I saw garsh's IRD post re: Dell 2005fpw 20" widescreen LCD monitor, $443. I need a flat panel for my study.

The thing is, I really like the idea of being able to get rid of the TV that's in there w/o losing access to a TV. so I'm looking at the Dell W1900 LCD TV - $599.. It's worth the extra $150 to me to free up some space, but I don't want to sacrifice quality. How well would this TV really work as a monitor?

Thoughts, suggestions, comments?

TIA!


Dell 19" LCD TV - $599
Monitor Type / Display Type TFT / Active Matrix
Display Area 16.25" x 9.74"
Dimension Display only (W X H x D) 23.8" x 12.2" x 3.75"
Dimension Display & Stand (W X H x D) 23.8" x 16.7" x 6.6"
Digital TV Capability 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
Display Weight Without Stand: 15.9 lbs / With Stand: 21.4 lbs
Horizontal Viewing Angle +/- 85 degrees
Vertical Viewing Angle +/- 85 degrees
Digital TV Capability 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
Response Time 25 milliseconds (b/w, typical)
Aspect Ratio 16:9 capable
Brightness (typical) 450 nits (typical)
Contrast Ratio 600:1 (typical)
Native Resolution 1280 x 768 @ 60 Hz
Color TFT LCD
Display Type Color TFT LCD
Audio/Video Input Signal Composite (1); S-Video (1); HD component (2); TV In/Coax (1); DVI-HDCP (1, shared with PC) Audio 7 RCA (L+R); 1 mini-stereo for PC
Audio/Video Output Signal Composite (1); audio RCA (L+R, 1 pair); headphone jack (1); subwoofer (1)
Picture / Picture Features PIP, POP, PBP, PC gfx on PC gfx, video on PC gfx, video on video (if one composite input is present)2
TV Tuner Analog; SDTV & HD ready; NTSC (Americas & Japan models) or PAL/SECAM (European models) TV Color system; Closed Captioning, Parental Control, SAP & Teletext ready
DVI-HDCP Yes
PC Analog Input VGA (analog, 15 pin D-sub)
PC Digital Input DVI (shared with TV)

Dell 2005fpw 20" widescreen LCD monitor - $443
Device Type: Flat Panel LCD Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand
Display Type: Flat Panel Display / Active Matrix TFT - Desktop
Viewable Size: 20.1"
Height: Compressed: 15.3", Extended: 22.4"
Width: 18.6"
Depth: 9"
Weight: 17.64 lbs
Image Max H-View Angle: ±88°
Image Max V-View Angle: ±88°
Color Support: 16.7 Million
Connectivity Technology: Cable
Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight: 18.6" x 9" x 15.3" to 22.4" / 17.64 lbs
Enclosure Color: Midnight Gray
Image Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Image Brightness: 300 cd/m²
Image Contrast Ratio: 600:1
Max Resolution: 1680x1050 Pixels
Max Sync Rate (V x H): 75 Hz x 83 kHz
Port(s) Total ( Free ) / Connector Type: VGA / DVI-D / S-video / Composite / 4 x USB 2.0
Power Consumption Operational: 75 W (maximum), 55 W (typical)
Diagonal Size / Viewable Size: 20 / 20.1"
Compatibility: PC

I have the 17" Version of this TV/Monitor, and it works pretty well. I have to say that they quality of my coax signal is pretty bad and that gets amplified a lot by the LCD.

Oh, and if you end up wanting to go with the 19", I have one that we could make a deal on if you want. PM me if you want to think about that.

These are the specs that I would worry about the most. Especially the resolution. I think you would be better off buying the 2005fpw, and then hooking up a cheap VCR or cable box to it to get your TV tuner. It'll cost less, and give you a much better display. edit - well, the TV has better brightness, but the response time would be important for action movies and playing video games.

PS, I would also try calling Dell and seeing if you can convince a CSR to sell you the 2005fpw for under $400. It's been less than $400 a few times in the past.

Thanks for the input. I may go ahead and call a CSR -- I'm about to spend c. $1600 on a notebook. Maybe we can work out a deal

If you're spending that much on a notebook, you should be able to talk him into throwing the monitor into the deal for free!

These days LCD TVs strike me as unreasonably overpriced over "vanilla" LCDs with component/svideo/etc. inputs. There's definitely an artificial price premium for what you're getting at the moment. I'd go with Garsh's advice and get the 20" too.

Thinking about it, you would be better off to get the 20" and a $60 TV Tuner card. That way, you get the best of both!

