One of the main advantages of playing console games on a monitor instead of a TV is the improved input lag, which is the time it takes for the signal received by the display to be processed and shown on the screen. Televisions tend to rely heavily on filters that improve image quality when watching TV, like noise reduction and upscaling, but this takes extra time and translates into input lag. However, none of these features are desirable when playing console games, as image quality is largely controlled by the console and game engine. Any added processing on the TV side simply adds latency.
Lag or latency slows down your gaming experience with a noticeable delay between button presses and actions seen on the screen. Monitors, on the other hand, do not suffer from severe input lag. They take the digital signal from the console and directly send it to the screen without much processing, providing quick visual response to button presses on your controller. While some TVs have a Game Mode which can reduce lag from 60 milliseconds to around 20, it is still very far from a monitor’s benchmark of 10 milliseconds.
And if you’re looking for an even more immersive, big screen experience, a gaming projector might be something to look into. That’s because for the price of a TV that’ll lock you into a 75” rectangle you can easily get the same gaming experience on a screen twice that size.
However, if you are into competitive gaming or want the best performance, a monitor offers the most noticeable improvement over traditional TVs. The rule is: the lower the input lag, the better, which is especially true for fast-paced games like shooters.
Monitors usually have lower input lag, higher refresh rates and faster response times than TVs, which make them a better choice for gaming. Here's a guide to help you make a good decision.
Answer:
Monitors usually have lower input lag, higher refresh rates and faster response time than TVs, which make them a better choice for gaming.
On the other side, TVs are larger and more affordable, so they are fantastic for watching movies and TV shows, as well as console gaming.
Are you wondering if you should get a new TV or a new monitor?
Whether you are considering using a TV as a PC monitor (or vice versa) or you are just looking for a brand new screen, you should know all the differences between these two types of displays before making the final decision.
We’ll fill you in on everything you need to look out for when buying a new TV or monitor for both everyday use and gaming.
When buying a new TV, most people prioritize the size of the screen.
However, screen resolution and panel type, among other things, play a more significant role when it comes to image quality.
Since more and more content is becoming available in 4K Ultra HD resolution, if you are buying a brand new TV nowadays, it should definitely support 4K.
While TVs are only available in Full HD and 4K UHD resolutions, monitors have an in-between option called QHD with 2560×1440 pixels. Moreover, there are ultra-wide monitors with 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios for a more immersive viewing experience.
The relation between screen resolution and screen size is called pixel density, which measures how many pixels per inch are there. Generally, 1920×1080 resolution is fine for a 32-inch TV, but not for a monitor larger than 24″.
This is because low pixel density makes small items on the screen, such as text and icons, appear smudgy and blurry if you’re looking at them from up close. The chart below depicts the ideal watching distance for a particular screen size/resolution.
Nowadays, there are plenty of HDR (High Dynamic Range) monitors and TVs to choose from. For the best HDR image quality, we recommend an OLED display. Samsung’s QD-OLED and LG’s W-OLED panels are the main choices for both TVs and monitors.
Alternatively, you should consider a mini LED display with FALD (full-array local dimming) zones (the more zones, the better), which is available in both TV and monitor forms, so again, you’ll have to pick according to your budget and preference (size, resolution, panel type, refresh rate, features, etc.).
After you’ve considered all of the points mentioned above, there are additional things to keep in mind when looking for a display for gaming.
When it comes to console gaming, a TV can be a better choice since you are sitting further away from the screen, so the display can be larger. However, you need to ensure the TV has some sort of image post-processing bypass mode, usually simply called “Game Mode.”
This feature considerably lowers input lag, which is a must if you wish to have smooth and responsive gameplay. We recommend that the TV has less than 16ms input lag — ideally, less than 8ms if it supports 120Hz.
Another vital thing to keep in mind is the display’s response time speed, and since TV manufacturers don’t put this specification on paper as they do with monitors, you will have to do some research.
While an average IPS panel monitor has a response time speed of ~5ms, an IPS panel TV has around 15ms, which will result in more visible ghosting and trailing behind fast-moving objects.
In short, if you’re looking for a TV for gaming, make sure it has low input lag (Game Mode feature), and it should preferably have an IPS panel as VA panels have a slower response time.
Additionally, it’s even better if you can afford an OLED TV, which has a faster response time speed than any LED-backlit gaming monitor.
A gaming monitor can have a refresh rate of up to 540Hz, which provides you with the most responsive and fluid fast-paced gaming. TVs, on the other hand, are usually limited to 60Hz or 120Hz (or 144Hz via factory-overclock).
Furthermore, some TVs offer features such as LG TruMotion120, which is supposed to convert 60 FPS (Frames Per Second) content into 120 FPS. However, these are fake frames and will more likely have an adverse effect on the image and gameplay experience.
You can read more about this frame interpolation technology here.
Overall, if you want a high refresh rate TV, make sure it’s “true 120H” and not using motion interpolation, also known as the “soap opera effect.”
Some gaming monitors offer variable refresh rate technology, such as Adaptive-Sync, HDMI 2.1 VRR, AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-SYNC.
This technology requires a compatible graphics card and, in turn, provides you with a variable refresh rate that removes all screen tearing and stuttering.
The Xbox One and Series S/X gaming consoles support VRR up to 120Hz. The PS5 also supports VRR, but only via HDMI 2.1 VRR standard.
So, in this case, a 120Hz+ gaming monitor with proper VRR support is a perfect choice if you play both PC and console games.
Some newer TVs also support variable refresh rate through AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible and HDMI 2.1 VRR.
All modern TVs have integrated OS and smart features for game and video streaming, such as GeForce Now, Netflix, etc., but these are no longer exclusive to TVs.
Samsung and LG offer several monitors that feature integrated Tizen OS and WebOS, respectively, with streaming apps, voice assistance, DeX, Microsoft 365, etc.
Some of these models include the Samsung Odyssey Ark, the Samsung G6 and the LG 43SQ700S.
As you can see, there are a lot of differences between a TV and a monitor, and the choice between the two mostly depends on what type of content you’ll be browsing through and what games you will be playing.