HELP!!! I'm going to be buying a new flat-screen TV (my first TV in DECADES!!!)
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My landlord is having Dish Satellite connections run to our rooms.
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What should I look for in an inexpensive TV? Most of the ones I
see online have 3 HDMI inputs-- I assume that's the input I would
connect my computer into to make the TV a monitor(?).
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What do I look for on my computer that would allow me to do that?
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What auxiliary cables, equipment do I need to buy along with the
basic TV?
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Am I overlooking anything?
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Thanks for your help.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
at K-Mart last year. Maybe less. It's a no-name brand and doesn't have 3-D, picture-in-a-picture, or some other features, but it has a beautiful picture and good sound.
Couple of quick things...
People forget about resolution, but most of the cheap TVs have 720p resolution, which is usually good enough, but you really should look for 1080p, particularly if you're going to hook your computer into it. Be prepared, though, for how that drop dead gorgeous news reader looks like a real woman now, and her skin is not so perfect after all. And it's amazing how so many guys still don't know how to shave, although they're getting better at it. (It's one thing to have the unshaved "look" but just missing spots is a no-no)
The more HDMI ports the better. Roku boxes, satellite converters, disc players, computers, games... everything hooks up via HDMI now, although there should be at least one plain old video port (low res only) and RGB ports for ancient stuff on the TV. If you don't have an HDMI port on your computer, you can buy a board with one (assuming you're using a desktop with a box) or just use the RGB connectors like you're doing with your monitor.
About five years ago I picked up a smallish (maybe 24"
flatscreen real cheap and nothing worked with the HDMI ports. Turns out there was a new standard having to do with piracy where the cable boxes, video players, etc encrypted the HDMI signal and the TV had to be compliant. That one wasn't, so I had to hook everything up to the RGB connection. If you get a really cheap price online, that could be why-- there might still be some of those out there. I'd go store shopping and see what Target, K-Mart, Best Buy, etc have on sale so it would be easier to return if there's a problem.
And, prepare to spend a while setting it up. It's usually obvious what to do during the setup, but the instructions tend to include little hints you might miss.
On edit...
Just read the above howto link and will emphasize his point about all HDMI cables are the same. Mine are mostly from the dollar store so even if one is bad, I've got the rest of the handful I bought for a tenth of what the name brand cables cost. You might want to have some of those dollar store three-headed old fashioned A/V cables around, too, if ever you need to hook up an old VCR for some reason.
Response to MiddleFingerMom (Original post)
