If all I want to do is watch dvd's in hd. Should I buy an hd computer monitor and play them off of my computer. Or buy an HDTV with that doesn't have as good quality as the monitor i am looking at and play them off a dvd player. Does the monitor get into complications running off the computer because would i need a really good video card to get the best picture out of an hd monitor. So the questions is hd monitor or HDTV in the end? Thanks.
Most HD televisions are in fact HD monitors... you'll see them advertised with terms like HD Ready and what not... the only difference between an HDTV and HD monitor (for viewing TV, DVD's, computer or what not) is that the true HDTV have a built-in tuner and oftentimes speakers. The HD monitor requires other things to make it work (DVD player, cable box, satellite box, receiver & speakers, etc.).
I personally think an HDTV is a waste of money because if you're buying that, you're hooking it up to SOMETHING... a DVD player at least, so you don't need an internal tuner at all... and mostly will be listening to the 5.1 sound on your home theater system; not the built in speakers. Unless you don't plan on listening to 5.1 sound and will be hooking your HDTV up to an antenna, the HD monitor is the way to go and it'll save you money.
As for your comments about the HD monitor (for your computer) is better than an HDTV (and I'm mixing what I referred to as an HD monitor and HDTV into one term here), it's probably the fact that you're comparing a decent computer monitor versus a crappy HDTV display. Most modern, computer monitors are HD displays in the fact that they can display at least 1080 lines... any display with a resolution of 1280 or higher is essentially an HD monitor. The output there may look better to you because you're looking at a smaller screen from a difference source, etc. I'm not sure if I'm making any sense here, but let me put it this way, if the HDTV you're looking at has a computer input, you should use that to hook it up to your computer before you decide what's BETTER. You may be surprised.
[quote=sniper78]If all I want to do is watch dvd's in hd. Should I buy an hd computer monitor and play them off of my computer. quote]
It's important to note most computers arn't going to show/play HD discs unless you have a HD/BR drive. You may be able to upscale a regular DVD through a combination of video card and software but you say watch dvd's in HD. Do you mean watch dvd's ON a HDTV.
