Solution
for cheap flat screen TV / HDTV
Turn an LCD monitor into a flat screen TV,
all you need is a Video
to VGA converter; used
in conjunction with a VCR or cable box you have a full TV that
can change channels and includes a remote control. This is not
only cost effective but space efficient too; a great solution to
get duel use out of an ordinary PC monitor. Some converter boxes
even come with a toggle switch (and remote) to easily switch
between PC and TV displays. This solution doesn’t require a PC
to be on and can be used with LCD and traditional CRT monitors.
Not only does
this solution have the benefits listed above, it will actually
provide better picture quality than a regular TV. The animation
(fluidity) of the TV picture will be the same as a TV but the
picture quality will actually look clearer. The reason for the
TV picture quality looking better on a monitor than a TV is
because the monitor is able to support a higher resolution than
a TV (this is why small text appears clear on a PC but not a
TV). The monitor will display the same resolution as the input
signal but because of the higher pixel count on the monitor, the
video will appear with less jagged edges. Since a monitor can
support high resolution this means that the VGA monitor can also
be used to support HDTV (from an HDTV signal & high
resolution Video
to VGA converter). With
an HDTV signal on a computer monitor some cropping of the screen
or picture will occur as the height/width ratio of the signal
and monitor are not the same. This is similar to when you watch
a wide screen movie on a TV. Some cable-TV boxes allow for
changing the picture ratio, so the display can be adjusted.
There are three main display format signals:
Non-interlaced, Interlaced, and De-interlaced. These formats are about how the horizontal signal is woven
together. An LCD monitor does not have a ray like a CRT monitor
so there is no frequency. While de-interlaced is usually
considered the best signal for CRT monitors, non-interlaced
works best with LCD monitors.
An internal TV-card, like converter boxes, can be used to
display TV on your monitor but with an external box you don't
need to turn on the computer, or even need a PC. There are also
some LCD monitors that come with built in video inputs and
TV-tuners.
