Using 120hz HDTV as a monitor!

[nfuz]

So I just recently purchased VIZIO's SV420M LCD HDTV. I've got it hooked up to my PC via a HDMI>DVI converter slot to my video card.

There's a few problems with this TV, first of all, all the "advanced" features like Cinema mode, or vivid mode, or movie movie, none of them show up if I connect the tv via a VGA port on the back. This forces me to use the HDMI>DVI converter instead if I want to utilize options. The VGA slot doesnt even let me fine tune the RGB values!!!!!

Anyhow, So I enabled the options by using the TV via the HDMI slot.
The 1 very annoying problem I found is when I have a very very large list of files in a folder, when I go to this folder to open a file, sometimes I have to scroll through pages and pages of files till I get to the file I want, and when I scroll super-fast with my Logitech MX Revolution mouse's "hyperscroll" wheel, the filenames in the window get all blury from solid black text to gray text. I tried every single combination from the 2 criteria below:

Smooth motion effect: low, medium high, off
Real cinema mode: precision, smooth and off

The only thing that fixes the problem is If I turn Smooth motion effect to "off", in which case it wont matter what real cinema mode is set to.

But If I understand, the "smooth motion effect" is the option that enables the 120HZ, so why disable it??

This is where the problem is as confirmed, as I then tried the "smooth motion demo" and centered my window so the file names are split, half between the "ON" side of the demo screen, and the other half of the filename on the "OFF" side... I then again scrolled fast, and the "ON" side of the filenames got all blurreyd and grayed out while the off side stayed as the intended solid crisp black text........

Note that this problem isn't just there but in other programs as well, for example... in an excel file where a column is filled with data for a long time and I scroll very fast to try to get to say line 5000 or 6000, the entire column will become blurry with greyed out text and to fix it, I must change the window size from maximized to another size and then restore it again......

Minor problem, but very very annoying...

I guess my final question is, if this tv is exclusively going to be used as a monitor (and I will watch movies and what not on this monitor, but via the computer, and not an actual dvd player or a blu ray player), then is there even a benefit to keeping the 120hz option enabled?

thanks

[nfuz]

Just realized the problem about text greying out and becoming blurry also happens if theres a window that's open underneath another window that's maximized, when I restore that maximized window, allowing the files in the underneath window to be displayed, the first view I have of this window is all blurred with grey text, and I must minimize/restore THAT window now to get it back to crisp color...

So I guess problem isn't just with scrolling......

[binarydreams]

sounds like the 120hz feature via the hdmi 2 dvi/2 vga port are not displaying ...or it is a simulated 120hz feature like since some tvs claim to reduce motion blur when it is not truly 120hz...

[nfuz]

Well the vga port doesnt even enable the advanced options, if I connect via VGA, I cant access advanced options.

As far as the "simulated 120hz" goes... I'd love to know if anyone actually has a "true" 120hz tv in the sense that if they hook it up to a a comp, and go to windows properties under display settings, advanced, monitor options, will it let them pick "120hz" from the pull down menu??

[M-e-X-x]

My guess is the VGA is designed for just using it strictly as a monitor. The HDMI of course they assume you're more likely connecting a CE with HDMI out (may it be a blu-ray player, HD cable box, etc.) so it allows for video-tuning.

[BobSagget]

i dont know how to set my TV to 120hz when i use it as a monitor, either. I use an HDMI->DVI cable. Just stays at 60hz and says under the settings in ATI that the maximum reported is 75hz

[M-e-X-x]

i dont know how to set my TV to 120hz when i use it as a monitor, either. I use an HDMI->DVI cable. Just stays at 60hz and says under the settings in ATI that the maximum reported is 75hz

Did you try to crank the refresh rate to anything higher than 60hz?

[Aske001]

I don't think you understand how 120 Hz scanning works. It doubles the standard 60 Hz input scan rate by interpolating intermediate frames in between the existing frames to smooth out motion to the eye. It's intended to work with natural images, not computer graphics/text displays. It should be turned OFF for use as a computer monitor.

