HDTV/PC Monitor

That's okay if you're fine with HD only up to 720p. Its native resolution, 1366x768, is one of those weird "midway" resolutions (like 1440x900 or 1680x1050) that are fine for PCs but really useless when it comes to TV/Video/Games, as nothing actually runs natively in that resolution, 720p content will be stretched, and 1080i/1080p will be downsampled to fit.

I recently picked up an Acer 2423w (now discontinued, but they replaced it with a 25" model) for about $530 off of Newegg that runs at 1920x1200 and can do all HD resolutions, up to and including 1080p (1920x1080, so I have a little breathing room above and below, but width matches exactly). For something comparable, try this one. It has the heinous, evil, deceptive, corrupt, tyrannical HDCP, but as long as you stick to pirated content that won't be a problem. It's kinda steep at $519 (after rebates), but it's the cheapest 1080p-capable display NewEgg has.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Hotobu

Two things. First off CelticWhisper you talked about stretching images. If I'm not mistaken (and I don't think I am, but I could be) the monitor you have will strech them as well, just vertically. If it's giving you fullscreen content then it's 16:10 not 16:9.

Secondly El Ray Fernando, you mention speakers. I don't know what your setup is, but I'm going to assume you have PC speakers. If that's the case all you have to do is buy a simple "Y Adapter" goes from RCA (the red and white for audio) with a stereo miniplug (headphone jack) then buy an extension for the headphone jack part, run that to your mic-in on your PC and you can use the same speakers. This is what I do and it's quite convinient as I can control the level of my games and PC audio separately (which is better than just a straight split signal). This way I can play a game and have my music up, or whatever I want via my computer's volume sliders.

Unless you don't have a TV, and don't want to go with the TV card route PC monitor is the way I would recommend as well. As CW said you get higher resolutions so should you ever get something that supports 1080p you have that option.

The only way that a PC monitor is not the better purchase is if you need it to have a tuner. And for that it's worth considering a TV tuner card for your PC or finding a monitor with one built in.

Right, the aspect ratio on mine is 16:10. I'm not actually using it for games directly (have a 32" HD CRT in the living room for that, big sound, comfy chairs, etc.), but VLC has an option to stretch or not stretch the image it's showing to the full size of the display. Sometimes the stretching is noticeable, other times not. 2.35:1 stuff tends to get ugly, but 1.85:1 content is usually okay. Sucks to have to put up with black bars when I'm running a widescreen display, but oh well, c'est la vie.

El Ray, glad to hear you found one you liked. Samsung is a decent company, so that display should serve you quite well. Hope you're enjoying it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.