What's the point of multiple monitors?

[gman_42]

Basically, that's it. Wouldn't it be better just to get a tv? Just asking...

 

[jaguarskx]

I have two monitors on my desktop, but I only use one most of the time. The second monitor serves if I really want to have many different windows/programs open and I spread them on to both monitors so I can keep all of them in the foreground.

Sometimes I also want to watch a movie while I am using the PC, so I just play the movie on my 2nd monitor. It's more of a luxury than anything else.

Is it better just to get a TV? It depends... in my small apartment my PC is about at a 90 degree angle from my HDTV so if I want to watch TV and use the PC at the same time I would need to turn my head every now and to focus on the HDTV and PC. Thus, the reason for the 2nd monitor.

 

[revolution2718]

2 monitors are useful for a few things.

Some people like them for gaming, so they can have a game in one and have the internet/facebook/reddit/stream in the other.

2 monitors are very useful for video editing, so that you can see a large image in one and the timeline/color corrector/etc on the other side.

Also can be used if you have a lot of docs/spreadsheets/ whatnot on one side, and a web browser on the other

Its a luxury most people don't need, but it's nice to have.

 

[ssddx]

easy explanation:

one television has a resolution of 1920x1080 useable area.

most common monitors also have a resolution of 1920x1080 useable area. if you have two monitors you now double that real estate. this means more on screen space to work with.

one for work, one for gaming
one for work one for web browsing
one for gaming one for web browsing or ventrillo
two for work
two for gaming
three for gaming
etcetera.

all a television does over a normal monitor is increase the size of the picture. the resolution is static. i use a television on my system but only because over half of what i do is to watch movies. at work i use two monitors for productivity.

whether it works or not depends on what you need to do and how you do it.

 

[gman_42]

Ah, I see. I just thought maybe a $350 TV would be more cost effective than 2-3 $250 monitors.

 

[hang-the-9]

Ah, I see. I just thought maybe a $350 TV would be more cost effective than 2-3 $250 monitors.

One $15,000 car is also more cost effective than two $10,000 but then the wife won't like walking much. One giant pool may be easier to use than 2 small ones but what if you need one for kids that is not too deep and another regular one?

It's not about cost but about use. It's easier to stick two 20" monitors on a desk than one 32" TV. Plus the image quality on a TV is almost always worse than a monitor.

If you want to use something for games and like a large screen and can sit far away from the screen while using the computer, a larger monitor or even a TV would work. Dual monitors won't work well for games to get a larger screen, a TV would though because there is no bezel to break up the image. But a TV won't work if you want to run a flight sim, because you will have one front view instead of using 3 monitors where you get a front and then side windows on the left/right monitor.

 

[nin-ha]

Multiple monitors is purely for convenience. You don't NEED one. I'm working a tech support job right now, I have three monitors. Do I NEED them? Absolutely not. Is it convenient? Damn right it is! For gaming though, it's all about odd numbered monitors. If you have an even amount you'll end up with your center between two monitors and that's just ugly.