LG LCD TV Monitor

I bought this 22" LG LCD TV monitor M228WA for 2 purposes - connecting PC and watching TV. It has a resolution of 1680 x 1050, brightness 300 cd/sq m and contrast ratio 1000:1. There is also D-Sub (VGA) and DVI connections to a PC. For TV, you can connect via antenna, RCA, S-Video or component cable. It costs $399 with 3 years on-site warranty.

Since my PC has dual display inputs - VGA/HDMI or VGA/DVI, I can connect to 2 monitors, one via VGA and the other via DVI using this monitor. I tested connecting via HDMI to another LCD TV and it is blurred unlike VGA or DVI.

Widescreen LCD Monitor on Eee PC

I tested a Philips 220EW8FB LCD monitor on my Eee PC. It is 21.6" with response time 5ms, resolution 1680 x 1050, contrast ratio 1000:1 and brightness 300cd/sq m. Also, it is HDCP ready and accepts dual input VGA & DVI. The resolutions supported by Eee PC are as follows:

1. 800 x 600
2. 1024 x 768
3. 1152 x 864
4. 1280 x 720
5. 1280 x 960
6. 1280 x 1024
7. 1400 x 1050
8. 1440 x 900
9. 1600 x 900
   

Checking Defective Pixels on LCD Screen

There are three types of pixel defects:

1. Type 1 - a stuck bright white pixel which is constantly illuminated (Hot pixels - always on)
2. Type 2 - a fixed black spot which is not illuminated in any way (Dead pixels - always off)
3. Type 3 - a pixel which shows up as a fixed single colour (not black or white) (Stuck pixels - one or more sub-pixels are always on or always off)

To check dead pixel, you can download Dead Pixel Buddy or UD Pix. UD Pix also allows you to rejuvenate Type 1 and 3 faults by flashing colours across them rapidly. Both programs run on Windows OS only.
How do you check the LCD screens for Linux/Mac laptops? If these laptops have a built-in or external optical drive, you can still boot up from Ultimate Boot CD and run CHZ Monitor Test 1.01 to check.

LCD Monitor or LCD TV

Requirements for HD

• Minimum resolution of 1280 x 720.

LCD Monitor

1. 19" - 1440 x 900
2. 20-22" - 1680 x 1050
3. 24-28" - 1920 x 1200

LCD TV

1. HD-ready - 1366 x 768
2. Full HD - 1920 x 1080

• Minimum contrast ratio 800:1

• Minimum brightness 450 cd/m

• HDMI inputs - one for HD set-top box, one for DVD recorder with HDMI output and another for cable or your game station / HDMI switch

You can watch HD on LCD monitor with HDMI input or you can do HDMI via a DVI port which supports HDCP. HDMI cable carries both uncompressed HD video and digital surround sound audio but for DVI, it is good for HDTV but requires a separate cable for audio. It is best to compare the cost before buying.