hdtv

[Neo]

So I'm thinking of finally buying an HDTV (got to love those low monthly payments), but I don't remember which is the best for videogames. Does anyone know the advantages/disadvantages of the various types?

[Perfect Stu]

i've had a Sharp Aquos a few months now and it continually amazes me. HD Cable, DVD, PS3, Blu Ray...while some look better than others, it's all gravy.

[Typhoid]

I have a 48'' flat screen Sony HD LCD, and it performs fantastically for both sporting events, and games.

The only thing you don't want to watch is CSI...you can see each individual pore on everyone's face, and they'er all as big as a nickle.

It's gross.

[GameMaster]

http://www.flattvpeople.com/tutorials/lcd-vs-plasma.asp

Plasma FTW?

[Neo]

What about http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000AMNZ6E/ref=s9_asin_title_1/002-4563317-3648003?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=10SNN8X0JH6WX6Y9P63R&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=288448501&pf_rd_i=507846

[MrCoffee]

i've had a Sharp Aquos a few months now and it continually amazes me. HD Cable, DVD, PS3, Blu Ray...while some look better than others, it's all gravy.

I have the same thing sharp aquos, works awesome for me, videos, hdmi (friends ps3 was amazing) Wii!

[Typhoid]

You don't really want a plasma.

[Crash]

Do not buy an EDTV, it's only 480p. Don't buy a plasma, they buzz, get really hot, and don't last more than a few years.

LCD is nice because it's VERY bright, and very sharp. No burn in, and less lag than DLP. (reports that it messes people up on DDR).

I have a samsung 61" DLP 1080p, and it's wonderful. Good darks, good lights.

If I was you, I'd find a 1080p tv because you'll wish you did later on. Sonys are really great but overpriced.

[Perfect Stu]

Do not buy an EDTV, it's only 480p. Don't buy a plasma, they buzz, get really hot, and don't last more than a few years.

LCD is nice because it's VERY bright, and very sharp. No burn in, and less lag than DLP. (reports that it messes people up on DDR).

I have a samsung 61" DLP 1080p, and it's wonderful. Good darks, good lights.

If I was you, I'd find a 1080p tv because you'll wish you did later on. Sonys are really great but overpriced.

Which is why I recommend the Sharp Aquos...spec for spec, it matches Sony's Bravia series (which are definatley awesome prodcuts) but is about 33% cheaper

[Dyne]

Yeah, I just got a Sharp Aquos for work. It's not a bad TV.

[Neo]

Plasmas are quite a bit more reliable than they used to be. They also tend to have a better contrast ratio and can display more colors. I haven't read anything yet about a buzzing problem, and they have features now to help prevent burnout. I checked out the Aquas but they're pretty expensive.... Also I don't think I'll be able to tell the difference with 1080p. I'm just going to have to go this weekend and look at all of them for myself. Maybe I will find an LCD I like.


http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000O321IW/ref=s9_asin_title_1/104-8061780-0175148?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=0KH4ZQM58XG1C8DCDJX7&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=288448701&pf_rd_i=507846

That one's only 1200 on amazon and like 1500 at Best Buy.

[bobcat]

What about the Bravia series? The Sony displays have always been a fave of mine.

http://whychooseplasma.com.au/

This site looks like it's for general consumers, but read it anyways.

I'm gonna wait longer to buy one, plus i can't afford one atm :P I did see motorstorm running off a bravia and I want a bravia!!!!

[bobcat]

Which is why I recommend the Sharp Aquos...spec for spec, it matches Sony's Bravia series (which are definatley awesome prodcuts) but is about 33% cheaper

I just read this. It matches the specs but it doesn't say "Bravia"......mmm

Ok yeh you make a point. Same specs, much cheaper. Maybe that'll be my next tv. Have u seen em side by side tho?

[GameMaster]

This is the one I bought for my room a couple months back. Good enough.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B000BTQPAO/sr=1-2/qid=1180663516/ref=cm_cr_dp_pt/102-2151014-1910522?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics&qid=1180663516&sr=1-2#customerReviews

[bobcat]

This is the one I bought for my room a couple months back. Good enough.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B000BTQPAO/sr=1-2/qid=1180663516/ref=cm_cr_dp_pt/102-2151014-1910522?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics&qid=1180663516&sr=1-2#customerReviews

Hmm....Sylvania is a suburb in Sydney :D

[Perfect Stu]

Ok yeh you make a point. Same specs, much cheaper. Maybe that'll be my next tv. Have u seen em side by side tho?

