With the connectivity gap between a monitor and a TV being almost negligible, you might ask yourself should you connect your computer to a TV or a monitor. With amazing resolutions offered by monitors and TVs, it is only fair that the consumer gets confused about what device offers them more.
Considering the factors I will discuss later, buying a monitor for your display is much better than a television. Moreover, as a much more affordable option, a monitor will give a more accurate color display faster than a TV.
Televisions usually provide a larger screen size and, in some cases, technology such as OLED panels which provide amazing picture quality. Still, due to their lack of ability to handle a wide variety of uses, they are better suited to binge-watching content such as movies or television shows or to be used for static imagery, i.e., to display menus or pictures.
Read on to find out more about why monitors are a better choice for your display than television and why you might enjoy your Call of Duty matches more on a monitor!
Monitors Over TVs
Monitors are designed keeping in mind different functionalities and use cases the user might encounter daily. Conversely, television caters to a more general audience and offers support for universal use.
Below are some of the reasons monitors hold an edge over televisions.
Accurate Colors
Since televisions are designed for universal use, the colors of television are much different from that of a monitor. The colors on television tend to appear more cinematic and have darker blacks, making the picture seem eye-catching.
Even though this will help you enjoy cinematic content, such as television shows and movies, sometimes you will be watching elements on the screen appear differently than how they are supposed to be.
On the other hand, monitors provide accurate color and support for different color spaces available. Color accuracy is an important aspect of graphic design and photography work. Having a display that has a strong color accuracy can be an absolute game changer for such work.
This is why if you ever try to connect a computer to a television, you can see that you specify that a computer is connected so that the television tries to make color corrections to give you a more accurate image.
Response Times
Response time is how long it takes for the display to shift from one color to another. Response times are responsible for reducing image blurring and providing a better picture quality.
Monitors provide extremely fast response times. For example, high-end monitors usually provide response times well under 10ms. But high-end televisions provide response times up to ten times slower than monitors.
Especially in gaming, lower response times are extremely important. They allow for faster gameplay and help you gain a competitive edge in games where every second counts.
Refresh Rates
A screen refresh rate means how often the display makes a new image per second. For example, if a screen has a refresh rate of 60Hz, it means that the screen is refreshing the screen 60 times in a single second.
Refresh rates are absolute game changers regarding the user experience they provide with monitors. As a monitor with a higher refresh rate provides more frames in a second, you’ll be able to observe more details and notice the visual quality much smoother.
Televisions also provide higher refresh rates, but there’s a catch involved. These seemingly higher refresh rates are interpolated. Interpolation is inserting fake frames to make the image appear smoother and give the impression that the television has a higher refresh rate.
Using a display with interpolation should be fine if you’re just using it to watch movies or television shows, but using it for competitive gaming is not a good idea. Some TVs have a game mode but focus on input lag more than the problems caused by refresh rates and response times.
Screen Tearing Support
Monitors support different applications that work on minimizing and fixing screen tearing. Screen tearing happens in a display when the framerate and the refresh rate do not match and result in a horizontal split on the screen.
This situation usually happens during any screen motion; in a still scene, framerates do not vary, which is why you will not see screen tearing when an image is still on the screen.
Technologies and applications such as Nvidia G-Sync and AMD Freesync handle screen tearing, stuttering, and input lag. Many monitors now support one of these two technologies and easily handle all screen tearing issues. Televisions, on the other hand, do not support such technologies.
Aspect Ratios
Monitors support different kinds of aspect ratios, such as ultrawide and super-ultrawide. Unfortunately, these aspect ratios are unavailable in TVs and are often something the gamer community values.
Such aspect ratios are used to either increase productivity or build a gaming setup that allows for a more immersive gaming experience.
Summary
Providing better refresh rates and faster response times, a monitor is the best choice for your display needs, providing better refresh rates and faster response times. In addition, providing amazing color accuracy and support for multiple color spaces will help deliver an amazing experience. A monitor is your way to go if you want better colors and a fast and accurate display.
Whether watching your favorite movie, catching up on the new Stranger Things, or even enjoying the new Call of Duty game you bought last week, your monitor will ensure you have an amazing time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you absolutely can! Lately, many console gamers have been shifting to monitors instead of televisions because of faster refresh rates, better response times, and low input lag. All these factors contribute to an amazing gaming experience and allow you to gain an edge over your competition.
Yes, they do! The affordability is one of the best parts of using a monitor as your display. You can enjoy great refresh rates, response times, and color accuracy without spending a lot.
