LCD/LED TV or Monitor? Which should I get?

I need a secondary display, to complement my laptop. The resolution 1920x1080 is enough for me (and I don't need anything too big: 20 - 23" is enough - but can be a little bigger).

Should I get a "normal" monitor or go for a TV instead?

• Will the TV consume more power? How much more (in average)?
• I will be using the secondary screen for work, mostly. Is a TV suited for close work? Or will it strain my eyes too much?
• Image quality? Are there any gains, with a TV?

 

TV is not suitable for work, for sure. Not the eyes, but the resolution.

I am web designer and work on 23" 1920x1080 Fujitsu, and it works perfectly fine for me. My opinion is - choose LED between 21 and 23" with FULL HD resolution.

As for the other specifications and power consumption - other mates from the forum can help.

 

If close work, get a monitor. The dpi, or resolution per inch will be better on a monitor. Monitors are made for computers, TVs for video. My TV has a special PC setting that helps, but it is not quite as good as a dedicated monitor. Without the PC mode things like dynamic contrast and others just get in the way. Fine for across the room though. Led TVs don't use much power, so no worries there.

 

Buy a monitor, it is made for PC.

 

Insightful. Thanks for the replies. Monitor it is.

 

I'm not exactly sure what you guys are talking about with the TV being inferior for computer work. I've used a Vizio 22" 1080p TV (LED) with my desktop for about a year or so, and before that as a "monitor" for one of my laptops and it worked just fine. Same resolution and DPI as any 22" 1080p monitor.

Now, a monitor might look nicer, depending on what you buy. I replaced the TV's monitor duty recently with a real monitor, an AOC IPS 22" 1080p (LED) monitor and the *only* difference between them is that the monitor had IPS and the TV had TN. Otherwise, functionally-speaking they both worked the same.

I'd get whatever you can afford in your requirement range (21-23", 1080p) honestly. A monitor isn't going to be magically better than a TV for "close-in work" when they're the same physical size, resolution, and dpi.

 

Well, first he wants to use the tv up close, so assuming he guys a bigger tv than monitor, the pixels will be bigger and more visible.
Second, many TVs don't have a 4:4:4 subsampling mode for the pc.
Third, TVs have a much slower refresh rate, which causes ghosting and or motion blur
Fourth, dynamic contrast can cause the display to brighten and dim while using it.
And lastly, lag. TVs do signal processing that causes lag which is not good for gaming.

Some of these can be fixed by buying the right TV and doing research that manufacturers won't tell you, like the 4:4:4. And there are more issues, these are just the ones I remember when I was researching my tv.

I am not saying it can't look good, simply that if you will only use it with your computer, then get something made specifically for the computer.

 

I'm using a 32" LED 1080p 120hz TV and it works wonderfully for both work and gaming. Highly recommend getting a nice TV. It will change your life!

 

I'm using Panasonic Viera 32 inches LED TV and i used it as a pc as well as TV. So i suggest you to buy Panasonic's led