HD TV Advice please

[mr_m0nks]

Well Im going to be getting an HD TV mainly for my Xbox. My space is limited as is my budget so I was wondering what I should be looking for in an HD TV, what are the specs i should be looking at?

[DC906270]

well, make sure you get a high refresh rate, like capable if at least 100Hz, so you dont get screen blur during fast moving games, like shmups. and make sure your tv promotes low lag though the video inputs. Others will be able to offer you more advice for this. And then, decide how you will be connecting your consoles. For best picture quality from the older consoles (w/RGB output) its best to run to an upscan unit/XRGB unit first. The only other thing i can really add, is that i have a Sony KDL-32W5500 LCD, and i can honestly say its spot on for gaming, and reasonably cheap too. the only bummer/downside is it only supports standard 60Hz signals through the VGA input, which shouldnt be a problem if youre using NTSC consoles, its only a problem with PAL consoles, or some PCBs which output non-standard frequencies. Hope this helps.

[neorichieb1971]

720 panel up to 32"
1080 panel beyond that

Read reviews for lag.. It won't say anything on the specsheet in the shop about lag.

Look at how many HDMI ports there are. If 2, does it bother you that one of them is an easy access port sticking out the side?
For LCD check the black levels on the widescreen bars of movies to see if its black enough for you
If the TV is ultra thin, check sound quality.. Or do like I do and stick some PC speakers in the head phone socket.

[brentsg]

Well I can only speak for the USA stuff, but in our market "low latency on the inputs" and 120Hz+ are polar opposite concepts. That's the flaw with LCD technology right now. The displays can't actually receive a signal higher than 60Hz, so they use frame interpolation to artificially create the higher refresh. Frame interpolation is obviously going to add latency for the processing.. So in essence the effort to reduce motion blur also induces additional control lag. Ugh..

[Specineff]

My Vizio doesn't have the 120 Hz thing, and I don't notice blur whatsoever. And as posted above, I'd take the blur over control lag.

[Davey]

My Sony LCD does 120 Hz, but I've never noticed any lag. However, I have Game Mode on, which disables a lot of picture enhancements. I think it makes the TV draw every frame twice instead of interpolating between real frames.

Even for TV and movies, you might want to disable frame interpolation. It tends to make things look cheap and fake like a soap opera.

[brentsg]

My Sony LCD does 120 Hz, but I've never noticed any lag. However, I have Game Mode on, which disables a lot of picture enhancements. I think it makes the TV draw every frame twice instead of interpolating between real frames.

If that is the case then game mode effectively makes that display 60Hz. Since LCD is a sample and hold technology (pixels that don't update from frame to frame remain static and lit), then displaying every frame twice at 120Hz gives you a 60Hz experience. You have to either insert a black frame or interpolate frames to make any headway against motion blur.

[system11]

Motion blur is unavoidable on LCD - you're going to have to live with it, or hope it's something you're not especially sensitive to. Newer TVs with 120hz and 240hz modes attempt to reduce retinal persistance (which is the cause of motion blur on a sufficiently fast screen) by inserting interpolated images. LG even had a 480hz screen which inserts dark frames and is supposed to emulate the way a CRT image blanks between each frame.

[DC906270]

Really, on mine , motion blur is unnoticeable. People always overexaggerate these things, id much rather have a decent LCD than a CRT anyday, the difference in use (for me) is unnoticeable.

[brentsg]

Really, on mine , motion blur is unnoticeable.

No, to YOU it is not noticeable.

Some people simply aren't bothered by it. The process has to do with your own perception more than it does the panel. The pixels aren't "going dark" so as your eyes track movement on the panel the image smears on your retina. All LCDs are sample and hold so this isn't going to suddenly be better on one panel vs another.

[mr_m0nks]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll let you know what TV I get when I'm paid in a week

[system11]

If it helps, the high end Bravias are good. I think mine is an X3000.

[mr_m0nks]

High end?? hehe Im more looking at sub £200 from Tescos

[DC906270]

you might not get a decent gaming tv for that. best to try it out first. i got my excellent mid range Bravia from Amazon for not much more than £500 if you can stretch that far.

[mr_m0nks]

As a poor cash strapped student my budget is unlikely to go anywhere near that amount. Hopefully I can pick up a bargain.

[neorichieb1971]

For £200 you can't really ask the question your asking.

If you bought a car for £200 you can just about warrant an MOT certificate and a top speed of 60 safely.

[szycag]

If that's your price range, have you thought about getting a monitor with HDMI instead?

[brentsg]

Yeah you get what you pay for, if that.

I'd save my money or look at other options than an HDTV at that price point.

[Davey]

You might be able to get a nice monitor capable of 1080p in that price range. Ayanami has a 24" Samsung (I think) that he brings to shmup meets for fighters. Looks good to me. One downside is that you need to supply your own speakers since it's technically a computer monitor.