I don’t know. It just seems to me that there are a lot of tech geeks that play the whistle. I’ve often gotten excellent advice here re: technology problems.
I have need for a small flat-screen tv in my kitchen. Maybe I should say I have “want” for it. So, I have been looking at the smaller-sized flat screen TVs which, of course, are getting cheaper, but still seem to be about $600. Flat-screen computer monitors, on the other hand, are considerably cheaper. So, it makes me wonder, exactly what would one need to connect a computer monitor to in the way of tuners, etc., to make it function as a television monitor I could hook up to cable. Is that even possible? Would it end up costing more than just breaking down and buying a TV set?
There was something on DVD players on the radio here in the UK the other day…saying how the components were now a mere $23 worth…hence how you can now buy a unit so cheaply compared with two or three years ago
I’ve digressed - anyhow, he went on to say how within two years FST and plasma screen TV would also be very very much cheaper due to economy of scale.
No help, but for those used to waiting years for a special whistle another year or so with no TV in the kitchen wouldn’t hurt much
You might consider hooking an old computer up to it. TV tuner cards are only about $20 or so and it doesn’t take much computer power to do it so any old computer would work. A friend of mine did that with an old computer of his - turned it into a dedicated MP3 player he hooked up to his stereo. It was too slow for anything else, but worked fine for that.
Somebody might make a stand-alone tuner for computer monitors as well - I haven’t seen one, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there!
I was in one of America’s “big box” stores the other day, doing some comparative price shopping for flat-screen TVs, and noticed a Panasonic 32" for $597, a 27" for $368 and a 25" for even less. I’m sure you have one of these stores near you. Wouldn’t be worth a computor screen conversion kit in my opinion, and holiday sales are just around the corner.
BTW, Dale…purchasing anything but HD tv screens would probably be a waste of $$$ right now since all signals will be high definition within a couple of years.
There are also lots of Price Comparison Search engines on the net that can help you find what you are looking for. If you search for a model of something you are interested in or even just HDTV, then invariably one of the links that will come up will be a price comparison site. I got a great price on my digital camera that way.
Are some of the best ones. And they offer specifications!
Please note: Unlike PC Monitors, the major consideration here is not resolution, (ie. 1600 x 1200) But rather it is the “speed”, or responsiveness of the plasma, or LCD matrix wich yields a superior picture. I highly recommend a quick perusal of the POPULAR MECHANICS website, or past articles if you subscribe. I think I read one article in there about three months ago…
I used a TV tuning card about 3-4 years ago and wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the picture. I was able to connect to cable TV and even vcr’s and video camera. I eventually removed it because of the low definition and occasional jerkiness of the picture. I would imagine many of those problems would be fixed by now what with the decrease in ram price and increase in processor speeds. You might want to check out an electronics superstore and see if they can give you a demonstration.
