computer monitor advice....

[Cohiba]

Hey All,

Well, I'm going with DirecTV's online viewing of the Sunday NFL ticket. Sony lost the bid to Xbox One...they have the NFL ticket on the Xbox One in 2014 season. The DirectTV online package that lets you watch NFL through the computer, I-pad, and I-pad/android phone.

Well, for my man cave I want to make sure my monitor can handle the pixels, speed, amd whatever else a person needs to watch football games on a computer monitor.

Remember...I am computer stupid...not ignorant, but stupid. What I don't want is a salesperson selling me their quota instead of what I need.

From some coworkers they told me to look for monitors that have:

LED
2ms or greater recovery
50million to 1...something or another
Glossy screen for brighter color


All I want is to be able to walk into BestBuy or Sam's and tell them I want a computer monitor..23-27" , to watch football games.

Give me some tips on what to look for ...what I need. Remember..remedial terminology...simplify it.

Lord I feel old, now I know how my dad must have felt purchasing the family Sony VCR/VHS back in 1980.

Thanks.

 

[Hump66]

I use a 32" HDTV for a monitor. Works awesome with the computer and U-verse.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

I also use an HDTV as a monitor. If you're running through the PC, make sure the video card has an HDMI out.

 

[Cohiba]

Okay...cool about the tv. So, can a LED tv be used as a monitor? Any limitations using a tv versus a monitor..any advantages?

Just make sure it has a video card with a HDMI out....correct??!!

 

[inactive]

If you are streaming online, honestly any HDTV would work, preferably 1080 instead of 720 if you have the the internet bandwidth for 1080 and your streaming service supports it. You really don't need to over-think it. That said, LED is inexpensive enough now I would (and did) spring for one on my last TV purchase.

Maybe you alluded to it, but what will you be streaming it from this year? A true PC and web browser? Roku or other set top box with a native application? Google Chromecast? iPhone or iPad with HDMI dongle?

 

[inactive]

Okay...cool about the tv. So, can a LED tv be used as a monitor? Any limitations using a tv versus a monitor..any advantages?

Just make sure it has a video card with a HDMI out....correct??!!

A TV will run 720 or 1080 HDTV, which is basically the effective viewable quality you get with the streaming services anyway. Really no NEED to get a dedicated large monitor if it is being used as a TV. A true computer monitor get you more real estate for other applications (like your desktop, web browser, etc) but full HDTV is only 1080 which is really quite small by display standards.

ETA: Just make sure your streaming device has an HDMI out to work with the TV's HDMI in. In fact many monitors these days are using HDMI instead of the typical DVI cables (that began replacing VGA 10-15 years ago).

 

[Cohiba]

I have a 50"LED in my living room...OMG...the book that came with it!! I don't care about bluetooth, hulu, what the temperature is in Hong Kong, telephone calls, home security, voodoo...and what ever else. Believe it or not...I just use it to watch tv and movies.

For the computer/online viewing...it'll through a computer to a monitor of somesort. I think for simplicity and peace of mind...I'll stick with a monitor.

 

[inactive]

I have a 50"LED in my living room...OMG...the book that came with it!! I don't care about bluetooth, hulu, what the temperature is in Hong Kong, telephone calls, home security, voodoo...and what ever else. Believe it or not...I just use it to watch tv and movies.

For the computer/online viewing...it'll through a computer to a monitor of somesort. I think for simplicity and peace of mind...I'll stick with a monitor.

One thing to check is that your computer may only have DVI out, and a larger monitor may only have HDMI in. If so, you'll need to buy an appropriate cable to connect them. No big deal just FYI. Check monoprice.com

 

[inactive]

I'll just add that if you are already using a computer to watch the games, you should look into SOPcast and Torrentstream. Much cheaper than the direcTV packages

 

[Hump66]

Don't freak out. It's simple. HDTV with HDMI and PCI inputs and you're good to go. I think you live near me, I'd be glad to help you out if you need it.