyway, are cheaper due to so much more viewing area.

Good luck with your decision making, it's not an easy task.

Cheers!

Noel Spence · Jan 25, 2014

check this andrewhttp://www.kogan.com/au/buy/40-led-tv-full-hd-za/

InsaneOzzie · Jan 25, 2014

Noel Spence said:
check this andrew http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/40-led-tv-full-hd-za/

Thanks for the link Noel.

But I'm 70% certain I will get 3 of these,
http://www.jbhifi.com.au/tv-lcd-led-plasma/soniq/40-inch-full-hd-led-lcd-tv-sku-432463/
as it's just up the road for me, so no waiting on delivery from the east coast with the chance of damages occurring in transit, also eliminates hassles if I have to make a warranty claim in the future, and from what I can tell Soniq use Samsung panels aswell.

My personnel debate is weather to spend the extra bucks and get 100Mhz instead of the 50Mhz, if I decide to do that I will get 3 of these http://www.jbhifi.com.au/tv-lcd-led...-hd-3d-dual-core-smart-led-lcd-tv-sku-397401/
Only issue that is causing me to favour the Soniq over the Samsung is the fact the Samsung's are twice the price. Sure their 3D with all the bells & whistles, but there just for gaming not viewing 3D movies or viewing TV,
we have a Samsung 65in 4K UHD 3D Smart TV for that in the theatre/theater room.

Decision decisions decisions, life can be tough when your a Sim-Racer,

Cheers!