Topic: TV for XBOX360

[Aaron]

Too...many...choices...now...ARRRRRGGG

[Bigred]

As to the plasma vs. LCD debate, I can't stand the glare from the glassy plasma screens; drives me crazy.  I also don't like how much care you have to use when handling a plasma.  

I can get a bit of glare on my screen if the shades on our bay window aren't drawn. I should have gotten the anti-reflective layer to reduce the glare.

As far as the care of my plasma goes it gets wiped with a microfiber cloth to remove the kids syrupy, cheesy, greasy fingerprints  and that's about the extent of it.

Mmmmmm, My 3 favorite food groups!

[BobChase]

As to the plasma vs. LCD debate, I can't stand the glare from the glassy plasma screens; drives me crazy.  I also don't like how much care you have to use when handling a plasma.  

I can get a bit of glare on my screen if the shades on our bay window aren't drawn. I should have gotten the anti-reflective layer to reduce the glare.

As far as the care of my plasma goes it gets wiped with a microfiber cloth to remove the kids syrupy, cheesy, greasy fingerprints  and that's about the extent of it.

[Bigred]

I don't like Plasmas due to their short life span...  I have a 61" Panasonic Lifi HDTV 1080p...  It's a rear projection DLP, but unlike most rear projection TV's, I won't have to replace the bulb after 5000 hours of viewing...[quote/]

you should read your xbox manual. all video games reak havoc on projection TV's over time. My grandma has a 92' rear projection and it looks like sh!t now (she has had it for many years though) LCD has the longest lifespan. although i havent heard anything about the lifespan of a LED

DLP RPTV's do not run the risk of Burn In, Your grandma's 92' was probably a CRT RPTV.

I don't think Burn In is much of an issue with todays TV's,   Plasma's had big issues with this but now not so much, you would really have to work hard to get something to Burn-In.  

For the most part the absolute best picture quality you will get will be from a OLED and/or Plasma, and this is mostly due to the ability for each pixel to be turned on or off, good deep blacks.

LCD/LED is the same thing just a different way of lighting LCD's use something called a Cathode Flourescent Light (or maybe Lamp, can't remember), the LED uses little LED elements (all white) for the backlight, its missleading and they probably used the LED name to try to jump on the OLED bandwagon and confuse those of us buying the thing.  OLED and LED are very different.

As far as picture quality goes its a personal thing, Myself I am compeltely happy with the quality of a 1080p DLP TV for Movies and Games.  I have seen the picture on OLED TV"s and it is stunning maybe the best (movies and Games), same goes for Plasma.  The new 120 Hz and 240 Hz LCD TV's is very nice as well and maybe only trails all the others slightly IMO.  

DLP - cheap - Great Picture - but you got to have the space.

[Leukoi]

A lot of games aren't even 720p though, so it doesn't really matter much.  I have a 1080i 50" DLP TV in the bedroom, and I've found a lot of games run at 1080i.  They look no different on my 47" LCD that's 1080p.  People rave about MW2's graphics, but it's only like 600p. 

Honestly, 720p is good enough that you really won't notice any difference between that and 1080p. 

As to the plasma vs. LCD debate, I can't stand the glare from the glassy plasma screens; drives me crazy.  I also don't like how much care you have to use when handling a plasma.  My brother has two plasmas, and personally, I prefer the brightness of my LCD, and even the DLP, for games.  He's a sports nut, and sports do look better on his than mine. 

[Bigred]

The short ans easy explanation is that 1080p is a better picture quality than 1080p.

   That helped.  The "P" and "I" has to do w/ scanning.  The best example is when you watch a movie and the people on TV are watching TV or a computer monitor and it looks like it is constantly scanning up.  Like the TV has the cable out or something.  That is actually the line of pixels the the tv is projecting.  "p" does the scanning top to bottom like you see.  "i" is the entire screen being updated w/ pixels all at once.  And just fyi the number is basically the number of pixals.  420 pixels, 720 pixels, and now 1080.

   Yep thats about how this Friday is going.  1080P is better picture than 1080i

Oh well.   

[BobChase]

Plasmas ... short life span... 

B.S.

60,000 hours is the generally accepted standard. Based on individual usage, that could be anywhere from 12-50 years.

  That helped.  The "P" and "I" has to do w/ scanning.  The best example is when you watch a movie and the people on TV are watching TV or a computer monitor and it looks like it is constantly scanning up.  Like the TV has the cable out or something.  That is actually the line of pixels the the tv is projecting.  "p" does the scanning top to bottom like you see.  "i" is the entire screen being updated w/ pixels all at once.  And just fyi the number is basically the number of pixals.  420 pixels, 720 pixels, and now 1080.

Damian's on the right track. The "P" stands for "Progressive" and "I" stands for "Interlaced". With a progressive scan image, all pixels that make up a single frame are displayed on the screen at one time. With interlaced all of the "odd" lines (1, 3, 5 etc) in the frame are shown followed by the "even" lines (2, 4, 6 etc.) The flipping back and forth between even and odd lines are what cause the flicker. And yes, progressive is the way to go.

LCD has the longest lifespan. although i havent heard anything about the lifespan of a LED

LED is a type of LCD. I would think the lifespans are similar.

[Paul Mckelvey]

I don't like Plasmas due to their short life span...  I have a 61" Panasonic Lifi HDTV 1080p...  It's a rear projection DLP, but unlike most rear projection TV's, I won't have to replace the bulb after 5000 hours of viewing...[quote/]

you should read your xbox manual. all video games reak havoc on projection TV's over time. My grandma has a 92' rear projection and it looks like shit now (she has had it for many years though) LCD has the longest lifespan. although i havent heard anything about the lifespan of a LED

[Aftrthought051]

The short ans easy explanation is that 1080p is a better picture quality than 1080p.

