With the option to use computers to access and watch TV channels it's no wander that you will eventually come to this idea: why not use my TV as a monitor? This usually comes when you TV is bigger than your computer monitor but is not really necessary to be true. This isn't considered to be a good long term solution for a computer monitor, but if you are really curious about just how your favorite game would look on a big screen or if your monitor dies on you can always try it.

The first thing you need to do is to identify your TV input connection. The most common are the coaxial cable input, which is just like your cable box or satellite, the RCA composite input (has red, yellow and white inputs) and the S-video connector. If your TV is new than it might have

Component Video, DVI, VGA or HDMI inputs but these ones are quite rare.

Since people have started showing an interest in hooking up their TV to their computers manufacturers now provide TV compatible outputs. The most common one found on computers is the S-video. You will also find the VGA output which is where you connect your regular monitor.

Next you will need an adapter so you can connect your TV as a monitor for your computer. At one end you can find a selection of inputs: S-video, Component and RCA composite where you will connect your TV of course. Make sure you select the corresponding input for your TV. On the other end the VGA adapter can be found where you will connect your computer. The selection of inputs allows you to connect different TVs to your computer without having to buy a new adapter every time. If you don't want to keep or can't keep your TV and computer close to each other it might be considered wise to buy a wireless adapter instead. Doing this also saves you the trouble of having a big pile of cables.

IF your TV has a compatible output, such as the S-video jack just connect the cable to the computer and the TV. If not connect the VGA end to your computer and a cable to attach the TV to one of the jacks on the other end of your adapter. Once all the connections are done make sure that you search your computer's signal on your TV by pressing the input button.

Don't be disappointed if the image isn't what you thought it would be. TV's weren't made to suit this purpose. The good old analog TV's can only accept NTSC (North American), PAL (European) signals and can't have a greater resolution than 640x480 but there are TV's that support higher resolutions, for example HDTV's. These usually have VGA and DVI inputs allowing for a direct connection between your computer and your TV. The drawback with them is that you require a lot of money to buy one.

With so many recent drops in prices for LCD monitors it might be a better choice even if it won't be 50". It has more options, more resolutions to choose between and a better image quality than a TV will have.