[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

My question - can I build a PC with a ~24" monitor which can double up as a TV?? If so, can someone suggest brands/models??

Since now almost TV is digital (via satellite / cable set top box), all you need is a set top box that has HDMI out.

All LED monitors would have DVI port that can be connected to hdmi post of Set top box. You can get a pair of desktop speakers for sound.

Quite a few monitors have hdmi port + speakers, so they will do the job of TV too.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Since now almost TV is digital (via satellite / cable set top box), all you need is a set top box that has HDMI out.

Do TATA Sky boxes have an HDMI out??

Plus, what is a TV tuner card?

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Do TATA Sky boxes have an HDMI out??

Plus, what is a TV tuner card?

The HD and HD+ have HDMI out.

[Autodoc]

TV tuner card is a piece of technology that has become quite redundant in this age of digital TV.
It's a hardware add on in PC where input could be received from the cable TV and watched on a pc monitor. With set top box an hdmi connection to monitor is much easier and cheaper.

Thanks
Sunny

[Kumar R]

Two wifi related mysteries I have never been able to understand

1. Why do most entry level / average motherboards not come with built-in wifi? The components themselves are tiny and cost very little. Given how ubiquitous wifi is, it's a shame that a USB adapter / PCI card has to be bought separately. [In 2007 I bought a budget ASUS motherboard with built in wifi - albeit with an external antenna, but this time when I went shopping I found nothing in the budget range]

2. Why do the internal wifi adaptor cards not come in antenna-less flavours. There's not a single one in the market which is baffling as laptops do just fine with the non-antennae ones. It's inconvenient to have an antennae at the back of the cabinet where there's a mesh of crisscrossing wires. The USB dongles are also problematic as they block a port and also occupy a lot of volume on the outside.

[Thad E Ginathom]

And now for a really, really stupid question <Blush>

Thing is, I have built my own for the last couple of PCs, and before that, every PC or laptop I bought for work (dozens) or home had an MS Windows OS loaded on it.

Now I am looking at laptops, and I see "DOS" listed as the operating system for some of them. For instance. So... I turn it on and get a "C\: >" prompt that I knew and hated a few decades ago? And then load separately-sourced Windows or Linux?

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

And now for a really, really stupid question <Blush>

Thing is, I have built my own for the last couple of PCs, and before that, every PC or laptop I bought for work (dozens) or home had an MS Windows OS loaded on it.

Now I am looking at laptops, and I see "DOS" listed as the operating system for some of them. For instance. So... I turn it on and get a "C\: >" prompt that I knew and hated a few decades ago? And then load separately-sourced Windows or Linux?

what you get with such deals is a OSless (almost) system, which basically means you get to find out if your system works, but if you wanna do amazing things with it, install an OS

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

And now for a really, really stupid question <Blush>

Thing is, I have built my own for the last couple of PCs, and before that, every PC or laptop I bought for work (dozens) or home had an MS Windows OS loaded on it.

Now I am looking at laptops, and I see "DOS" listed as the operating system for some of them. For instance. So... I turn it on and get a "C\: >" prompt that I knew and hated a few decades ago? And then load separately-sourced Windows or Linux?

Yep they come preloaded with some version of freedos i.e. no OS basically.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Kumar R

Two wifi related mysteries I have never been able to understand

My guess: Radio interference and perhaps additional FCC certification costs?

A wifi antenna close to other components would cause/receive a lot of interference. Laptops manage it because they are designed knowing exactly where each component is. Same for some readymade PCs. The INTERNAL antenna is placed in a location (typically with a plastic (not metal) cover) so it can get maximum range - and it's shielded from the internal components.

For desktops however, there's no knowing what components you'd use, and where they'd be located in the box, and the resultant interference caused. An internal antenna would be enclosed within a metal box, and that's not good either. External antennas are the logical solution here. In fact, given a choice between internal and external, I'd choose external!

