Can You Use A TV As A Monitor? When You SHOULD & SHOULDN'T!

Televisions are very similar to computer displays, but there are still benefits of using one over the other. I walk through all of the similarities between the two and when you should and shouldn't use a TV as a computer monitor!

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Chapters ➡
0:00 Intro
1:57 Size comparison
3:16 Sponsor Break: Magic Lasso
4:50 Resolution Differences
6:31 Pixel Density
9:44 Unique Monitor Features
11:50 When to use a TV as a monitor

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[whatdawhatdawhat]

When the comments are more helpful than the main video

[kBofFun]

All important things to check whether or not a TV can function as monitor are missing:
1) Does the TV support RGB HDMI? Most TV's ask the computer for 4:2:2 chroma subsampled HDMI, looking terrible on static text with colour.
2) Does the TV offer fast-boot and auto-input-select? It sucks pretty badly if it does not look on which input the active signal comes in.
3) How does the TV behave on monitor-sleep situations. You don't want complete Android TV to boot after a wake-from-sleep.
4) Can improvement algoritms been turned off? Most TV's default to serious sharpening resulting in halo's on contrasty edges. Also they tend to over-contrast, resulting in white-crush and black crush. Not to mention the high amount of motion algoritms.
One thing possitive about TV's is that for media creation they often support 24/25/30/50/60p natively, so it is easier to view video at the native refresh rate than on a monitor.

[ralseidreemurr]

I have a lot of friends that use tv as a monitor and never heard anyone complain, the best part is watching films on a large tv is such a charm comparing to standard monitors.

[kdw]

One of my computers has a 43" OLED TV as a monitor and I absolutely love it. It seems extremely crisp and I use it regularly for spreadsheets and graphic design, which needs to have clear readable type. My other computers have BenQ 32" monitors with 4k resolution. I am pretty happy with them.

[beauslim]

Part of the problem with TVs is that they are designed to make video look nice, and all kinds of settings for interpolation, smoothing, scaling and video colour are on by default which make computer output (especially text) look terrible. On the cheaper TVs you might not even be able to turn this stuff off.

[JonathanBradysouth-africa]

Just bought a Hisense 43 E7K 4K TV and am using it as my main monitor after being stuck with an old DELL 27 inch 1080p monitor....I have to say...this thing blew all my expectations out the water. I'm highly impressed and so chuffed.

[mathaihouse]

After 10 mins of watching this video, I dint feel the video did any justice to point the reason of choosing monitor over tv

[jeremygeorgia]

It seems to me, that most of the benefits you mentioned, apply mainly to Macs. I'm not necessarily expecting a PC monitor to be a USB hub, unless it's an all-in-one display. My phone does 4k resolution. It does look crisp, but it's not useful to me, for computer work. It is, however, easier on my eyes than cheaper phones. PPI is important, but it isn't everything. Otherwise, I could be happy with a 12" HD monitor. ALSO, especially for PC's, when you switch to higher resolutions, like 4k, some apps don't scale, so all a higher pixel density will get you, is tiny text. With a TV, you can get higher resolutions and a bigger size, which at the very least can make things easier to read. Sure, TV's often have extra processing & stuff, but you can turn that off in many cases.

One of the nice things about a TV, is it typically has multiple inputs. Many monitors have one, because they aren't designed for switching. TV's allow you to connect 2 or more computers & switch them with a remote. They can also give you a nicer, more immersive experience by just saturating your field of view. The main specs to worry about are the refresh rate, and a lot of TV's are getting better about that. Another side effect you get from a TV is that it might have better speakers, so you don't need cheap computer speakers. They are typically compatible with some good sounding and powerful soundbars, as well.

Of course, just like with the Samsung monitor, sometimes the browser interfaces for the streaming sites aren't as nice as the smart TV app. It can be nice to switch to the smart TV mode, once the computing is done. A wireless control setup & a 55" TV can be a nice combination.

[zakspop]

I use a 43" 4K TCL as a monitor and it works great. I have no issues reading small text. I play some casual games. I even do a bit of image editing.

