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Using my Plasma Television as a computer monitor

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AMD K6

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Aug 11, 2007
Greetings.

I purchased a 60" Plasma Television and, figured I can use it to replace my faulty 21" CRT Computer Monitor as well instead of repairing it.

I was considering using a VGA to RCA (Red, Black & Green) adaptor. Has anyone tried such a method? How is the resolution using a Plasma Television as a Computer Monitor instead of a standard Computer Monitor ?


Cheers.
 
The resolution depends purely on how the TV was designed. Without knowing the exact model, there is no way for us to know for sure. Unless the monitor has a VGA, DVI or HDMI input, I wouldn't use it as a monitor since it will look bad.
 
I have to disagree with my buddy here...

If its 60" I would bet GOOD money that its 1920x1080. Second, the RCA level (R,G,B) inputs while not as good as what you listed, should have it looking just fine. I have a 32" 720P TV upstairs and I cannot tell the difference between HDMI and R,G,B. Is that different with a PC type signal thideras?
 
Thanks for the Feedback

It is a Panasonic VIERA TC-P60S30 and, it offers HDMI inputs however, I don't recall seeing an VGA to HDMI adaptor. This is why I was planning to use a VGA to RCA adaptor and connect it into the component input.

The specifications of the Television is listed in the link below

http://www.jr.com/panasonic/pe/PAN_TCP60S30/
 
I use a cable I picked up at Best Buy that's DVI-D on one end, and HDMI on the other for my 40" Samsung LCD TV.

Are you talking a DVI connector on your computer? Or the old 15 pin VGA connector? VGA to the three color component cable might be usable, but not nearly as good looking as DVI to HDMI.
DVI has a blade pin on one end of the connector contacts, VGA has all round pins only.

With VGA to Component, the TV might not be able to pick up the correct resolution to use because it's a non-digital signal. Some TV's might have to be set by hand for the correct resolution each time you turn both on. Some might not see a signal at all and display a black screen only.

You can try and hope for the best. If it works it should look okay, but might cut off the 4:3 format pictures at the bottom, so you'll be scrolling a lot. That or it will give you the big black borders at the left and right sides and keep your text too small or blocky to read at a distance.
VGA is 4:3== DVI/HD is 19:6== Component can do either, depending on the equipment.
 
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Hi.

I am referring to the VGA connection that has been synonymous with computer monitors for the past 30 years. My computer does not offer a DVI connector and, for what I use the computer for (banking), I don't see it is necessary to purchase a brand new video card just to have a DVI connector.

I only wanted to know if connected my Desktop to my Plasma Television using a VGA to RCA (Red, Green & Black) adapter would work with good picture resolution. :)
 
Is that different with a PC type signal thideras?
For a computer, there is likely a difference. I tried this one and it was blurry when compared to a digital signal. For gaming, it will probably be ok, but for normal computer usage, it probably isn't worth it. Granted, it has been quite some time since the last time I tried it, but I wouldn't if there were easier options available.
 
Yeah, personally I'd boogie down to Goodwill and pick up another CRT for $10-$15.
I did get it working on mine with my laptop once, and you could barely read any text. And my TV has a "PC" VGA connector. 'Twas ugly indeed.

BTW, wasn't talking down about the possible connector confusion...we get all different skill levels in here and I didn't know where you were at. Just covering that base! :thup:
 
also know that plasma tv's tend to have image burn in issues. if you leave it on and the screen doesnt change you could embed a ghost image into the screen.
 
Thanks for the replies.

also know that plasma tv's tend to have image burn in issues. if you leave it on and the screen doesnt change you could embed a ghost image into the screen.


Has anyone actually confirmed the "image burn in issues" is nothing more than having the brightness & contrasts settings extremely high?

I do recall CRT monitors would experience the same phenomenon if the brightness & contrasts settings were set too high on Black & White security monitors.

I tend to have my brightness/contrasts on all my monitors/televisions below 50%
 
I've seen it on older plasma displays at customer houses. I've also seen sunshine from a window "bleach" a corner lighter than the rest. CRT's had the same problems.
The thing about using a computer with it is that you have a screen saver--exactly what it was invented for. Set it for around 30 minutes and there should never be a problem.
Your lower settings should also help a lot.

