HDTVs

Carlos wants to get a nice multi HD monitor setup with an HDTV to use as a gaming monitor. Leo says that HDTVs have lower resolution than computer monitors. Monitors are over 2K while TVs are currently just 1080p. 4K TVs are coming though. There is a Seiki UHD $1500 4K TV. PC Perspectives has reviewed it and got pretty good results. Most video cards now have HDMI, so he could connect his computer to an HDTV directly.

Cindy just got a new LG 3D HDTV, but the glasses aren't that great. Is there a better brand of glasses? Leo says no. They're not going to be any better because the technology is a passive 3D, which just appears dim. It's just the nature of the 3D beast. Cindy says it doesn't even really look 3D all the time. Leo says that Oakley makes better 3D glasses but Cindy has to know if it's RealD 3D or some other technology. She needs to get the right glasses for the type of 3D that the TV uses. The best ones are made by Gunnars.

Lee recently bought a Vizio 55" TV. However, frequently when he turns the TV off, it will either stay on or turn back on again. Leo says the TV probably senses the signal loss and then just stays on. It's perfectly normal and Leo suggests going into the TV menu settings to make sure it's set to turn off when the cable box goes off.

Matt wants to know what Leo thinks of Haier TVs. Leo says that they're a third tier TV company, budget stuff he'd see at the grocery store. It's low end, but often they use the same panels as the big guys and the quality is lost in the software and menus that they use.

Would it be good for a computer monitor? Leo doesn't usually recommend using TVs for computer monitors. The resolution isn't that good for computer use since he would sit closer to it.

Eric's TV recently died and he's in the market for a new one. He's got a house that does have bright ambient light and would cause glare. Leo says that LCD is much better for rooms with that kind of lighting.

First of all, he should know that he cannot judge a TV on any showroom floor. They've set these TVs to a mode that is very bright and will appeal to people, but it's not how he'd want to watch it at home.

He can, and it would be much better than the speakers in the TV. Leo says generally, it's better to run it through an AV receiver for balance and surround options. But Leo says that stereo is just fine for most.

Jeffrey's Samsung LCD TV got cracked after the Wii remote got tossed into it and now there's rows of dead pixels. Leo says that unfortunately, there's no way to fix that. Even if there was, it would cost more than the TV is worth. He'll need a new TV.

How does the Samsung Plasma compare to the Panasonic? Scott says that while the Panasonic is his preference, there's not much difference except maybe slightly better blacks for the Panasonic. Dave says that the Samsung has shinier glass. Panasonic is still his #1 choice, though.

David is getting a new TV and he needs composite inputs for the devices he plans to connect it to (a DVD/VCR combo and a security camera). Scott says that these days, he'll be lucky if there's just one set of composite inputs. So the best solution is probably going to be a simple switch box. The chatroom suggests daisy chaining the DVD/VCR combo with the security camera and just switching to the input setting on it. Walmart has a DVD/VCR still for sale, and it has component inputs.