First HD TV...

ShadowHero10

ShadowHero10

CAGiversary!
Hello fellow CAG's. Well, I am just starting to make the switch to HD and I was wondering if you guys have any recommendations. I'm not exactly sure where the correct forum to post this is in, so I came here.

My only preferences is that I would like it in the 26"-32" area
And it's got to have HDMI (HD GAMING, OH YEAH! :))

Thanks for any help

PS. I've got one in mind, and it looks pretty good for my needs. But still, I want to hear your guys opinions.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A2115534
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']Response time is 8ms. That's shit.

I have this for my computer. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9274616&type=product&id=1218072891677 2ms response time, 23 inches, 1080p native. Unfortunately there's no 120hz support for 24 frames per second movies, but it still rocks my world. It's got VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI. It's a bit small for your preferences, but if you can't find anything better, this will do.[/QUOTE]


That's not really an HDTV though, is it? It's just a computer monitor with some inputs for gaming systems.
 
[quote name='chibamm']That's not really an HDTV though, is it? It's just a computer monitor with some inputs for gaming systems.[/QUOTE]

A monitor is all you really need. Especially for gaming. If you're going to be changing channels, you can do that through your cable box. Better hope that the cable box supports HDMI, DVI-D, or VGA. Sound can be pumped through the sound system, and a remote can go with that for volume adjustment. There's nothing that you need a remote for on the monitor.

The only reason to get off your butt is to put the monitor in 4:3 mode. It's one of the best features of this monitor. Never again will you have to suffer through stretched out TV shows. Just put the monitor in 4:3 mode, and it'll put black bars to the left and right of the screen and smoosh the picture in just the right way to get the aspect ratio right.
 
If you are going to use it as a TV as well, I will say I'm always impressed by the picture quality on Sonys and Samsungs. If you have the money, grab whichever one is easier on the wallet.
 
My best advice for you is to just start visiting different stores and get a real sense of what are the best deals. Not only that but you can talk to the employees there for help. (We all need help and a little clarification is always good.) Shopping online may be much easier, but seeing the set in real life is a whole other experience.
 
Do you have a budget?

Regardless, I'd recommend a newer Samsung LCD. Check Amazon, as a lot of B&M places have shitty prices.
 
Well if you are willing to spend around $400 and don't mind getting a TV from off the web I suggest you look at www.walmart.com because they have some decent 32" models in that price range. They have Vizio, Sanyo, and a few other brands.
 
Hey guys I wanna thank you for the responses, but I think I am going to go with the Panasonic Vierra 32" that fizzywix suggested. The TV unbelievable for the price, has HDMI, and is less than 500 bucks (My own budget. Sorry for not putting that in there.)

Thanks everyone.
 
FYI My folks got a 32' Samsung at walmart they just had it in an add for $438 (LINK)

I have a similiar model but mine has 3 HDMI

update: Someone mention response rate, so I'll add that detail
the one I mention above is listed at 6ms response, and when I checked it out I set up my 360 on it to test and it was pretty sweet
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have 3 HD sets. A Philips 32', Samsung 26', and a Philips 19'; plus 6 other smaller portable LCD gaming screens.

Anyway, watch out for aspect ratio. Widescreen is normally defined as 16:9 ratio which puts the number at 1.77 or 1.8 aspect ratio. [Movie ratios of 2.35 and others aside.] Native gaming formats fits this (1.77 - 1.8); however, some screens in reality have 16:10 or 16:9.5 ratios [hardware = actual screen you can't adjust]. You'll need to watch out for this! As it produces a slight vertically stretched image. Imagine a circle slightly vertically stretched and you'll get the idea.

Response time is important, as is which generation of flat-screens you're purchasing. Low-grades produces a muddied image. Contrast ratios are deceptive.

Best advice, always see the screens in-person, tune it yourself in the store if you have to. Ask for the remote, hit menu and tweak it to your preferences. See side-by-side brand vs brand comparisons. Then see side-by-side same brand, but one size up and one size down comparisons.

After you decide the model, price shop them. Good luck!
 
[quote name='diddy310']I have a 37 inch 1080p LG (Model 37LG50). It's only 60hz, but I've never noticed blurring when using the PS3. Also, I haven't been able to notice any input lag, even with rhythm games. Here's a 32 inch model for 530.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...1080p&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218091190882[/QUOTE]

The PS3 only processes games and movies at 60hz, so even if you bought a 120 or 240hz television, you would not see it through your PS3. You would have to buy a seperate Blu Ray player to watch Blu Rays at 120hz. For games, a 60hz set is just fine.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']Response time is 8ms. That's shit.[/QUOTE]
Why is response rate important?

I know it has nothing to do with input lag, so I forget what it's really for. Is it measuring the change from black to white?
 
