24" active matrix vs 28" TN monitor

Hi everyone I am looking to buy a new monitor for my pc to play games, watch HD movies and live tv/freeview connect a ps3/xbox360 if i ever get one I was going to buy a LCD tv but someone advised me that a monitor is better because of the resolution

Now i have narrowed down my choices to 2 monitors;

1) is a 24" active matrix monitor by samsung for £260:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/1309 [...] ifications

2) is a 28" TN panel monitor by hanns-g for £270;
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3515 [...] oduct.html

3) a 26" lcd tv.

Please help me make the right choice

Also as i wanted to watch live tv i thought this is the best option let me know on this aswell please:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/113962

Setup:
Asus P5NSLI
E6400 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13ghz
BFG 8800GT OC 512mb DDR3 @625mhz
2GB DDR2 553 mhz very soon upgrading to 4gb ddr2 @ 667mhz (dono which to buy with or without heatsink)
550W HEC psu

Thanks

Agreed, a seperate HDTV for watching TV and movies and a monitor for the PC is still preferred over a "one-size-fits-all" solution.

While digital convergence is light years ahead of where it was 3 years ago, there is still a significant enough difference between the two to warrant seperate purchases. The fact is, a computer monitor is manufactured with that specific purpose in mind whereas HDTV's are still manufactured primarily as consumer electronics devices.

Now, that's not to say that it can't be done as HDTV's and video cards do have HDMI and DVI-D connections but there is a trade-off, as mentioned by jaguarskx, with viewing angles and resolution. An HTPC is a good example of this trade-off, not quite good enough for a production/workstation/gaming machine but great for watching movies and web-surfing, and even then you have to be sure to have the hardware to push HD and support high resolutions.

"Agreed, a seperate HDTV for watching TV and movies and a monitor for the PC is still preferred over a "one-size-fits-all" solution. "


Preferred by who?

To the OP: Do what you want to do. I got a Westinghouse L2410NM 24" MVA panel. I don't game on it, but I use it for 1) Software development and 2) watching Hi Def. It is great for use as a monitor for software development (lots of screen space for many windows), and Hi Def looks very good (not quite as good as my LCD TV, but very nearly so). There is very little/no color shift as you get off center from the monitor due to the MVA panel. I love it.

Preferred by who?... it really all depends on your uses. I haven't tried gaming on this monitor, and maybe gaming would not be pretty. But if you are using the monitor to mostly display text windows instead of gaming, a multipurpose monitor should do that quiet well, and would be PREFERRED to a separate monitor/lcd tv... especially if this is your "spare" or "second" TV.

Why would anyone pay money twice for a LCD TV and a LCD monitor when most if not all LCD TV's double as monitors? I am typing away on a 32" 720p LCD TV/monitor that cost me the same as a much smaller 24" to 26" LCD monitor. Im returning that LCD TV and probably will go with a 1080p verson at 42" size and am going to spend $600-$800 for a new or refurbished one. This is cheaper than buying a seperate 24" monitor and 26" TV and I get to enjoy 42" of beauty!

thanks ben7even7 you're more realistic than the others lol so you would take the samsung 24" over the 28" from hanns-g?