Recommend me a good TV

[Xavier]

I'm looking to finally get a flat-screen TV in the near future, and have realized that I really want to play PSP games -- Wipeout Pure and Pulse in particular -- on it.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Wipeout demands split-second timing, so I want the delay from your PSP input to be as small as possible.

I don't want a huge screen, but high resolution would be nice. Does anyone else play Pure and Pulse on TVs? What is the experience like? WO3 supposedly displays better on a HDTV; is that true?

[Yome NetSan]

I recommend the LG 37LG5500
LCD 37" (94cm), Full 1080p HD, 50/60/24Hz, response time 5 ms, light 500 cd/m², contrast 50000:1 (dynamic), Tuner HD MPEG4, plenty of plugs (VGA, HDMI x3, AV Squart x2, YUV, S-Vidéo, Composite)

That's the one I have and I love it. wipEout HD is gorgeous on it. Pure and Pulse are very good but not full screen (I think it's a PSP restriction, not from the TV) but I didn't play on it very often.

[AG-wolf]

well there's a difference between "flat screen" and "flat-panel" I have a 27inch CRT with a flat screen

If you want the least lag possible, you need a CRT, but it's becoming harder and harder to find HDTVs that use CRTs, plus not everyone wants such a large beast in their entertainment center anymore

I haven't personally invested in any of the new technology just yet, but of all my friends who have nice big-ass LCD/Plasma/etc TVs, I think Samsung has offered the best picture quality, along with Philips Magnavox (also, coincidentally the only two brands I would ever buy for all the CRT TVs I've gone through)


You're definitely going to wanna research online once you know what models you're interested in, because not every manufacturer lists the response time on the package. 5ms is pretty good, but sometimes even the slightest lag can be very noticeable on games that require such precise reaction (for example, I refuse to play any of the Smash Brothers games unless it's either on a CRT, or if I'm not playing too competitively).

Honestly, when response times get down to around 5ms, though, you may not even notice it, and after a short period of time, you learn to compensate anyway.

[Wip3ou7]

I highly reccomend the Phillips Ambilight series of HDTV's.

They project light behind the TV that changes color with the onscreen graphics. Zone Mode is breathtaking with this TV. Anything is actually. I have the 42 inch 1080p LCD 2-channel ambilight version. Simply breathtaking. Phillips is the only brand that makes a TV with the ambilight feature. Don't settle for home-made ambilight setups, Phillips has perfected the technology with the fastest changing color lights that are integrated into the TV's firmware so that it changes perfectly in sync and even is capable of dyamic coloring (each light can be a different color so that they always match the edges of a the screen). Amazing!

[The Gracer]

well, it really depends. im working as an AV specialist now so heres my two cents from what ive seen and encountered...

In the way of plasmas, the newest series of Panasonics give a generally better picture than any of the others, they are much easier to use, and they have more features and a HUGE amount of inputs on the back.

Im not so familiar with LCD. My panel is an Acer 24' that has a highest native res of 1920 x 1200 (slightly taller picture than 1080HD) with an HDMI input on the back. WipEoutHD looks phenomenal.

The quality of your cables can affect picture as well - dont settle for a cheap 3rd party cable, as they are inadequately shielded and a lot of the time cant carry the bandwidth that HD content needs. a bad cable will increase artifacting and cause the colours to look more washed out than they should.

Make sure you get the latest series of the type of TV you decide on, a lot of the slightly older panels that are smaller than 42in wont display a 1080p image, only 1080i which looks worse than 720p.

[stin]

I`m actually more curious, what is your price range for TV?

Then we will know what we can get for you your taste!

stevie

[Lance]

I need a tv, too, but no more than 20 inches/50.8 cm wide at the absolute max, and that includes the case. But it must have a good array of inputs and outputs. My eyes are usually less than 24'' away from the screen when I watch it, and I sit between it and the computer so I can turn to see either one, but not both at the same time. I'm currently using a small CRT, but I want a panelscreen type for watching movies and connecting to an I-might-own-one-in-the-eventual-future-maybe PS3.

[kowareta|vojeet]

Hell YES!
Wipeout HD on philips 47PFL9703
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sY5yHc0FP0

[lunar]

Interesting info in your post Gracer, thanks. I always assumed HDMI, being digital, was either "on or off" so cable quality could make no difference - it either works or it doesn`t. But maybe not so.

I`m currenly using an SDTV, but perhaps should invest in good RGB scart cables as I`m getting some interference on screen I think. Anyone know what sort of cables I should look for? Will go 1080P when this TV explodes (not too long away I hope).

[eLhabib]

I guess you'll never be getting an HDTV then, sice tube TVs tend to implode rather than ex

[lunar]

It did set on fire once, but was repaired I will encourage it to do the same again, then for "health and safety" reasons the wife will have to agree to get a new family TV It`s for the sake of the children.

I wonder how much difference response time makes on HDTVs when playing games. Anyone compared some? Nothing less than 37 inch 1080P with phantom class response will do the job here, but I guess these are pretty expensive atm.

[eLhabib]

You can get a very good 40 inch full 1080p TV with less than 5ms response for under 1000€, don't know about other currencies though...

[jmoid]

Interesting info in your post Gracer, thanks. I always assumed HDMI, being digital, was either "on or off" so cable quality could make no difference - it either works or it doesn`t. But maybe not so.

