Author Topic: Can I play Wii with this monitor ? Is it overall a good buy ? (Read 12006 times)

AV · « **on:** April 15, 2009, 06:20:14 PM »

Acer - 23" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD Monitor - Black
Model: H233H bmid | SKU: 9183224

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9183224&type=product&id=1218049006792

Ultrafast 5 ms response time
23" widescreen flat-panel LCD
40,000:1 contrast ratio
300 cd/m² brightness
1920 x 1080 maximum resolution
Displays up to 16.7 million colors.
160° horizontal and vertical viewing angles
Digital (DVI) with HDCP, HDMI and standard analog VGA inputs
2 Built-in 1.5W speakers
PC and Mac compatible
ENERGY STAR qualified

Price: $199.97

I don't really want more than 23 inches because its for my small desktop. Also I don't want to spend more than $250 with tax.

I have lots of movies on my harddrive many of which I downloaded from iTunes and currently my Mac is the dvd player I use.
It says it has traditional Analog VGA inputs so that means I can play my Wii on it ?
My TV is tiny so this would be an upgrade from playing on that.

My Current monitor is 10 years old and is NCR Model HT 5870C or your basic computer monitor from the 90s with MAX resolution 1152 x 864

It looks like this

So will this new monitor be worthy of $200 ? Can I play Wii games? Will my dvd's and iTunes movies look great on it ?

These are the my other choices:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9218777&st=Monitors_23_Plus_Sale_20090412&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1218061081819

and

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9111267&st=Westinghouse+22%22+Widescreen+LCD+Display+-+LCM-22W2+&type=product&id=1218024601452

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9075671&type=product&id=1218016141003

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9111267&type=product&id=1218024601452

I'm going to buy it at Best Buy because I'll get reward points with it and I want to buy in store. I'm probably going to buy tomorrow so any help would be great asap

BlackNMild2k1 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 15, 2009, 06:47:48 PM »

That is a great upgrade from what you have & your DVDs will look beautiful on it.
you will also feel very inconvenienced to go back a non widescreen monitor once you become used to all that extra screen real estate and window width.

As far as playing a Wii...I would assume with the right hookups it would work fine.

Flames_of_chaos · « **Reply #2 on:** April 15, 2009, 06:48:45 PM »

Out of the box no, if you want to play your Wii on the acer monitor you will need to get a component to VGA converter box but I don't really know where you can find those.

Edit: Ok I found one, Component to VGA converter $70 or $70.24 with free shipping.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #3 on:** April 15, 2009, 07:00:07 PM »

Wii will not work directly with the monitor. You have to buy a VGA or an HDMI converter to play on monitors, and typically only progressive scan games will work.

An example converter is the VGA-2000 http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10530

Wii, dvd and whatever video you have will only look OK in full-screen HD, due to the blur caused by scaling (and the natural scalers included in software media players aren't nearly as good as the ones built into dedicated HDTVs).

VGA-2000 seems to be the only trustworthy, cheap converter out there. Check eBay.

AV · « **Reply #4 on:** April 15, 2009, 07:12:43 PM »

Quote from: Flames_of_chaos on April 15, 2009, 06:48:45 PM

Out of the box no, if you want to play your Wii on the acer monitor you will need to get a component to VGA converter box but I don't really know where you can find those.

Edit: Ok I found one, Component to VGA converter $70 or $70.24 with free shipping.

but as a feature it says :

Digital (DVI) with HDCP, HDMI and standard analog VGA inputs
Let you connect both digital and analog devices. HDMI input for connecting high-definition devices, including Blu-ray or DVD players.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #5 on:** April 15, 2009, 07:52:13 PM »

"analog (RGB) VGA" is the analog part of the monitor. "analog devices" is just a vague, poorly written way to describe the analog 15-pin D-sub connection on most graphics cards for the past 20 years.

Wii outputs "analog (YPrPb) component" at best. You must use a converter to change Wii's component output to something the monitor will accept (VGA or HDMI).

AV · « **Reply #6 on:** April 15, 2009, 09:37:39 PM »

would you recommend getting the monitor or just getting an HDTV that has PC input.

like this one ??

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8632848&type=product&id=1194052042293

Similar cost, has more function.....

Flames_of_chaos · « **Reply #7 on:** April 15, 2009, 09:44:26 PM »

Quote from: Mr. Adolph Vega on April 15, 2009, 07:12:43 PM

Quote from: Flames_of_chaos on April 15, 2009, 06:48:45 PM
Out of the box no, if you want to play your Wii on the acer monitor you will need to get a component to VGA converter box but I don't really know where you can find those.

Edit: Ok I found one, Component to VGA converter $70 or $70.24 with free shipping.

but as a feature it says :

Digital (DVI) with HDCP, HDMI and standard analog VGA inputs
Let you connect both digital and analog devices. HDMI input for connecting high-definition devices, including Blu-ray or DVD players.

A VGA input is a 15 pin connector that looks like this. That's why you need the converter box that I linked you to because that monitor does not have Composite(480i) or Component(480p or greater) inputs which are usually standard only on TVs.

