If you have a spare monitor then you can surely use it as a TV. This is something that can be done regardless of what you want to connect to your monitor to make it work as a TV.
Although I would still suggest buying a TV if you don’t have a monitor but just in case if you are short on cash and have a spare monitor, then you can wait until you are ready to buy a new one. Monitors are generally more expensive than TVs and you could easily get a bigger screen on a TV for the same price.
But as I said, a monitor can be used as a TV for entertainment purposes and would be perfect for you or your kids. To use a monitor as a TV, you need to care of two things:
- Devices you have
- Devices you will need
For Streaming Devices
If you have a Streaming Device or are planning to buy one such as Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku Express etc. then it is much easier to make your monitor work as a TV. You will need the following:-
- HDMI/DP cable
- Streaming device
- Display connector convertor(Optional)
- Speakers(Optional)
Recommended Streaming Device- Amazon Fire TV Stick
Before proceeding to buy any of the mentioned above things, you will need to check what kind of display outputs you have on your monitor. 1080p monitors will have HDMI ports and some have Display Ports also. You can also use a higher resolution screen and HDMI/DP ports are the best options to use for better picture quality.
In case you have a low-end monitor with ports like VGA, then you will need a display connector converter. In such a case, you need to buy an HDMI to VGA converter and the same goes if you want to use a DP port from an HDMI one. Your Streaming Device will come with an HDMI port and HDMI is capable of transferring both Audio and Video signals.
This means that you can use your monitor as a source of audio if it features speakers. In case your monitor comes with a VGA port, then you will need to use an external speaker. In both cases, however, I still recommend getting speakers as monitors feature low-end and low power speakers that are crappy compared to the TV speakers.
A soundbar is the best replacement for that as you can control the volume from your couch. I recommend getting a soundbar like Bestisan 34-inch soundbar that comes with remote control.
For Setup Top Box
If you are not going to use any streaming device and have a Setup Top Box or an Antenna, then you will need a TV Tuner. Unlike, in the case of streaming devices, you will actually have to buy a TV Tuner in order to get your programs run on the monitor as most monitors don’t come with coaxial ports.
A TV Tuner will have Antenna In and Out ports, HDMI port, Audio and Video ports as well. This ensures that you are able to connect any type of monitor or TV easily.
For connecting multiple devices
For connecting multiple devices like streaming devices or gaming consoles, you just need an HDMI Switch Splitter. A 3 in 1 splitter should be sufficient for this job and you won’t need to plug and unplug the device which you want to use at a time. You can get a cheap splitter like the following for only $13.