There is a benefit to the LCD TV, It's HDTV ready from the beginning, so you can feed in component inputs or HDCP. If you want HDTV from the 2005fpw, you need a HDTV tuner card. Also, if you were considering a 2001fp then I would definitely go with the LCD TV, because it wouldn't be 16:9 format.

Speakers are built into the side of the LCD TV, saving space. And you can watch TV while the computer is off. And it uses no CPU cycles to watch TV, even with Picture-in-Picture, while the computer is on.

I have a kitchen computer and use a Dell W1700, and I really like it.

I realize the resolution and response time specs are not as good, and it costs more, but you really should consider the LCD TV. Consider that the price difference is $150, and you need to add a TV tuner card and speakers to the LCD to make it equivalent. That brings the difference to more like $75.

wow, good points dewolfxy. A tough decision for sure.

First, this TV does NOT have an HDTV tuner from what I have read. Second, I believe that being "HDTV-ready" simply means that it accepts DVI input, which the monitor does as well. Can anyone confirm or refute these assertions?

If space is an issue, you can get the AS500 sound bar that fits under the LCD monitor.

Same is true of the monitor, if you use a cable box, VCR, or DVD player as the input sources. The monitor also supports PIP and PBP.

So again, I believe the monitor is probably the better choice.

You're right, no HDTV tuner, just a standard TV tuner. I only use standard, and since I got it in the Dellf $1 LCD TV deal I never thought about it.

Sure, you can buy small speakers. Requires another power supply, and makes it bulkier. You can also use a cable box or VCR, at minimal expense, but again it adds bulk and is not as simple a solution.

I think the monitor is the better choice if it's used on a desk with a computer. If you want to mount it on a wall and use it as a TV as often as you use it as a computer, you should seriously consider the LCD TV. Or if you want to use it in a tight space, where you might use a small computer or HTPC (I use a Mac Mini with it), the LCD TV is the choice.

I'm not trying to argue the monitor is better in all cases, just that there are merits to the LCD TV and it's not a instant, simple decision that one is better.

garsh, you're saying the 2005fpw supports PIP on its own? How, does it use the S-Video or Composite input directly into the monitor? With software and a TV tuner card in a PC of course it can do that, but then the PC has to be on. If it does that, then you just need a cable box in the room and it would be a nice solution. But I don't see anywhere that it says it can do that.

Also, HDTV ready means that it supports the proper resolution (1280x768, 16:9 aspect ratio). Note it says "Digital TV Capability 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i". I don't believe the monitor is HDTV ready, even though it has a DVI input. Typically a HDTV tuner box, if you bought one (about $200 now) would have a component output or DVI-HDCP, which the LCD TV has. I know some have DVI outputs, but I don't think they would work with the monitor as the resolution isn't right. But I could be wrong.

It also supports advanced features such as PIP (picture in picture) and PBP (picture by picture) and can be activated with a touch of a button on the front of the display.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/Product...uctlisting.aspx

Yep. It just has to be two different input connections as the sources. My 2001fp and 2405fpw support it as well (though I've never actually tried it out).

I decided to go on and get the monitor instead of the TV/monitor. Thanks to everyone for the thoughts, suggestions, and discussion!



They didn't throw it in for free. In fact, I ordered the notebook from SB and had to e-mail a screen shot of my Dellf cart showing that I was able to order it for $428 before they'd meet that price. But, they did come down on the price of the 1600n Multifunction Laser Printer (it's already discounted $60; they came off another $50).

So, I got the notebook (Inspiron 600m, Intel Pentium M Processor 755(2GHz,400MHz) 14.1-in SXGA+, w/ 64MB Video; 1 GB SDRAM; 60GB HD; DVD+/-RW; 2915 Internal Wireless; Internal Bluetooth module; and 3 yr business mobility plan), the MLP, and the monitor for $2381 (AR), including taxes. I'm content w/ the deal, even though I'm sure there are plenty of folks here at B$ who could have done much better.

Reading more, it seems the 2005fpw definitely does NOT support HDTV unless you use a HDTV tuner card in your PC, which will upconvert to the proper resolution for the monitor. You can use the S-Video or composite input for a VCR/DVD input, but apparently it's rather poor quality (compared to HDTV). You can't plug the DVI directly into a cable box that supports DVI output, you need a DVI-HDCP port and support for a HDTV mode (720p, etc).

ATI has this for an HDTV tuner card, may be a bit pricey right from their site but you may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere

Should have gotten DELL to toss it in!