Getting a new TV - Need Suggestions

[Judderman]

I'm going from old-gen (19 inch toshiba p0s, ps2, etc.) to new-gen (new tv, xbox360, ps3?, wii) and I was looking at TV's to get and I want to pick up an LCD HDTV. After trying to make sense of the whole hdtv + video game lag thread I went looking and saw this TV from Samsung:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LNT3253H-32-LCD-HDTV/dp/B000N50S3Q/ref=pd_ts_e_4/102-3975427-1965739?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

I was also look at the Vizio brand TV's and I'm stuck with this dilemna. I still want to play my old ps2, xbox, gamecube games, but with all this talk of lag I was wondering what is the best solution + combination to be worry-free and just game on?

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Here'sMySundayBest]

Unless you are going to be watching HDTV as well, buying an HDTV is not worth it.

Gaming on an HDTV is a cool feature but not worth the thousand dollars that an HDTV can cost. And if you are going to be Watching TV, I would suggest a Plasma TV, When you watch SD Channels on a Plasma TV, the Plasma TV enhances the picture, but LCD TVs on SDTV look worse than they would on a regular TV.

Also the color black does not get nearly as dark on an LCD vs Plasma.

The downside to Plasma is the worry of burn-in. I can say that this problem has been largely fixed, and some plasmas even come with a feature on the TV that can reverse the effects of burn-in. There are also DVDs that you can run on your TV that could also reduce burn-in.

And I own a PS3, not sure about 360, but a few games on PS3 have Framerate issues when you play them in HD, probably just because they are 1st year titles/ports.

NBA2k7 and FNR3 and Madden07 to name a few that do not transition well into HD.

[Banthur]

do you have a 360/ps3/hdtv cable? if not, I'd put off the new tv as chances are when you do have a "need" for it prices will have lowered significantly

on a side note, I thought samsung was notorious for lag?

[A.C]

budget?
screen size?

[Judderman]

I was looking at 32in and I would be watching TV on it as well.

My budget is 1000-1500

Does anyone have a Vizio? if so, what do you think of it?

[aktham]

Westinghouse LVM37W3 monitor. Can't say enough good things about it. 1080P too

[Judderman]

Westinghouse LVM37W3 monitor. Can't say enough good things about it. 1080P too

So this thing is a monitor, but can you plug in a cable box to watch TV? Argh, this adds another dimension to my TV hysteria.

[aktham]

So this thing is a monitor, but can you plug in a cable box to watch TV? Argh, this adds another dimension to my TV hysteria.

It's a multimedia monitor. It has every plug you can think of. The only thing missing is the OTA tuner which is not a problem for you since you have a cable box.

[Judderman]

Alright sweet, and how are fighting games, and past-gen games on the TV/monitor?

[Gasp]

from what i heard westinghouse hold it down, the xbox magazines love that monitor.

[shoo]

ive been looking at a westinghouse too

i hear its good for gaming
possibly my next big purchase after getting a car, or a candy cab :3

[Gasp]

possibly my next big purchase after getting a car, or a candy cab :3
downey has never been so far away.

[aktham]

Shoo I believe I recommended this monitor to you a while back, but you were hesitant after hearing about the flickering issue. With the PS3 1.8 update the HDMI handshaking is fixed and there is no more flickering.

[A.C]

Alright sweet, and how are fighting games, and past-gen games on the TV/monitor?

remember, good displays amplify both good & bad content. by that i mean, jaggies will be much more apparent... as will be the contrast of low-rez sprites on high-rez backgrounds (MvC2 anyone?). having an HDTV is like using a magnifying glass.

there is a solid benefit to playing old games on old TV's. SD CRT's allow for a certain amount of bleeding/blurring that actually make the resulting image MORE pleasing. i don't want to discourage a HDTV purchase - but just be aware that old games will probably look worse. new games however... will look infinitely better.

[shoo]

downey has never been so far away.

Atomiswave to be exact :3

but its $$$$

my DC will be in there and ST

[Judderman]

remember, good displays amplify both good & bad content. by that i mean, jaggies will be much more apparent... as will be the contrast of low-rez sprites on high-rez backgrounds (MvC2 anyone?). having an HDTV is like using a magnifying glass.

there is a solid benefit to playing old games on old TV's. SD CRT's allow for a certain amount of bleeding/blurring that actually make the resulting image MORE pleasing. i don't want to discourage a HDTV purchase - but just be aware that old games will probably look worse. new games however... will look infinitely better.

I still have a SD CRT TV downstairs and in my parents room so if I am ever in dire need of "perfect" past-gen gameplay I can go play my fighters there.

looks like I'm may pick up the westinghouse then. Thanks for the suggestion aktham and thanks for all the help everybody

oh and does anyone know the type of cable I would need to use a pair of headphones on my TV?

[A.C]

oh and does anyone know the type of cable I would need to use a pair of headphones on my TV?

if you are sending your sound to a receiver, then use the receiver's headphone jack. if you are going straight to the TV, then use your TV's headphone jack. if you are using a VGA adaptor (DC?) then it will have a headphone jack.

if all else fails, you can always use a RCA-mini adaptor.

[Judderman]

if you are sending your sound to a receiver, then use the receiver's headphone jack. if you are going straight to the TV, then use your TV's headphone jack. if you are using a VGA adaptor (DC?) then it will have a headphone jack.

if all else fails, you can always use a RCA-mini adaptor.

The westinghouse does not have a headphone port so I guess I'm going with the RCA-mini adapter?

[Half-Ro]

Suggestion for you

westington house 37" lcd
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8250144&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat95100050044&id=1169512290376


even has a vga input to allow you to play your older gen (ps2 , xbox) systems on a vga box minus the lag.



if you are lucky, alot of best buys carry the 42" version for only 150 bucks more, still with the vga input in the back.


Edit: i see youve decided to go with the westinton house, good choice :)

[Gasp]

make sure it has speakers some westinghouses (since they ARE monitors) only come with hookups to connect to your home theater system.
the link half-ro provided has speakers so boss.
...shit i have an large 51" tv(early 90's when s-video was fire) in my room, takes up the whole room, im need a smaller tv damn it

[Judderman]

the 37 inch has two 15 watt speakers so I guess that is decent till I get a sound system (though highly unlikely)

[A.C]

i can't imagine owning a HDTV without surround sound. point in fact, i'd say SDTV+DD5.1 > HDTV+stereo. i think you'd be better off towards spending a couple hundo on a HTB (home theater in a box) and waiting for a new TV. especially given the current lack of quality ps3/360 games.

sound is a full 1/2 of the equation in my book. however if you are in a situation where you need to wear headphones... then i guess you should just ignore everything i've written :p

[Chasem0]

I've been wanting to get a new TV, seems like everyone loves the Westinghouse SK-32H240S. Has anyone here had experience using it? Is it lag free for any game / console?

[rcaido]

If you don't have a PS3 yet, Best Buy is doing a package deal for a Sony Bravia 1080p 40" LCD

$2100 for the Sony tv, PS3, 1 free game, & 1 free blu-ray movie...+ you can add a upconversion LG dvd player...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17005&type=page&_requestid=13148