[quote name='steve_k']The PS3 only processes games and movies at 60hz, so even if you bought a 120 or 240hz television, you would not see it through your PS3. You would have to buy a seperate Blu Ray player to watch Blu Rays at 120hz. For games, a 60hz set is just fine.[/QUOTE]

I haven't used it, but browsing through my PS3 menu, it does have a 24 frames per second movie option, so it can take advantage of a 120Hz TV and show the proper 24 frames per second.

240Hz is a marketing ploy taken to engineers to pump it full of steroids to make some stupid-ass CEO get a boner. Mathematically, there is no advantage to having 240Hz. 120Hz is great because it's evenly divisible by 24, 30, 60, 15, generally all of the framerates that have been in use since the dawn of video. 240Hz is also divisible, but it's pointless because 120Hz is the lowest common denominator. Or numerator. Whatever.
 
[quote name='kainzero']Why is response rate important?

I know it has nothing to do with input lag, so I forget what it's really for. Is it measuring the change from black to white?[/QUOTE]

It's how fast the pixels respond to the action being pumped to the screen. If your TV has 2 milliseconds response time, the action on the screen will happen 2 milliseconds after you press the button. If your TV is 8 milliseconds, the action appears on screen 8 milliseconds later.

It also hampers your response to what's going on on screen. If you see a sword being swung at you that gives you 20 milliseconds to successfully dodge on a TV with 0 milliseconds of response time (an old style NTSC tube TV, for example), you really only have 12 milliseconds to react on the 8 milliseconds response time TV.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']It's how fast the pixels respond to the action being pumped to the screen. If your TV has 2 milliseconds response time, the action on the screen will happen 2 milliseconds after you press the button. If your TV is 8 milliseconds, the action appears on screen 8 milliseconds later.

It also hampers your response to what's going on on screen. If you see a sword being swung at you that gives you 20 milliseconds to successfully dodge on a TV with 0 milliseconds of response time (an old style NTSC tube TV, for example), you really only have 12 milliseconds to react on the 8 milliseconds response time TV.[/QUOTE]
This is incorrect.
Input lag happens because of the upscaling and downscaling from the TV/Monitor's natural resolution, as well as any additional post-processing on the signal like HDCP.

After looking this up for an hour because I got an unsatisfactory answer...
Response time is based on how fast the pixel changes color. This leads to ghosting and blurriness at high speeds because the pixels have to cycle through multiple colors really quickly and cannot catch up.

This gives me a headache.
 
[quote name='kainzero']This is incorrect.
Input lag happens because of the upscaling and downscaling from the TV/Monitor's natural resolution, as well as any additional post-processing on the signal like HDCP.

After looking this up for an hour because I got an unsatisfactory answer...
Response time is based on how fast the pixel changes color. This leads to ghosting and blurriness at high speeds because the pixels have to cycle through multiple colors really quickly and cannot catch up.

This gives me a headache.[/QUOTE]
Then why do games like Guitar Hero have built-in response time adjusters?

The changing colors thing is correct. The end result, though, is a lagged picture that hampers your ability to respond in a manner similar to how you would on an NTSC CRT tube because the slowness of changing colors is what defines the lag.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']Then why do games like Guitar Hero have built-in response time adjusters?

The changing colors thing is correct. The end result, though, is a lagged picture that hampers your ability to respond in a manner similar to how you would on an NTSC CRT tube because the slowness of changing colors is what defines the lag.[/QUOTE]
Guitar Hero and Rock Band don't have response time adjusters, they have input lag adjusters.

Response rate is different from input lag, let me go over it again.

Input Lag: When you press a button and it takes longer on screen.
What causes this is because the TV has to do some processing on the image. Each TV has a natural resolution such as 720p/1080i or whatever, and monitors have several. When the TV has to take an image at 480i and upscale it to 720p, that causes lag. For a CRT SDTV there is no lag; the game runs at 480i and processes at 480i. For a CRT HDTV, there could be lag if the natural resolution is 720p and the game processes at 480p.

Additionally, TVs also like to process the image to make it look better, or there may be other processes such as HDCP that contribute to the lag. Some TVs include a game mode which tries to disable as much of these processes to eliminate lag. This is the lag that you, as a gamer, should care about. This is the lag where you press a button and it doesn't come out for 3 ms.

Note that no manufacturers test for input lag. The only reliable way of testing is to look for timecode tests of the TV on the internet or to perform your own.

Response time: How fast an LCD TV changes colors. This leads to blurring when there is high action on the screen. The easiest way to see this is to play an FPS on a high response time monitor; when you move in different directions it blurs.

This does not necessarily cause lag.
At the leading edge of the motion, there is no blur, as it only has to change pixel colors once. Blur happens at the trailing edge of the motion because the pixel is frantically changing from multiple colors, but technically the motion is not laggy because the front end of the motion processes quickly.

Response time does not contribute to input lag but can still affect your gameplay if you play something like an FPS or a very high speed song on a rhythm game. Notes may appear blurry or cloned on a high response time TV.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top