PC monitors and TVs are close relatives. TVs usually havemore advanced image processing capabilities than monitors and come equippedwith tuners,and they're usually bigger.When evaluating how good aTV is for PC monitor use, there are four main criteria to consider:
Chroma 4:4:4 Support
The most important thing to consider when choosing a TV for PC monitor use isthe TV'sability to display properchroma 4:4:4for clear text. A signal with chroma 4:4:4 has no compression (so it isn't subsampled) and transports both luminance and color data entirely.Artifacts from chroma subsamplingare most noticeable with text above a flat color. These artifacts are not very visible when looking at photos or videos, but they're very noticeable when reading text on a computer screen, making chroma 4:4:4 support essential when using a TV as a PC monitor.
For more information on gaming features, look up our article on chroma subsampling.
Input Lag and Response Time
Input lag and response time are other essential components of a good monitor TV. Input lag is the time it takes for a frame sent by a source (like a PC or gaming console) to display on screen. A low input lag makes the entire experience more responsive, as your inputs on a controller or mouse are reflected more quickly onscreen. The best TVs can have an input lag as low as five milliseconds. Some TVs can't havelow input lag and chroma 4:4:4 simultaneously, so it's important for your TV to be able to do both at the same time.Response time is the time it takes for a pixel to change from one color to the next, typically measured from a fully black pixel to a fully white one or from one shade of gray (either dark or bright gray) to the opposite shade of gray. OLEDs are the uncontested best TVs regarding response time, as their pixel transitions are nearly instantaneous, but unfortunately, they can burn in when static elements stay on the screen for extended periods of time, which is common when doing office work. Thankfully, the best LED TVsalso have very fast transitions. A slow response time is noticeable, as fast-moving objects on screen leave blurry trails behind them.
You can also check out our articles oninput lagandresponse timeif you want to know more.
Viewing Angle
Typically, viewing angle is important on a TV as you might want to move around it without seeing a degraded image, or you might want your friends to enjoy a good viewing experience even when sitting at an angle from the TV. However, a good viewing angle is also important when using a TV as a monitor, as you might be sitting very close to what is otherwise a huge screen. If the TV's viewing angle is inadequate, sitting so close to it will lead to noticeable image degradationat the sides of your peripheral vision; thus, the center of the screen might look brighter than the sides, and similarly, the center might be brighter than the top or bottom.OLEDs have uncontestably the widest viewing angle.
Look up our article onviewing anglesfor more information on this topic.
Peak Brightness and Reflection Handling
Finally, the peak brightness of a TV is very important when using it as a PC monitor. SDR peak brightness is important if you mostly use your PC for office work, as youroffice lights might be on, and you want your TV to be bright enough to overcome any glare.If you use your monitor TV for dark room PC gaming, contrast is more important overall, but peak brightness is essential for bright highlights to pop next to a TV's deep blacks, especially in HDR. Of course, if you're gaming or working in a bright room, you want your TV's brightness to be high enough to compensate for any glare from direct or ambient lights. Reflection handling is also important here, as TVs with lower peak brightness, like many OLEDs, can compensate for it by having stellar reflection handling.
If you'd like to know more, we have in-depth articles aboutSDR peak brightness,HDR peak brightness, andreflection handling.
We've bought and tested more than 440TVs, and here are our recommendations for the best TVs to use as a PC monitor. See our picks for the best TVs, thebest LED TVs, and thebest movie TVs. You can alsovoteon which TVs you want us to buy and test. To learn more about the 2024models, check out our2024TV lineup page.
