Is there a difference with how monitor and television handles their resolution? Because I was thinking of purchasing a 26" Television which was on sale to use in replacement for my 20" Widescreen monitor that died but when I checked the res on the television it was 1366 or something like that while my monitor was 1680. How is that so? I thought larger size meant higher res how exactly is it calculated or is the Tel 13** just as good as the monitor 1680? just like how back in the days AMD processors had lower speeds than Intel but that was just because they calculated something in a different manner than Intel?

TV's only have 4 real resolutions - 1920x1080 (High Definition Digital), 1366x768 (Standard Definintion Digital), 720x576 (modern analog), 320x240 (VCR resolution).

If you get a HDTV to use as a PC monitor, make sure it is a high quality display that is designed to be used as such. PC LCDs are meant to be close to the user and the pixel pitch and response time are best for gaming and workstation use. TV are meant to be watched at a distance.

You can get a decent HDTV in 1680x1050 and 1920x1080 that will rival a PC monitor but they are primarily designed to be used from a distance; unlike a monitor where you sit a lot closer.

So are you stating that if I purchased a 1366x768 (Standard Definition Digital) Television I would not be able to get the HD capabilities from like a HD4870 video card?



Thank you very much I was not aware of the distance factor.

Yes, that is correct. LCD & Plasma TV's can scale down in resolution, but they cannot scale up.

Hold on Mighty Mouse, the dude is not going on a diet he's not needing a scale, but he wants to know if he can use a HDTV in place of a 'monitor', scales, how's the fishin' over there, or my sister used a scale when she plays a piano, we're not all injun ears around hear.

He wanted to know if he could get HD from his 4870. HD is defined as 1920x1080, so on the tv he is considering, no he can't (since it is only capable of 1366x768). At 1920x1080 (HD) tv can scale down to 1366x768 or below but can a 1366x768 (SD) tv cannot scale up to 1920x1080.

The reason why is because LCD's and plasmas have an exact number of pixels that define their native resolution, which you cannot exceed. You can however take a resolution smaller than native and scale (resize) it.

Understand now, or do I have to spell it out for you with toddlers alphabet blocks?

In short...
If you purchase that 26" LCD you will be running at 1366x768 resolution. It is less that what you're used to (resolution-wise) but the image will be larger (screen-wise). Also, your HD 4870 will handle it like a walk in the park.

Note: At lower resolutions, the GPU plays a less vital role. You are more likely to be CPU-bound.

That's a good summary LeonHyman. I have a an LG LED TV that I sometime use as a computer monitor. I don't really notice a big difference between that and my normal monitor. I like to use the big screen sometimes when I'm playing World of Warcraft