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Can anyone give me any technical advice on this? I want to buy an XBox 360, but I don't want to buy a new TV. I have a nice big 19" LCD monitor which would be enough for good gaming, so can it be done?

I'd recommend investing in something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/VGA-Monitor-Input ... B000JCLLUW

That way you can use it on any console.

Tekka wrote:I'd recommend investing in something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/VGA-Monitor-Input ... B000JCLLUW

That way you can use it on any console.

You wouldn't be able to get an HD signal through that thing. Far better to use a VGA adapter for the 360.

I have an Xbox to VGA adapter (the one made by Microsoft). It works great.

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-VGA-HD-C ... 154&sr=8-1

Just purchase the VGA cables for the 360. Keep in mind you'll need speakers, a 2 into 1 audio adapter and a female to female adapter to hook them up.

LCD monitors definitely have an advantage over TV sets when it comes to color, detail and contrast.

However, you have to be able to get at least 720p out of the monitor or it's pointless.

According to Wikipedia, to get "HD Ready" (capable of receiving and producing a HD signal onscreen) you need a monitor capable of 1024 x 768 (but this is the lowest possible setting and is the very minimum of the HD displays. Anything lower will head into ED and SD territory.

Middle of the road is HD Ready 1280 x 720 (some laptops produce 1280 x 800, in 15.4 panels. Some 14's do it as well.) This is the resolution found on a DLP TV, or projector.

To get full HD Ready 720p or 1080i, (and most likely the highest out of the monitor) such as what's found in average HDTVs you'd find in one's home, you need at least 1366 x 768 (slightly better than 720p, which is the TV industry standard. Used to downconvert 1080i to 720p sets.)


NOTES:

Some monitors of that size will produce 1360 (instead of 1366) x 768, which is still above the requirements for 720p HD.

Other monitors can produce 1440 x 900 as well, but try and keep it on one of the 720 standards. (1280 x 720 or 1366 x 768)

You won't be able to squeeze 1080i/p out of a monitor that small, you'll need at least a 24 inch to be able to do that. (plus it must be specified as TrueHD 1080p to be able to display it.)

Also you need a monitor with a nice refresh rate and fast response time (6ms and less the better) otherwise you could have a slight lag or ghosting.) The adapter might correct this, I don't know, but I'm hoping my post here, was able to help.