Flames_of_chaos · « **Reply #8 on:** April 15, 2009, 10:03:27 PM »

Quote from: Mr. Adolph Vega on April 15, 2009, 09:37:39 PM

would you recommend getting the monitor or just getting an HDTV that has PC input.

like this one ??

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8632848&type=product&id=1194052042293

Similar cost, has more function.....

That could be a better option if you are satisfied with the TV, see if they have a floor model first so that you can play around with to see if you are happy with it since you can use that as a TV and as a computer monitor.

BranDonk Kong · « **Reply #9 on:** April 16, 2009, 01:10:04 AM »

Don't buy it, just get one that supports component video. Some (very few) monitors allow component over VGA - as in you can buy a $5 cable from monoprice that adapts (not converts) component to VGA. Usually it's only projectors that do this.

DAaaMan64 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 16, 2009, 02:16:38 AM »

WHAT? NO. There are Wii VGA component cables out there. infact, I OWN THEM.

http://www.vdigi.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=2&category_id=3&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

They look great.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #11 on:** April 16, 2009, 05:26:53 AM »

Quote from: Mr. Adolph Vega on April 15, 2009, 09:37:39 PM

would you recommend getting the monitor or just getting an HDTV that has PC input.

like this one ??

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8632848&type=product&id=1194052042293

Similar cost, has more function.....

There's a difference between a PC monitor that's an HDTV too and an HDTV that's a PC monitor too (the latter costs more and tends to have a lower resolution at the same size). We've got the Wii hooked up to one of the former (Samsung 2333HD, 23" 16:9 (many screens are 16:10 which will deform your picture) 1920x1080 native res, the 2333SW is the same screen without the TV tuner stuff), works fine.

AV · « **Reply #12 on:** April 16, 2009, 12:55:50 PM »

i ended up buying the Acer that I first mentioned. It's EPIC win.

I got it to MAX resolution now and damn its a Quantum leap difference. I'm sort of disappointed that not all WideScreen movies fit perfectly. What's the deal with that ? Dark Knight fits every bit of the screen, but Pineapple express still has black borders. WTF

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #13 on:** April 16, 2009, 01:50:10 PM »

Most Hollywood movies are not 16:9. The industry is STUPID.

AV · « **Reply #14 on:** April 16, 2009, 04:07:49 PM »

Quote from: NinGurl69 *huggles on April 16, 2009, 01:50:10 PM

Most Hollywood movies are not 16:9. The industry is STUPID.

it really boggles the mind. The whole reason I bought Wide Screen dvd's because in the future I will buy a Widescreen TV or Monitor. Now I have both, and yet a number of movies don't fill the entire screen because some stupid director thought he should make it super widescreen to make it more 'cinematic ' I can understand that for Lord of the Rings, but why random movies like Thank You for Smoking Super Widescreen?

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #15 on:** April 16, 2009, 04:25:03 PM »

You do realize there's a "super widescreen" format being developed, right?

The popular ratios are:

1.78:1 (aka 16:9 -- 16:9 Hollywood movies are rare)
2.35:1 (even wider than 16:9 -- the majority of Hollywood AND in-game stupid Nintendo cutscenes on Wii, as if widescreen wasn't enough)

Super Widescreen is like this absurdity http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/458/1050458/philips-brings-meaning-widescreen-tv

2.39:1 (aka 21:9)

BranDonk Kong · « **Reply #16 on:** April 17, 2009, 12:20:46 AM »

Dark Knight won't fill the full 16:9 screen unless it's the IMAX scenes, the rest of the movie is in 2.35:1.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #17 on:** April 18, 2009, 05:56:31 AM »

I thought it was common knowledge that 16:9 is not used by Hollywood anymore? I've been complaining about the idiocy of introducing 16:9 TVs when there's no 16:9 source material for a while already (only after the things got widespread TV broadcasts started being in 16:9).

AV · « **Reply #18 on:** April 18, 2009, 10:36:01 AM »

Quote from: KDR_11k on April 18, 2009, 05:56:31 AM

I thought it was common knowledge that 16:9 is not used by Hollywood anymore? I've been complaining about the idiocy of introducing 16:9 TVs when there's no 16:9 source material for a while already (only after the things got widespread TV broadcasts started being in 16:9).

ShyGuy · « **Reply #19 on:** April 18, 2009, 10:53:48 AM »

Some movies are filmed with a 16:9 aspect ratio in mind. They will have more than overlay on the monitors so they can frame the shot for different aspect ratios.

I think the only sure way to avoid the aspect ratio problem is to use a projector.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #20 on:** April 18, 2009, 11:54:53 AM »

But then there'll be unused screen space depending on what you shine your projector on =\

AV · « **Reply #21 on:** April 21, 2009, 12:06:10 AM »

i tried the iTunes visualizer with my new monitor. (I forgot it even did that )

My God it was pretty. :-)

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Author Topic: Can I play Wii with this monitor ? Is it overall a good buy ? (Read 12006 times)