TV vs. Monitor

[Stompa]

I have a 20" Dell Ultrasharp widescreen and it's pretty badass but I wanna go bigger. I don't own a television and don't have cable TV, I just download things and watch them. So I was going to upgrade my computer monitor, but I'm also considering a TV and maybe like a Blu-Ray player. Does anyone have any experience using LCD/Plasma TVs on computers (I'm probably not getting anything larger than like 26")? I know I'll have to get some kind of adapter if I get a TV, right? And how is the quality for regular computer stuff like browsing the internet or looking at pictures of trannies?

Second question: how much of a difference would I be able to tell between a 720p and 1080p TV? Would 1080 be overkill if I'm not going to get a Blu-ray player, and if I did, would I be disappointed if I got a 720 instead of 1080?

[Nockm]

My 2c:

Think about TVs exactly like you'd think about a PC monitor: Physical size (e.g. 20") and Resolution (e.g. 1280x768). Don't care about 720p or 1080p, you get a lot of TVs that aren't 720 or 1080 anyway, e.g. 1366x768 and other weird shit like that.

Main differences to me are: TVs are brighter, take up more deskspace, have lower resolution for their physical size (i.e. pixels are bigger), have more inputs (e.g. for consoles, etc), have their own speakers and can receive TV. I think they're harsher to stare at for long periods on your desk and would prefer a normal PC monitor but if I was stuck with a TV I might just get used to it.

Personally I like to use large resolutions e.g. 1920x1200 but TVs with that res only come in huge physical sizes e.g. 30"-40". If you're a fan of 1280x720 or 1280x768 res then you'll probably find something you like.

[Witness]

My 2c:

Think about TVs exactly like you'd think about a PC monitor: Physical size (e.g. 20") and Resolution (e.g. 1280x768). Don't care about 720p or 1080p, you get a lot of TVs that aren't 720 or 1080 anyway, e.g. 1366x768 and other weird shit like that.

Main differences to me are: TVs are brighter, take up more deskspace, have lower resolution for their physical size (i.e. pixels are bigger), have more inputs (e.g. for consoles, etc), have their own speakers and can receive TV. I think they're harsher to stare at for long periods on your desk and would prefer a normal PC monitor but if I was stuck with a TV I might just get used to it.

Thus the 720 p and 1080p, yes the main difference between monitors and tvs are just there inputs, sound, and smaller pixel sizes. 720p is the number of pixels up&down and across the screen 720 pixel. a 720i in hand is just across and has less pixels up and down, normally its the next lower amount.. 1080p has even more pixels, 1080i is just 1080 pixels across,and 720 up and down. hope that helps, moniters used to be far superior then tv's but times are changing. cheaper moniters less pixels etc.
Another thing to take into consideration is the refresh rates / ms fps for instance. even last night i was watching a hockey game at a bar with a cheap lcd , and you could see the pixels blur when they moved real fast. you want a lower number of ms, a 4ms is alot better then 10ms for instance.
Hope that helped, i learned a little when i went an bought my tv.
But i still use my old trusty moniter for my comp.

[Blocks]

Unless you plan on watching actual over-the-air-TV, then I think there's little reason for you to get an actual TV. They're much more expensive than LCD monitors. And even if you do, you can get a TV tuner for your computer.

I recently got myself this monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009157

It's quite cheap at $190 w/ free shipping and it's really good. 22", 1080p, HDMI, DVI, VGA inputs.

I don't watch live TV on it though, just shows and movies from my computer.

[Stompa]

24-30' monitors are WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than TVs of the same size.

Unless you plan on watching actual over-the-air-TV, then I think there's little reason for you to get an actual TV. They're much more expensive than LCD monitors. And even if you do, you can get a TV tuner for your computer.

I recently got myself this monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009157

It's quite cheap at $190 w/ free shipping and it's really good. 22", 1080p, HDMI, DVI, VGA inputs.

I don't watch live TV on it though, just shows and movies from my computer.