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HDTV Monitors for PC Tuners You might be surprised to learn a standard PC monitor displays one of the best HD pictures. They also cost less than a comparable size HDTV ready monitor. Of course most PC monitors are meant for one person viewing and usually have only a VGA connection although some newer LCD monitors also have a DVI connection. To display a true HDTV quality picture, a monitor must function at the 1280x1024 resolution for a standard monitor and have 1280x720 resolution for a widescreen monitor. However on a small monitor (19" and under) 1024x768 on a standard monitor still looks very good. To check your monitor resolution capability, go here.
CRT PC monitor – The best value for HD display is the still the old CRT monitor. A 19” CRT can be purchased for under $90 new and $40 or so used. The picture quality is excellent, but they a bulky. As with all standard monitors a HD picture will not use the full screen since they are the standard TV size (4:3) whereas HDTV is widescreen (16:9). So there will be unused space at the top and bottom of the screen.
LCD PC monitors – These monitors have come a long way over the past couple of years both in quality (up) and price (down). However even a bargain 17” LCD monitor will still run about $125 although I have seen some lower resolution LCD monitors in the $100 range.. For the space challenged this is the best solution for a desktop HDTV. Again, as in the standard CRT monitors, part of the screen is not used to display full HDTV.
Wide screen LCD PC monitors - This a relatively new addition in the PC monitor world. The big advantage to these monitors is the entire screen is used when displaying HDTV. The disadvantage is they are still somewhat expensive, but like the standard monitors, have dropped considerably price wise over the past few months. There are some 19" widescreen LCD monitors for under $200 now. Many of the newer models come with both VGA and DVI connections. The main difference between a PC monitor and a HDTV ready monitor, besides a built-in analog TV tuner and speakers, is the type of connectors available. HDTV’s have some combination of DVI, HDMI, VGA, and component video (red, green, blue cables), along with the old style composite (yellow, red, white) connections. Monitors usually have just a VGA connection, with the newer ones adding DVI. 
LCD HDTV’s – Just as the LCD PC monitors, the LCD HDTV’s have gone up in quality and down in price dramatically over the past 2 years. A LCD TV must be able to display at least 1280x720 to be an HDTV. Most LCD HDTV’s have a VGA connector that makes connecting to a PC easy. Other HDTV’s – The CRT HDTV’s are an excellent value, but are bulky, heavy and not available in the larger screen sizes (40”+). They don’t have a VGA connection, usually DVI, HDMI and/or component. The HDTV Plasma and Projection Displays most likely will not have a VGA connection so you will need DVI or component out from your graphics card.
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