TV Help (Overlay)

[Breezy]

Looking for some help buying a TV. Pref under or around 300$. From Walmart only. Don't have a debit/credit card and I can just put money on a card there.
http://www.walmart.com/cp/televisions-video/1060825

[iCn Hunter]

Just curious is it for gaming or for general use?

[Overlay]

You could just buy a MasterCard Walmart money card at their store. Basically a gift card credit card that you can use anywhere online. $1000 max, costs $4.

But if you're still limited to just Walmart's online store, this would probably be the best bet if you wanted to have it double as a computer monitor/gaming monitor, and this, if not. But they're both pretty bad, so I'd highly recommend you look into that money card.

[Breezy]

You could just buy a MasterCard Walmart money card at their store. Basically a gift card credit card that you can use anywhere online. $1000 max, costs $4.

But if you're still limited to just Walmart's online store, this would probably be the best bet if you wanted to have it double as a computer monitor/gaming monitor, and this, if not. But they're both pretty bad, so I'd highly recommend you look into that money card.

Alright, I want to use it for TV use also, so I'd like ot have a cable spot. I'd like 1080 too if possible. What would you recommend if I got that card?

[Breezy]

bump.

[iCn Joker]

If you get the card that overlay is talking about, you could always get a nice monitor asus or something, and get a TV tuner for it. not sure how you feel about that, but here's a monitor http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VH242H-23...4010415&sr=8-2 and here's a TV tuner http://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-1191...4010628&sr=1-2 you could get any multitude of TV Tuners though, I'd do some research to see what's the best available for your price range.

[Overlay]

You'll tend to get a better deal just buying LCDTVs than computer monitors with TV tuners. Also, most monitors don't have speakers. If they do, they're horrible quality.

It's important to understand all you'll be using it for. Yes I assume you'll be wanting to watch TV on a TV, but will you be using it as your computer's display for a certainty? If so, 21-24" will be almost necessary. Gaming would be ideal at that size, but gaming on a 32" isn't nearly as bad as using a computer on a 32". So until I hear back from you, I'll be looking for both 32" and 21-24".

[Overlay]

I wouldn't be helping you as much as I could if I didn't tell you it's not a very good idea to be using your HDTV as a computer monitor. TVs are designed with an inferior colorspace that is required to broadcast TV shows. TVs have much different pixel density. Your image will be sharper, but your text and UI elements will be blurry. Also, motion interpolation.

However, these minor setbacks are still better than getting less value for a monitor/tv tuner bundle.

[Overlay]

In order from what I'd most suggest to least suggest, among the highest quality $200-$300 displays I selected. All 1920x1080 or 1080p resolution.

Samsung 27" 5ms LCD Monitor w/ HDTV Tuner
Price: $300
Size: 27 inches
Contrast Ratio: 50000:1
Connectivity: Component, DVI, HDMI, Optical audio
Features: TV Tuner, HD Dolby Digital Surround Sound speakers
Package contents: HDMI cable, power cable, remote + batteries
Weight: 18 pounds
Pros: Display built for both computer usage AND TV usage. Built as a high-end monitor, doesn't skimp on audio quality, has a TV tuner built in. Sleek Samsung design, small and thin bezel. True coaxial input, as opposed to unreliable tuner cards' inputs.
Cons: Speakers might not be as loud as you'd like them to be. Typical small-ish TV audio power, but better quality than most. For a true theater experience, purchase headphones or home theater audio system.

ASUS 24" 5ms LCD Monitor + Hauppauge PIC-E TV Tuner
Price: $180 + $120 = $300
Size: 24 inches
Contrast Ratio: 20000:1
Connectivity: DVI, HDMI, VGA
Features: Easy calibration, speakers
Package contents: DVI cable, VGA cable, audio cable, power cable
Weight: 13 pounds
Pros: Equivalent if not better display quality than Samsung above, for much less. Overall price is same due to higher quality TV tuner than what the Samsung comes with. Without tuner, $180 for this monitor is by far the best deal on the market. No competition. With Hauppauge tuner, you can record TV also. ASUS, very reliable brand. Perfect for wall-mounting or duplicating for dual-monitor setup. SPDIF Out so you can use HDMI with your Xbox and get audio through your monitor.
Cons: No optical audio output (at least I think..) Poor speakers. Inconvenience of installing a TV tuner. TV tuner will require a top-set digital cable box to function properly. Slight LED bleeding around the edges.

Samsung 22" 120Hz LED HDTV
Price: $230
Size: 22 inches
Contrast Ratio: 40000:1
Connectivity: HDMI, (DVI maybe?)
Features: 120Hz, HDTV (so, speakers), LED backlight, PC mode for sharper images, USB input (for file transfer, i guess)
Package contents: not listed
Weight: 12 pounds
Pros: LED backlight, 120Hz (good for TV, bad for PC), very cheap at $230, thin bezel. I own this TV, but I only use it for television. When connected directly to coax, successfully scans every major network's HD channel, giving me about 70 channels, with 12-16 of them being HD
Cons: Poor speaker quality. Potential lack of DVI/VGA input, meaning you'd either need a sound card in your desktop or an HDMI slot in your video card if you want audio to work properly for your PC. Unsure about Optical audio. Almost two years old. A bit small at 22 inches. No refresh rate listed (I find that bit overrated anyways)

LG 32" 60Hz LCD HDTV
Price: $386 ($340 used)
Size: 32 inches
Contrast Ratio: 100000:1
Connectivity: 2 HDMI, 1 Component. No VGA, no DVI, no optical audio.
Features: Pretty basic stuff. It lacks bells and whistles, but it's a high quality display at a reasonable price for a 32", so I included it.
Package contents: not listed
Weight: 27 pounds
Pros: Big. Newest model of a very popular and very reputable line of LG-branded TVs. Very good sound quality. Highest contrast ratio of the bunch. Good movie TV.
Cons: Heavy. LGs are notorious for having bulky, fat bezels and panels. This looks no different. Bad idea for PC usage. Response time may not be ideal for gaming. You'd need an HDMI-to-DVI adapter to use as a PC display.

ViewSonic 24" LED HDTV
Price: $270
Size: 24 inches
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Connectivity: 2 HDMI, USB, Audio jack, Optical audio, Component, VGA, s-video
Features: LED backlight, Surround Sound speakers, USB input
Package contents: Power cable, remote + batteries. No display cables.
Weight: 10 pounds
Pros: Wide variety of connectivity, so you can plug a ton of shit in there. Reputable display brand. Thin, light. Sharp image. Good deal for a 24" TV built with Pc use in mind.
Cons: Speakers might not be very loud. Not sure about its ATSC tuner.

[Breezy]

It won't be used for computer. Just for my video games and tv

[DroppeD]

i wish you had a best buy. we used to have a good bit of 32in cheapos for 300$. they werent good quality but theyre at least big enough to watch from bed.

[Breezy]

i wish you had a best buy. we used to have a good bit of 32in cheapos for 300$. they werent good quality but theyre at least big enough to watch from bed.

Me too. Me too..