[gutar]

I used to think the answer was no because the types of tvs I grew up using looked absolutely horrible at close range. I just picked up the LG C2 42 inch and boy my opinion has changed. It is easily the best screen that I've ever owned or even looked at. The clarity and colors are outstanding and PPI is perfect. If you're in the market for 4K, save for an OLED or QD OLED. I was really worried that the size was going to be a problem, but it was actually the solution to a problem I didn't know I had. Using a monitor that takes up your entire viewing angle, without you needing to turn your head, is so much better for productivity and gaming. You'll want a lot of desk space, but I found my 24 inch deep desk to be all I needed. I was going to move some shelving behind it to put the tv on that instead, but as soon as I booted up windows it was already so natural to me that I wouldn't put it back any further if I could.

[RajinderYadav]

I've been using a 43" LG 4K HDTV as a computer monitor. I sit infont of my PC for more than 10 hours a day. My TV monitor is amazing, I can read fine text. Graphics and colour are amazing and it's also good for gaming. All this FPS stuff you keep hearing about and thinking you're missing out, you not. Your eyes and brain can't process that fast to notice much of a difference. I don't experience blurring. I sit about an arm lengths away from my monitor.

This is the best purchase I've made in a lot time. Before you do buy a HDTV, I suggest you go and and see a working model of it, and pay attention to text and details and how crips it is. I spent around $350 -$400 on my LG 43" 4K HDTV, anything more it just wasteful. Forget about QLED, you don't need it, but if you want to piss away you money then it's up to you. My blacks are fine. I don't sit sorrunded with natural light washing out my display. So there is no need for QLED.

[brumbymg]

I was waiting for you to mention chroma subsampling – 4:4:4 vs 4:2:2 vs 4:2:0. From my experience, that can make a big difference if you are working with text, especially smaller text.

[GL-GildedLining]

You didn't mention ABL. Using TV as monitor means that the TV will pay attention to the ratio of dark pixels to light pixels on the screen, and dynamically limit the backlight accordingly. I've used a Hisense H9G as a monitor for almost two years now, and feel incredibly spoiled and charmed by it, but according to measurements from rtings, it will fluctuate from about 750nits output to 1500nits output depending on what's on the screen. This makes color tweaking for photo and video just amazingly unreliable. It also inflicts a certain ache that I can't get the image to be able to swing a full 1500nits output at all times.
That said? I think my next monitor will also be another UHDTV. When it's great, it's glory.

[doro]

There needs to be more ( in my opinion) videos about this topic. I've been using TVs as monitors for about 17 years. My first, a sony wega allowed me to play World of warcarft and watch netflix and youtube on a 50 inch screen. My second, a cheaper Vizio 32 in, has horrible black levels ( that final season Game of thrones episode where everything was dark was a nightmare, but im used to it) but also fits the bill.

Now im looking into step into 1080p+ resolutions and I was wondering, other than burn in if there are things to look out for. you gave a very good break down and now I feel comfortable moving forward. I just need to go into the store and see what these screen technologies look like up close and personal.

[SebastianBlix]

The only thing I got out of this is that, monitor or TV doesn't really matter, what matters is pixels per inch. Larger 4K screens might have lower pixels per inch vs smaller 4k screens dependant on the mfg and model. The more ppi, the better.

[owenashcroft]

I needed screen real estate so bought an LG CX 48” tv and it’s been amazing, definitely made a real difference to my workflow

[ron]

You didn't mention this, but if you use your smart tv as a monitor, don't you have to use the tv remote and settings to show the source as HDMI port? I'm afraid I won't have the tech know-how.

[cszulu]

Work monitor for reading text, from 6 feet away, what do you recommend?

[kokasiis]

Ended up pausing the video because distributing me when reading comments
Comments are very helpful

[jedidiahsteele]

I use a 48 inch Samsung 4k tv on on my Windows 11 gaming laptop...biggest takeaways....Scaling issues, which can be fixed in Windows...60hz is fine if you are good with lower frame rates. Overall I am happy with it cos I was not going to spend 2000 for a equivilant gaming monitor with high refresh rate