Old habits are funny, I still turn off my monitor or my TV when I walk away from the computer(s), even though LCD's won't suffer a burnt in image. Not a bad idea, since it's lighter on the electric bill that way, so I've never fought the urge...
 
Has anyone actually confirmed the "image burn in issues" is nothing more than having the brightness & contrasts settings extremely high?
According to Wikipedia, all plasma monitors have this issue. They also state that "burn-in" is not covered by the warranty, which should speak volumes about the issue. It does seem to be amplified by higher brightness settings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_display#Screen_burn-in
 
Probably just a numbers thing..the older it is, the more assaults it's exposed to...
 
most have an image cleaner that does help to resolve it once it shows, and it does help. What many dont realize is that when in windows, say when browsing the net. That you have the start menu that does sit in one place and can easily get burnt in. My daughters tv will clean most of it rather quickly, but she is aware of the issue and keeps the menu hidden, but anything that stays in one place can get burnt in.
Not sure if there is newer tech that keeps it from happening on newer versions. I just wanted the OP to know that there is the possibility of it happening
 
Good article about burn in...

Snip:
Here's the most important fact about image persistence: unless you're overtly negligent, it's easily reversible. With what magic, you ask? Easy, just watch TV. Yep, that's it. Just go back to your regularly scheduled programming (full-screen, non-letterboxed television) and it will go away by itself. Just due to being used, the phosphors will get back in line. Depending on the severity of the image persistence, it may take a few minutes or a few hours to go away.

For many years, image persistence was a bigger issue. This evil-sounding "menace" has, ahem, persisted over the years as manufacturers and stores have tried to push their customers into more expensive LCD televisions (which have their own issues).

Modern plasmas have better phosphors that are less likely to "burn" in the first place. They also include features designed to lessen the chance for image persistence or remove it if it occurs. An orbiter function moves the image around the screen by a few pixels. Hardly noticeable, but it minimizes some aspects of burn-in. Full white or rapidly changing colored patterns excite the phosphors evenly, greatly reducing the time it takes to remove the effects of image persistence.

......There are plenty of reasons to choose plasma or LCD, but burn-in/image persistence shouldn't be one of them. It is much ado about nothing. OK, not nothing, as it's a real thing, it's just not the issue some people make it out to be.
 

Good article.

From my days as a TV salesman I've seen burn in on a few sets. They were almost always the lowest of the low end samsung and lg sets. Panasonic after 2007 didn't have the issue. I use a panasonic 42" plasma as my only monitor and I can say that it has never burned in.

Also, people relate image retention with burn in. They are not the same. Image retention is when you displayed a bright image with a dark background (or similar) and when you go to a black screen you can still see an outline of the bright image. This will go away as soon as the pixels are refreshed. My tv in particular includes an "eraser" that will scroll across the screen to eliminate that effect.

We actually tried to burn in a panasonic plasma once just to see how much effort it actually took. We put a static image on the tv for over 24hrs and after using the wipe feature it went back to normal.

All in all I wouldn't worry about burn in unless you plan to leave a static image on the screen for an extended period of time. If you use a screensaver you just solved your problem.
 
I do believe the newer generation that are not familiar with the basics of a Television set are easily persuaded by a bunch people that escalate things out of proportion.

If you surfed the the Internet when 56K was considered fast, you've seen such individuals that over-exaggerate grow in multitudes on the Internet within the past 20 years.
 
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I also though plasma burn in was an issue with older plasmas...

still an issue, though not as bad. Many newer plasmas have 'garbage collection' routines where it has a mode that runs a fast paced static (like the old analog static on 'missing' tv stations) animation that helps with the issue. Similar to unsticking a stuck pixel. Has varying amounts of success.
 
I do believe the newer generation that are not familiar with the basics of a Television set are easily persuaded by a bunch people that escalate things out of proportion.

If you surfed the the Internet when 56K was considered fast, you've seen such individuals that over-exaggerate grow in multitudes on the Internet within the past 20 years.

in the early days of plasma sets, it was a horrendous issue. It is why plasma nearly died as screen type until manufacturers vastly improved them and proved to customers it was much harder to do (still possible, just not as simple as playing madden for an hour and having a football field etched permanently onto your screen anymore).
 
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