PC Gaming on HDTV?

[Veesofnaught]

I am building a new PC but because of my budget I am using my old LCD monitor that has a max resolution of 1280 x 1024. However, I have a 1080P HDTV and I was wondering if it is possible to use my HDTV as a monitor. I know that there are HDMI to DVI adapters and such, but my main concern is the resolution settings. I bought a 9800 GTX that is HDCP ready but will it have the option to change the resolution to 1920 x 1080 in games and in Vista? Like most of the people on these forums I have an addiction to tinkering and trying things out with electronics but I don't want to try hooking my PC up to my HDTV if it could possibly damage it. My HDTV cost four times as much as my PC and if I ruined it I think I would have to check into a psychiatric ward.

 

[bosshoss]

I also experimented with this last week after purchasing a high end Samsung 1080p. Yes you can use it as a monitor and it will in no way, shape or form hurt the TV itself. (That is the beauty part of LCD's). I tried this out for a little bit to see how things would look and just to tinker... Here is what I found--

Desktop resolution as well as games all supported 1920x1080 with no problems, I was using the DVI->HDMI adapter that came with my 4850s. I played some WoW, Fallout 3, Dead Space, and tinkered with some Blu Ray movies.

The movies looked wonderful and the sound from my X-Fi->Kenwood receiver is probably the sharpest sound I've ever heard from any box.
The games- they looked "good". I say good because I couldn't place my finger on it, but there was just something that didn't seem fluid about playing those games on my TV. Granted, I spent 1.8k on my TV, and the 120hz class was 2.5k I just didn't have the funds to purchase. But after doing some research and talking with some techies, the 120hz class LCD TV's are the ONLY way to go if you plan to do any type of gaming.
Desktop- The fonts didn't look as crisp to me as they do on my 22" Asus.

Overall, it was neat to see things on a 52" screen, but I still preferred my PC LCD...

(I noticed you didn't mention if you purchased an LCD or Plasma. With LCD's there is nothing to worry about connecting consoles/pc's to them. Plasma's can have issues with burn-in from what I've read and been told.)

 

[Veesofnaught]

My HDTV is 60hz as well so I guess it won't be the best hookup, but I am sure it will probably beat the little 17" LCD that I have sitting on my desk. I can't wait to try out some games on a 47" screen tomorrow. Thanks for the really detailed info!