How To Choose The Monitor Of Your Dreams

The choice of which monitor you use with your computer can determine your ability to work comfortably, enjoy high quality videos and efficiently manage multiple tasks at the same time. But oddly enough, most people will choose their computer's monitor based on what comes in a package deal, or choose the largest screen that they can get within their budget. While size does in fact matter, there are plenty of other factors to consider before purchasing the screen you'll be staring at for hours at a time.

Before you let the monster 32 inch screens seduce you, keep in mind that the screen will only be a few feet away from your face at the most. Make sure you have a big enough desk to handle that much viewing area without overwhelming your whole space.

Remember when you were always told not to sit too close to the TV or you would hurt your eyes? The same thing is true about a monitor that is too large and too close to your face. It can cause eye strain. If you're going to be using the monitor for work or surfing the net, you'll probably find that 21 to 29 inches is right where you want to be depending on the distance from your screen to your chair.

There are some other things that become more important when you enlarge the size of your screen. Resolution, meaning the amount of pixels on the screen, and pixel pitch, meaning the distance between pixels, are the biggest factors when it comes to image quality. Pixels are basically tiny boxes that change color in order to produce an image. The more pixels per square inch on the screen, the more crisp the image. A low resolution on a large screen will result in a bad picture. Smaller pixel pitch will give you a higher clarity

The graphics card inside your computer is going to determine the quality of information sent to your monitor and the speed that is is delivered. An old or low quality graphics card paired with a new top notch monitor will decrease the monitor's performance and also lower the clarity of the image that is produced on the screen. This means that most basic PC owners will not get the full value of a high end, large screen monitor unless they upgrade their computer's graphics card.

If you are upgrading your monitor but not your computer, make sure to check the connection ports on your graphics card. DVI used to be very common, but more monitors are dropping them to instead use HDMI connections instead. Both support the data transfer that is required for a high definition video, but DVI cables have pins that are prone to getting bent and require a separate cable for sound. HDMI cables do both audio and video together. DVI cables also lack support for HDCP encryption, which could limit your ability to watch any HD content at all, including blu-ray disks. You could get a DVI to HDMI converter, but that would make for a messier connection. It's best to just go with a monitor that has multiple connections.

DisplayPort connection are up and coming these days. They have a higher bandwidth, which means that they can transfer a larger amount of data at one time than DVI and HDMI. These may end up being the next big thing, but don't worry too much if your monitor of choice does not support that type of connection.

It is also important to consider a warranty when purchasing a new monitor. Most issues will either be apparent right away or surface within the first month or two of use. Make sure the monitor you choose has at least a 90 day money back guarantee, and/or a return policy that does not include restocking fees. Parts and labor should continue for another two to three years. Always make sure to read the warranty information to confirm that there is also coverage for defective pixels and backlight.

Just remember that not all monitors are made the same. Hopefully this helps you pair up with the screen of your dreams. I wish you a happy shopping experience.

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Are You Really Watching HD On Your HDTV

The Leichtman Research Group recently conducted a phone survey and reported that 18 percent of HD television owners think they are watching HD television when in reality they are not. In my opinion I find this very believable and in fact I could see it being much higher than this. The reason I say this is mostly people around the age of 16-25 are the only people who really know how to hook up an HDTV, but most people around 16-25 do not have $800-$2000 sitting around to buy an HDTV.

The first thing you need to make sure when you get your HDTV is to connect it right which requires you to first of all buy the premium High Definition Plan on you cable or satellite. So make sure you do not just plug in the cable straight into your television and expect HD quality television.

Once you get your cable or satellite box and you have upgraded to the HD plan then your next step is to connect your HD box to your television with the appropriate cables. In almost all cases an HDMI cable will do the trick. It will send both the video and the audio signal and all you need to do is connect the HDMI cable from your HDMI output in your HD cable box to the HDMI input on your Television. Any new HD cable box should have an HDMI output, but if yours does not then you will have to use compenent cables.

Finally once this is all hooked up do not expect every single channel to be broadcasted in HD. Only certain channels will be broadcasted in HD and make sure to contact your cable or satellite provider to find out which channels you have in HD.

Also CNET has a great how to connect to HD video here.