General > General info Somewhat hot tub related
computer/Tv combo help!
Bonibelle:
Vinny, I have Verizon for my fios service and Comcast for my cable. If I understand correctly (and that is part of my problem), I can hook the cable up using the TV tuner...and just connect my broadband through the Verizon router.
I really do wish I had thought this out more...I am happy with the computer aspect of the deal, but I don't know if my expectations for this being two things in one are over blown. :'(
My husband would love to have a rear projection TV, but we only have one room that is big enough to accomodate what he was thinking about. that room is usually occupied by one of the kids....playing video games or just messing it up! The ones I looked at cost over $2500.00...and that is almost what I paid for the computer!
I think I will wait to tell my husband about my new purchase until maybe Christmas... :-/
badval:
I bought a50" plasma from Dell & have been absolutely thrilled with it. It replaced a 46" projection HDTV & the difference is night & day.
I just use the cable box though - haven't bothered trying to run everything thru a PC. I just don't watch enough TV to bother.
Plasmas have really dropped in price over the past 18 months. I wouldn't go rear-projection again for anything. Even with the DLP rear projection models, the overall picture quality & viewing angles simply aren't there compared to a good plasma.
Do you watch movies or TV from the computer you had? If not, you probably won't bother to w/ the new one either. You might be better off keeping your PC and home theater needs separate. Using one system for both is going to be difficult. Just setting up a room so you can watch it as a tv but still have a workstation to use it will be a challenge. Then you have family conflicts of someone wanting to use the PC or watch TV - you're going to be limited to doing one or the other (not impossible to do both, just not practical).
Bonibelle:
Exactly, and you are right, I just should have given all this more thought.....I guess when I realized that I could watch TV on the computer monitor, it seemed like a good idea. the thing that may still work is the capability to record to a DVD from the TV card and to be able to watch one thing and record another at the same time.
The reason that I wasn't too impressed with the plasma TVs is that they use so much more energy than LCD or the projection TV's.
I am glad to know your thoughts about the rear projection models..I thought the sony models looked good.
I have never watched TV from the computer or even watched a DVD on this computer..but now I will have a computer with a decent size screen and surround sound so who knows,...
Yep, I should have thought this out better....oh well...
Vinny:
OK, I'll be up to $0.04...
Boni, the fios modem gets hooked up to the computer via an ethernet cable (looks like a huge telephone plug) and I think the TV portion of the video card will come with an "F" connector like a cable box. The only problem would be if you have a premium channel and need the cable box to pick it up, your computer couldn't pick it up without the box. To confuse matters more is that if you want fax capabilities from your computer you need to hook up a phone line too. Each portion of the computer acts independatly of each other.
The video card may be able to do pict in pict or it may open up a screen similar to opening up Windows Media Player and having another program on. If a screen is big enough ( I have a 19" flat panel LCD on the computer - it's big) you can have the best of both worlds- being here on WTB and watching the Eagles lose! ;) ::) (I'm not a fan of any team - just playing with you).
Now for the not so good news ... plasma screens have a short life expectancy. They supposedly burn themselves out in a short (3 years or so) time, LCD is the way to go. Also, technology is evolving in the high def market. The new stuff coming out is 1080i and it blows away the 720 high def monitors. I saw a 1080i LCD monitor in Circuit City that looked like a photo - it was amazing! Of course it's at a store with I'm sure enhancements that made it look that way. I have a 20" enhanced def LCD monitor that's running at standard def in my bedroom and it's there to free up space on my wife's dresser. It's good enough for the bedroom as we watch all of tops an hour of TV then go to sleep.
I think you did well in both aspects ... the computer will do what you need and 1080i will come down in price as more and more manufacturers make them available.
Bonibelle:
Vinny, I guess I didn't do such a good job of explaining what I bought ...maybe since I didn't know myself...The monitor is a wide aspect digital flat panel and it is 24 inches. I just thought it would be similar to the size and picture quality of my sister's new TV.
All the stuff on the computer is good...for the things that I want to do. We don't get the premium TV channels so that is not an issue and I have an all in one, so I fax from that, not my computer. the Tv tuner card says the computer can record like Tivo without the cost..I don't know if that is a big deal...To be honest, we mostly only watch the news and sports...and discovery channel, so I don't know what I was thinking...
My kids are excited about it because it is new technology...at least in our house. I don't think I will tell my husband for a while...maybe until it is delivered. I never do things like this...I could have had a nice computer with a decent monitor for about 1200.00..Oh well
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