LCD Monitors For TV Use
Setting up a home theater system can be an expensive task, so it’s no wonder there is interest in cutting a few corners wherever possible! A topic that has been gaining interest recently is the use of LCD computer monitors in place of a dedicated flatscreen PC – lets take a look at a few of the reasons why:
- Price. If buying a medium sized TV, you can save hundreds of dollars by buying a monitor instead. Monitors start to get more expensive past 50 inches or so.
- Convenience. If you use a laptop to store media files, or have a home theater PC, the connections will be standard and allow your device to plug straight in.
On the topic of conenctions, a growing number of media playback devices offer a DVI connector built in, which is required for most monitors. Some moniotrs do support the HDMi format that is more standard in home theater connections, but if not there are adaptors readily available that allow a HDMI output to convert to a DVI cable.
Setting up an LCD monitor TV system is straight forward, once you have the cabling sorted out. Just plug it in and play! Most monitors have adjustable stands, so won’t need any adaptation to sit in your home theater cabinet. Wall brackets are also available for most brands and the lighter weight of a computer monitor make these easy t install.
There’s just a couple of disadvantages to be aware of. The obvious one is the lack of remote control – you need to rely on your media centers remote, and turn the power off manually unless the monitor has a built in sleep mode. And you will probably find that your monitor doesn’t have internal speakers – not really a problem anyway if you have surround speakers as part of your home theater setup. Other than these few little niggles, using an LCD monitor as a TV screen offers a great image, and substantial savings – definitely worth considering for your own home theater.
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