New screen for work

EricTheViking · 13-02-2009, 11:51

Hello all,

Have been asked by the MD at work to spec out a new screen for use in the training room.

Requirements are:
50" (or thereabouts)
Standard connectivity (HDMI, scart, etc)
and
Ability to connect to a PC - to show PowerPoints, demos, etc

This last bit is the bit I know least about and would appreciate some assistance.

Anyone have any recommendations, suggestions or questions I should be asking??

Thanks all.

Cheers.

Chris Frost · 13-02-2009, 12:34

Something for office use with laptops etc you need to be looking at LCD.

Check if the building has a TV license. Any device capable of receiving a TV signal needs to be licensed. You can also make a special case to the TV Licensing Authority for exemption, though that will certainly involve time and effort on your part. The alternative is a proper AV Monitor which has no TV Tuner. It's also more likely handle a wider range of PC signals, but it will cost a little more than a TV.

Getting a decent signal from the laptop is really important. What comes out of the monitor socket on a laptop may look OK on a 19" screen connected via a 2m cable, but once you start upping the screen size and running longer wires it will usually start looking soft and have some double shadowing. If you are planning to buy a 1080p LCD then these become really important issues to address.

There are three mains causes for the problems above

1) An under powered laptop graphics card

2) Running the laptop screen and the large monitor at the same time

3) Basic quality VGA cable with limited bandwidth and high attenuation.

The solutions are equally simple.

1 & 2) solved by using a good quality powered VGA interface. This takes much of the load for driving a cable off the graphics card and also compensates for the cable length.

3) Solved by not buying cheap Ebay/Maplin/bargain web site VGA cables.

Nigel Goodwin · 13-02-2009, 13:16

I think the reply needs putting in to context - you 'may' have problems if you've got a massively long VGA lead, but for sensible lengths a plain VGA lead is perfectly fine, and will give just as good results as a vastly more expensive one.

Many TV's actually come with a VGA lead anyway, and if it's long enough will be more than good enough.

We actually do short-term large screen rentals for local hotels, and have never had any problems whatsoever with leads.

EricTheViking · 13-02-2009, 13:39

Thanks both for the reply - useful stuff.

TV Licensing not a problem - we will get a license (a side idea of this is that staff will be able to use it as a TV at lunch/break times if they want to).

We are thinking of getting a dedicated small('ish), form-factor PC to be used with this screen. One further question regarding video cards - do I need to match the resolution of the screen to the output resolution of the video card for the best picture? Just that this might limit our choice of video cards.

Thanks again.

Nigel Goodwin · 13-02-2009, 14:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricTheViking

Thanks both for the reply - useful stuff.

TV Licensing not a problem - we will get a license (a side idea of this is that staff will be able to use it as a TV at lunch/break times if they want to).

We are thinking of getting a dedicated small('ish), form-factor PC to be used with this screen. One further question regarding video cards - do I need to match the resolution of the screen to the output resolution of the video card for the best picture? Just that this might limit our choice of video cards.

It's not a requirement, they usually 'plug and play' quite happily. You might consider getting a video card with HDMI output, as some sets limit the resolution via VGA.

Chris Frost · 13-02-2009, 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricTheViking

We are thinking of getting a dedicated small('ish), form-factor PC to be used with this screen. One further question regarding video cards - do I need to match the resolution of the screen to the output resolution of the video card for the best picture? Just that this might limit our choice of video cards.

Any decent graphics card will be able to output a wide variety of standard resolutions so you shouldn't be limited at all.

With the correct software you will also be able to achieve something called 1:1 pixel mapping. That's when the graphics resolution perfectly matches the requirements* of the display.

*requirements is different and distinct from the paper specification

13-02-2009, 11:51	#1
EricTheViking Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: ...in a field, Devon Posts: 46	New screen for work Hello all, Have been asked by the MD at work to spec out a new screen for use in the training room. Requirements are: 50" (or thereabouts) Standard connectivity (HDMI, scart, etc) and Ability to connect to a PC - to show PowerPoints, demos, etc This last bit is the bit I know least about and would appreciate some assistance. Anyone have any recommendations, suggestions or questions I should be asking?? Thanks all. Cheers.

13-02-2009, 12:34	#2
Chris Frost Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Cheshire Posts: 6,462	Something for office use with laptops etc you need to be looking at LCD. Check if the building has a TV license. Any device capable of receiving a TV signal needs to be licensed. You can also make a special case to the TV Licensing Authority for exemption, though that will certainly involve time and effort on your part. The alternative is a proper AV Monitor which has no TV Tuner. It's also more likely handle a wider range of PC signals, but it will cost a little more than a TV. Getting a decent signal from the laptop is really important. What comes out of the monitor socket on a laptop may look OK on a 19" screen connected via a 2m cable, but once you start upping the screen size and running longer wires it will usually start looking soft and have some double shadowing. If you are planning to buy a 1080p LCD then these become really important issues to address. There are three mains causes for the problems above 1) An under powered laptop graphics card 2) Running the laptop screen and the large monitor at the same time 3) Basic quality VGA cable with limited bandwidth and high attenuation. The solutions are equally simple. 1 & 2) solved by using a good quality powered VGA interface. This takes much of the load for driving a cable off the graphics card and also compensates for the cable length. 3) Solved by not buying cheap Ebay/Maplin/bargain web site VGA cables.

13-02-2009, 13:16	#3
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	I think the reply needs putting in to context - you 'may' have problems if you've got a massively long VGA lead, but for sensible lengths a plain VGA lead is perfectly fine, and will give just as good results as a vastly more expensive one. Many TV's actually come with a VGA lead anyway, and if it's long enough will be more than good enough. We actually do short-term large screen rentals for local hotels, and have never had any problems whatsoever with leads.

13-02-2009, 13:39	#4
EricTheViking Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: ...in a field, Devon Posts: 46	Thanks both for the reply - useful stuff. TV Licensing not a problem - we will get a license (a side idea of this is that staff will be able to use it as a TV at lunch/break times if they want to). We are thinking of getting a dedicated small('ish), form-factor PC to be used with this screen. One further question regarding video cards - do I need to match the resolution of the screen to the output resolution of the video card for the best picture? Just that this might limit our choice of video cards. Thanks again.

13-02-2009, 14:04	#5
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by EricTheViking Thanks both for the reply - useful stuff. TV Licensing not a problem - we will get a license (a side idea of this is that staff will be able to use it as a TV at lunch/break times if they want to). We are thinking of getting a dedicated small('ish), form-factor PC to be used with this screen. One further question regarding video cards - do I need to match the resolution of the screen to the output resolution of the video card for the best picture? Just that this might limit our choice of video cards. It's not a requirement, they usually 'plug and play' quite happily. You might consider getting a video card with HDMI output, as some sets limit the resolution via VGA.

13-02-2009, 14:22	#6
Chris Frost Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Cheshire Posts: 6,462	Quote: Originally Posted by EricTheViking We are thinking of getting a dedicated small('ish), form-factor PC to be used with this screen. One further question regarding video cards - do I need to match the resolution of the screen to the output resolution of the video card for the best picture? Just that this might limit our choice of video cards. Any decent graphics card will be able to output a wide variety of standard resolutions so you shouldn't be limited at all. With the correct software you will also be able to achieve something called 1:1 pixel mapping. That's when the graphics resolution perfectly matches the requirements* of the display. *requirements is different and distinct from the paper specification

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New screen for work