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Now I am looking at laptops, and I see "DOS" listed as the operating system for some of them. For instance. So... I turn it on and get a "C\: >" prompt that I knew and hated a few decades ago? And then load separately-sourced Windows or Linux?

That is correct. Basically sellers are using this for 2 reasons:

1) Why pay for windows licenses when the user might want to install linux instead.
2) A Rs. 18,000 machine would cost perhaps Rs. 21,000-23,000 if it came with windows. By leaving the OS out, they are making it sound so much cheaper.

cya
R

[Thad E Ginathom]

That is correct. Basically sellers are using this for 2 reasons:

1) Why pay for windows licenses when the user might want to install linux instead.
2) A Rs. 18,000 machine would cost perhaps Rs. 21,000-23,000 if it came with windows. By leaving the OS out, they are making it sound so much cheaper.

That makes sense to me. If I get one I'll have to seek out a copy of W7, as I really don't want 8 in the house!

Thanks to all who answered

Here's another one, to do with screen formats. I hate this super-wide-screen format, which is good only for manufacturers (less area for the same diagonal) and spreadsheet addicts. I don't seem to see any of the less narrow format, though. Is it really a thing of the past for laptops?

(yes, I know... the old 3*4 CRT shape is long gone!)

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

That makes sense to me. If I get one I'll have to seek out a copy of W7, as I really don't want 8 in the house!

Thanks to all who answered

Here's another one, to do with screen formats. I hate this super-wide-screen format, which is good only for manufacturers (less area for the same diagonal) and spreadsheet addicts. I don't seem to see any of the less narrow format, though. Is it really a thing of the past for laptops?

(yes, I know... the old 3*4 CRT shape is long gone!)

They're still around although people now go for the widescreen (16:9) format. Dell has the Ultrasharp series which are 4:3 format, but a tad bit expensive.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Dell has the Ultrasharp series which are 4:3 format, but a tad bit expensive.

I have my eye on one of these (Dell U2412 24 in at Flipcart) but my existing Samsung 22", although it flickers occasionally, shows no sign of dying.

But that's monitors: At the moment I am thinking laptops.

[Kumar R]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I have my eye on one of these (Dell U2412 24 in at Flipcart) but my existing Samsung 22", although it flickers occasionally, shows no sign of dying.

But that's monitors: At the moment I am thinking laptops.

Do you have a specific reason for choosing Dell? To the best of my knowledge Dell is not a LCD panel manufacturer, it just rebrands wholesale, unlike LG, Toshiba, NEC, Samsung who make their own stuff. Also, this model seems expensive. There's a 27 inch Samsung model available for Rs 11,000.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by Kumar R

Do you have a specific reason for choosing Dell? To the best of my knowledge Dell is not a LCD panel manufacturer, it just rebrands wholesale, unlike LG, Toshiba, NEC, Samsung who make their own stuff. Also, this model seems expensive. There's a 27 inch Samsung model available for Rs 11,000.

Dell uses LG panels in all ultrasharp displays. In fact pretty much any quality monitor would use lg ah-ips panels. Nec that you mentioned also uses lg panels on most of their good displays. The monitor is manufactured by dell itself. They are really good value for money. You get close to NEC/eizo quality without spending an arm and a leg. They are great for color critical work and come calibrated from factory. I am using dell displays for over 10 years now and have no complaints.

[Kumar R]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Dell uses LG panels in all ultrasharp displays. In fact pretty much any quality monitor would use lg ah-ips panels. Nec that you mentioned also uses lg panels on most of their good displays. The monitor is manufactured by dell itself. They are really good value for money. You get close to NEC/eizo quality without spending an arm and a leg. They are great for color critical work and come calibrated from factory. I am using dell displays for over 10 years now and have no complaints.

Thanks, I did not know that NEC also uses LG panels. My suggestion was that it makes more sense to buy a product from a company which itself makes most or all of the critical components and has the technological knowhow - if that option exists and assuming pricing is not a problem.