I've seen them both in the same area...not literally side by side, but i saw one and then i saw the other. Honestly, couldn't notice a difference. Both have a gorgeous (gorgeous) picture, especially at 1080p. (and Neo, you can tell a difference...watch a Blu Ray movie at 1080p, then watch a DVD at 1080i and try to tell me you didnt notice a difference).

[GameMaster]

Hmm....Sylvania is a suburb in Sydney :D

You always have a way of making me all steamy :D

[Neo]

What about this issue involving gaming lag with some HDTV's? Apparently if the signal of the console doesn't match the native resolution of the TV then the images can lag.

[Crash]

i dont' know about that issue. i was told once by a sales rep that "game mode" on samsung, corrects this issue. I don't EVER trust those sales people though.

[gekko]

CRTs are the best picture by a long shot of any TV, and always will be. They can also change resolution, so you don't need to deal with upscaling SD signals, you watch them natively. Downsides are they are huge, and heavy, so they don't make them past 40", though you'll be hard pressed to find one over 36". Also all movies and TV content is set to standards of what a CRT will display, and how the colors will look on a CRT. So CRTs require much less calibration to achieve a good picture.

DLPs got pretty popular because they are pretty lightweight, can get pretty large in size, and were very cheap. In fact, they were the first real affordable technology. Many models suffer from ghosting when playing games. They're good TVs, but you need to know DLP chipsets to know which models are affected, and which are not.

I've never been a big fan of plasma. Never thought the picture quality was great unless you sit pretty far away. If you want to get a large monitor, like 55"+, you'll want to look as plasma. But keep in mind they are heavy, like, re-enforce your wall before mounting it heavy. But like has already been said, plasma technology has improved, and has a great future. Go for it if you want huge.

LCD seems to be filling the gap for smaller TVs. They are becoming dirt cheap, and a lightweight. Problem is when you buy a smaller HDTV, you don't really get the benefit from HDTV. You won't start noticing a big difference between 720p and 1080i/p until you begin passing the 42" mark. The big problem with LCDs is that they are hard to distinguish. They all look decent on paper, but some are better than others (ie. Sharp's screen is night and day better than Samsungs). I wouldn't purchase a LCD without doing a bit of research into the various models, and which line has the best display. Sharp is pretty popular if you want a quality display, Westinghouse has the best bang-for-buck LCD out there, but you're not getting the same quality screen by any means. You also need to factor in the refresh rates for them.

But if you get a non-CRT, get 1080p. I wouldn't buy 720p anymore. It's a pretty worthless resolution that was used mainly for the transition between SD and HD. TV broadcast standard is 1080i, HD DVD standard is 1080p. The only thing using 720p is games, because current generation systems don't have enough horsepower to push 1080p (despite all the claims). Also many HDTVs on the market are native 720p, so games will usually look better in 720p and 1080i, so 720p is pretty much the gaming standard, with the exception of Wii. You mainly just want the native 1920x1080 resolution. The fact that it's 1080p isn't a big deal right now, you'll have to concentrate hard to notice the difference in a movie at 1080i and 1080p. Games will be a bigger issue, since you're displaying 60fps, as opposed to 24. But you need that resolution.

And I second the claim that upscaled DVDs at 1080i suck. HD DVD or Blu Ray w/VC-1 > Blu-ray w/MPEG 2 > Broadcast HDTV > upscaled DVD > DVD > TV.

[Neo]

Okay this is probably going to be the tv of choice for me:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8258048&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050006&id=1169857637051


It's a 42" LCD with can display 1080p, has a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and the demo unit looked very sharp. I've seen a lot of good reviews for it too. The 47" is $600 more, which I don't think is really worth it, but I'm going to measure distances at my new apartment before I decide for sure.

I think there are too many disadvantages with plasmas. The screens typically have reflection problems, they don't last as long, there's a risk of burn-in, and they are more fragile. Only real issue I see with LCD's is the potential for motion blur, but I don't think that's going to be much of an issue with this unit.