That was my understanding as well - with analogue cables there's a lot of scope for the cabling making subtle differences, but with digital it's either there or it isn't.

I`m currenly using an SDTV, but perhaps should invest in good RGB scart cables as I`m getting some interference on screen I think. Anyone know what sort of cables I should look for? Will go 1080P when this TV explodes (not too long away I hope).

Blaze RGB scarts are supposed to be good. Are you using RGB scart at the moment? Because any RGB scart will be an improvement over the standard PS3 composite cable.

As the the original post - I bought a Panasonic TX-32LXD85 recently and I'm delighted with it.

[rushin]

well after months of research i went with a low end sony in the end, purely because it was good for bluray - dont want to start a discussion on 5:4 pulldown and all that rubbish

but got a 40" kdl 3500 in the end, as the price was very good for a 1080p set, paid about £650 6months ago so probably less now. i was worried it was too big before i bought it, now i lust after a 46".. great tv though

and needless to say wipeout HD justifies the purchase

and expensive hdmi cables? i have to say thats a scam. mine cost £3.99 and absolutely perfect. also have a £5.99 hdmi -> dvi cable (10m) for connecting pc, again zero issues.

[Xavier]

Thanks for all the great responses!

My desires are about the same as Lance's -- things are cramped here in Japan and I have no need for the massive screens that a lot of people have. Pixel resolution, yes, but not big screens. I was looking at 23" screens, but could go up to about 32". My budget is maybe Y100,000 ($950/£600?). Living in a cramped apartment, I don't really have the space for a big CRT, though if I found one on the cheap...

A 5-ms response time is nothing to complain about. I had been worrying about something along the order of one frame (1/24 s). My reaction time is about 0.2 seconds and I'm sure there are plenty of maniacal teenagers who are much faster.

(Fun reaction-time-testing game here: http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/reactiontime.html Under about 0.25 s and you'll get a hit!)

Hadn't thought about the quality of the cables; that's good advice. Jmoid, I'd been looking at a similar Viera TV that might actually be the same one (but the Japanese version):
http://kakaku.com/spec/20413010860/

The other front-runners are this from Sony:

http://kakaku.com/spec/20416010894/

And this Sharp Aquos:

http://kakaku.com/item/20415010870/

Phillips TVs seem to be unknown here, and I haven't seen any Samsungs either, unless they sell under a different name.

Moving up to 37" means 1920x1080 would be nice for the future... I think I'm going to go to the electronics area in Akihabara and specifically ask for a TV that's ideal for game-playing. I never actually watch television; it's the missus who does that. So she doesn't care about response time or pixel counts at all!

[The Gracer]

Dont get the Sharp, they are flipping horrible TVs to install and set-up and they are overly complicated...

Response time is very important for gaming, you shouldnt overlook it. sure, 5ms is nothing, but 3ms is even less! Remember that little button response issue the PSP had?

Go for the Pana! TX-32LX80 LCDs are a little small though.

If you can afford the extra stretch, the 42PY80 plasmas and the higher models are great, but you will need to watch out for things like screen burn, and they are bigger and heavier than the 32. Hanging the panel on the wall saves space!

---------------------------

As for cables, you will find a lot of the lower end cables either

A) Wont work properly with HDMI-based functions, or at all
B) Fail to deliver full 7.1 sound when run through an amplifier, sometimes only supporting stereo, or
C) Are subceptible to interference from other unshielded cables, unshielded speakers, etc
D) Cannot consistently support high-bandwidth content

For instance, with the newer Viera-Link Panasonics, there is a function that allows a download of the TV's settings to a DVD-Recorder. A poor cable will not support this function, but a Monster 500 series cable or similar/better will.

Bandwidth is very important with digital cables. IIRC a PS3 can output 8.2GBp/S of image and sound data at a given moment, so in order to achieve the full potential of the system, a sufficent cable is required.

[alterego]

Hi all.

My Equipment for WO HD is

TV LCD Samsung 6 series 40" HD Full and
TV LCD Samsung MW2032 20" Hd ready with HDMI input

Read You Soon
CdRom

[Darkdrium777]

Sharp:
Horrible TVs to install? Overly complex and hard to use?
I beg to differ.
Sharp LC32D64U (32'' 1080p, I believe it's one of the few on the market) The model number may differ in your country though (Japan), that is the model in North America. It's a very good TV, I have not been bothered by the delay when playing the PSP on it, and WipEout HD looks phenomenal on it as well. It's also very easy to use, to switch inputs you use a button on the top or on the remote (And frankly that's all you need to do once the TV is set-up), and easy to install (The TV stand has only four screws to put on. After that it can stand upright). It's also got a good number of inputs, which is great when you want options.

[The Gracer]

Each to their own then i guess! I find the menus on the Aquos LCDs totally un-user-friendly, and if i remember correctly you are unable to rename inputs to make it less confusing trying to remember what you plugged in where.

Im very picky.

We must get a different model down here in NZ, i sometimes feel like telling our customers they got ripped off....

[Darkdrium777]

You are correct when you say that you cannot rename the inputs. But seriously, does that make the TV horrible?
Besides with the HDMI inputs (Which is what you will use in the future), devices are able to send info about who is connected to who, so the input my PS3 is plugged on is named 'PS3' when the PS3 is turned on. Doesn't work for analog though (Composite and Component), for obvious reasons.