Pc And Tv: The Best Of Both Worlds? Built-in TV Tuner and monitor vs. TV

[Jonnyabc 0]

I am now at a crossroads: I have bought myself a desktop and am now in need of a better monitor than this fine old 1024px CRT monitor. Additionally, I have a huge CRT TV in the same room and have thought that it is time for me to upgrade if I am going to use both. It makes sense in my case to purchase something that will work in either case. This is where you fit in.I could either buy for myself a TV tuner to place inside my PC and then a regular PC monitor, or the other option, a TV that I could use for a PC screen. Both have added advantages and I am in need of advice. Keep in mind that I'm no millionaire so I really don't want to be spending more than $300 USD on the solution.TV-tuner / PC monitor - In order to watch something, it requires that the computer be turned on (and hopefully I'm not doing something else on there that will interfere). I do not have a cable plan, so I will not get any added advantages by connecting it to the computer unless the EPG in the 'new' digital signals comes through on it. However, I presumably have to the advantage that I can digitally record any show that comes in. It's a fine idea, what will it really work for me? I have a lot of store-bought VHS tapes that I watch often, so I want to make certain that the spike they throw into the signal to prevent copying won't hinder me, and that I will not need to spend extra money on a analog to digital converter for this to work.TV used as PC monitor - This is the one I'm pulling to the most at the moment but I am open for opinions. Added advantages include being able to keep the PC off while I am watching, and I'm guessing less problems connecting my VCR to it. The first notable disadvantage, however, is that it will be difficult to watch something and work on my PC at the same time. However, with PbP (Picture-by-Picture) or PiP (Picture-in-Picture), it may solve my problem provided I can find a relatively small and affordable screen that will do this (LCD 22-24"). One other thing I like is the ability to utilize the built-in speakers rather than purchasing external ones (at the moment I'm trying to be very minimalist about the cost).So there you have it. Am I behind door #1 or door #2? We'll find out after these few brief responses from you when I return...

[Iniyila 2]

go for door #3 : buy a lcd monitor which has a tv tuner built in and forget the vcr . i think for the budget you have mentioned buying an lcd will probably cause you problems while using it as monitor (because you pay more for having those analog to digital converters like scart socket and composite input) and if you buy a tv-tuner card for your pc you can not watch tv when you turn off your pc but buying a tv-tuner has the advantage of recording from tv or your vcr. anyway some of these monitors come with 2 input hdmi port which means you can connect another thing to it like a DVD - Blue Ray player in feature if you want.

[Jonnyabc 0]

go for door #3 : buy a lcd monitor which has a tv tuner built in and forget the vcr . i think for the budget you have mentioned buying an lcd will probably cause you problems while using it as monitor (because you pay more for having those analog to digital converters like scart socket and composite input) and if you buy a tv-tuner card for your pc you can not watch tv when you turn off your pc but buying a tv-tuner has the advantage of recording from tv or your vcr. anyway some of these monitors come with 2 input hdmi port which means you can connect another thing to it like a DVD - Blue Ray player in feature if you want.

I'm nowhere close to having anything BluRay, and I have a large enough VCR collection it doesn't make sense to spend $100's to upgrade them all, even to just a regular DVD. So unfortunately I must still pick one of the first two. However, keep in mind that if I choose to spend more money on a TV, I could always use it separately if I need to purchase an LCD monitor someday.


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