[CFRTim]

There is so much confusion in this thread, that it looks like a Hiltons reunion.
120HZ is not the same as frame interpolation
120HZ can not be turned off, it's alway on (frame interpolation can be turned on/off)
When connected to a PC, you don't want your TV doing any post processing, so that you can reduce lag. That's why many of the TV "features" are not avail. when in PC mode.

[jameschan]

I would love to use Samsung's new LED TV's as a monitor!

[Aske001]

120 Hz without frame interpolation is meaningless. The input frame rate of normal TV or computer graphics adapter is 60 Hz. LCD displays do not "refresh" static display elements like a CRT does. If you show the same frame twice in a row at 120 Hz, it looks exactly the same as 60 Hz.

[Txiasaeia]

120 Hz without frame interpolation is meaningless. The input frame rate of normal TV or computer graphics adapter is 60 Hz. LCD displays do not "refresh" static display elements like a CRT does. If you show the same frame twice in a row at 120 Hz, it looks exactly the same as 60 Hz.

Yes, but there's a big difference between playing a game at 60 frames and at 120 frames. (Graphics cards can work at 120 Hz.) This is why there's a small group of PC gamers who have held onto their CRT monitors. Hopefully 120 Hz will become the norm, and monitors like the Samsung 2233RZ will be the future and not an aberration.

[CFRTim]

120 Hz without frame interpolation is meaningless. The input frame rate of normal TV or computer graphics adapter is 60 Hz. LCD displays do not "refresh" static display elements like a CRT does. If you show the same frame twice in a row at 120 Hz, it looks exactly the same as 60 Hz.

You're wrong again. 120Hz Tvs are good to have; for example when you're using a BR-player that can output at 24Hz(the way movies are filmed), therefore eliminating the need for a pulldown. Also, like Txiasaeia said, a PC can support higher refresh rates.
I use my Sammy TV with or without frame-interpolation, depending on the content I display on it. To say "120 Hz without frame interpolation is meaningless" makes me believe you don't have a set that supports it.
As far as frame-interpolation goes (motion-flow, AMP, whatever you want to call it), well that's up to the individual. I always have mine off when playing movies or video-gaming, but on for regular TV viewing

[CameraBill]

I use my Sammy TV with or without frame-interpolation, depending on the content I display on it. To say "120 Hz without frame interpolation is meaningless" makes me believe you don't have a set that supports it.

I concur.

[nfuz]

Lot of jargon going on here and my question remains unanswered:

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I guess my final question is, if this tv is exclusively going to be used as a monitor (and I will watch movies and what not on this monitor, but via the computer, and not an actual dvd player or a blu ray player), then is there even a benefit to keeping the 120hz option enabled?
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Maybe I should exapand that and say, any benefit to watching a .avi or mkv movie with the "smooth motion" (120hz) turned on? and then turning it off again when browsing files?

[Seiphas]

It depends on what the movie is.

The output of a computer is commonly set at 60fps. That goes for computer games, work, or anything else like that.

Movies are sometimes shot (read: most of the time) at 24fps. This is what gives a movie the effect of film, as opposed to the smoothness of broadcast TV. Anything shot at 24fps doesn't go evenly into 60fps. The whole point of a 120Hz mode is to display every frame 5 times (or 2, for 60fps content) a second, so that the picture is smoother. A 60Hz TV has to generate false frames for a 24fps video. The whole point of 120Hz is just to smooth it by not having to interpolate (read: falsely generate) frames.

There's no point to having the monitor in 120Hz mode if it screws up everything else. That might be one of those things you turn on just when watching a movie, and turn off all other times.

[BobSagget]

How come if I am watching video on my HDTV while it's connected to my computer that when the scene is panning and my cursor is showing it looks completely blurred (the cursor not the video playing)
Hopefully someone understands what I mean.