Monitor wizards conjure up TV dream on the PC screen

By PETER GRIFFIN

Combining PC and TV successfully has been a dream for TV and monitor makers.

But getting the mix right involves getting over a major design headache. We stare at a PC screen from a distance of about 30cm but watch our TV sets from 3m or more.

Philips has discovered that the only way to combine the two is to make moving images bearable to view at close range.

Its new flat LCD-TV includes picture enhancement technology to do just that. It has high-quality comb filters for purer colours, green enhancement and even skin-tone correction (if your favourite Coronation Street characters are looking a bit pasty).

Going flat is always great. It gets rid of the fat tube that has been filling the other side of your desk for years. Flat LCD screens are also more efficient and better for the environment when they expire.

But the ability to watch TV and video on your PC screen has been around for some time. Users need only buy a TV tuner card from a manufacturer such as Nvidia. These come in internal and external models and account for video, DVD and AV inputs as well. Good cards sell for around $500 upwards.

The trend, however, is to combine computer display and TV input on the one video card.

On the Philips LCD-TV you can display a resizeable box showing television on your desktop. Open the box in the corner of your screen while you type away, or expand it to cover half the screen while a web browser occupies the other half. Perfect for multi-taskers.

Personally, I can't type and watch TV at once and the thought of watching a two-hour video or DVD on a 15-inch screen, no matter how high quality, doesn't appeal.

When the PC is turned off, the LCD-TV reverts to showing a normal TV picture full screen, but the unit's underpowered speakers tend to struggle.

This can be overcome by plugging in your amplified PC speakers and adjusting the base and treble levels.

Still, what you fork out for the Philips LCD TV - retail price $2499 - could buy you an entire entry-level PC bundle with that Nvidia tuner card thrown in.