   That helped.  The "P" and "I" has to do w/ scanning.  The best example is when you watch a movie and the people on TV are watching TV or a computer monitor and it looks like it is constantly scanning up.  Like the TV has the cable out or something.  That is actually the line of pixels the the tv is projecting.  "p" does the scanning top to bottom like you see.  "i" is the entire screen being updated w/ pixels all at once.  And just fyi the number is basically the number of pixals.  420 pixels, 720 pixels, and now 1080.

[Bigred]

The short ans easy explanation is that 1080p is a better picture quality than 1080p.

And its a noticable difference.  I typically don't notice much difference in things but this was very noticable.

If you want a technical explanation of the difference someone else will have to handle that, it has some to do with lines being scanned more often or something.

[Jay610]

I prefer Plasma or LCD displays for gaming nowadays. When i switched from a SD TV to a DLP 1080i i loved the picture, but my gaming was affected. The controller movements are delayed when strafing. After the DLP 52" i moved to a Panasonic 50" 1080p Plasma, I could never go back to anything else. Most games now are in 1080i/p.

What is the difference between 1080i/1080p? I never recall having this explained to me.

[Jediboy]

I don't like Plasmas due to their short life span...  I have a 61" Panasonic Lifi HDTV 1080p...  It's a rear projection DLP, but unlike most rear projection TV's, I won't have to replace the bulb after 5000 hours of viewing...

Games on it look absolutely stunning...  Never had any problems with gaming, I've had it for two years now and it is mostly used for Gaming....

[Acidophie]

I prefer Plasma or LCD displays for gaming nowadays. When i switched from a SD TV to a DLP 1080i i loved the picture, but my gaming was affected. The controller movements are delayed when strafing. After the DLP 52" i moved to a Panasonic 50" 1080p Plasma, I could never go back to anything else. Most games now are in 1080i/p.

[DADF1RE]

One other thing I thought of: last fall when we were replacing/upgrading our TVs as part of a remodel/addition to our house, one resource i found really helpful was the on-line reviews and tools at cnet:
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-high-definition-tvs/
They tend to be pretty objective.

[PFof2]

lots of great suggestions on here. Craigs List, or local trading newspapers we have Piedmont shopper in southern VA. I also agree to check for open box items. If you have a Sams club membership they usually have a few flat screens that have been sent off and refurbished or an open box item. A buddy of mine got a 42" panasonic LCD for just under $800 that way regular retail was close to $1200. if you are looking for good buy on a new tv the Vizio's are a great bargain and quality tv. you can usually get a 32" model for about $500. depending on the size tv your looking for and room you'll be using it in that may be big enough or you may need a monster screen. to each their own. good luck with the tv hunting and look forward to seeing you on live.

[Jay610]

You can also get good deals on open box items which 90% of the time there's nothing wrong with the T.V people bring stuff back because they've found better deals or the T.V had a minor defect. Places like Target, Walmart, Kmart, and bestbuy usually have returned open box items but you'll probably find better deals from the first three I mentioned. You can also buy floor display models sometimes if they don't have the one you wanted in stock but I'm not sure how the warranty works with doing that.  Also the LCD flat screens that run at a higher Hz like 120Hz which I think is the highest tend to cost more because that's what makes the images crystal clear without any motion blurr. For instance I have a 3yr old 42" LCD Olevia flat screen that's runs at 60/50Hz which is on the low end and only supports 720p and 1080i. When I'm watching fast paced action such as sports games, movies, ect.. I notice motion blurr but when I'm gaming I can't notice it at all and the images still look sharp and detailed. I only paid $900 which was reasonable to me at that time. But if you don't care about having the high end models and just want a flat screen for gaming, this might be a good way to go or like what has already been mention just buy a computer LCD monitor. Do use a HDMI cable if you buy a regular flat screen you will see the difference on HD channels vs Component cabling and playing video games. 

[Bigred]

Get a brand new 73" Mistubishi 1080P DLP TV.  They are going for less than $2000 now.  I keep hoping the TV I have now will break so I can go get one of these for the HT room where the Xbox is.

[Aaron]

Thanks to everyone. I will look around and see which fits more into our budget. The monitor idea is interesting and may firt the budget better. The wife one day came home with a 42" LCD and did one of those look what I bought and oh btw no video games on this so she couldn't get too mad if I came home with one as well right?? lol

[DADF1RE]

Get a TV with at least 3 HDMI ports.  I wish mine had four or more. 

Or alternatively you can pick up an inexpensive receiver with built in HDMI switching. Onkyo makes several reasonably priced complete "Home Theater In A Box" models. We have two of them in use and both have "game" sound settings and HDMI switching. Shop around (Newegg/Amazon) and you can find deals. As to TV, my current favorite gaming TV is the Samsung UN46B7000. The picture is very clear and responsive and at 46" it is big enough for split screen yet not nearly as expensive as comparable higher end 55 and 65 inch LCDs. I honestly like playing on it better than  I do our 65" Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL65W5100. If you are looking  for something smaller, our current favorite is our 22" Insignia (Best Buy Store Brand) Model: NS-22E430A10. It is 1080p and a great little gaming TV (although it has only one HDMI input) and is very reasonably priced.

[Leukoi]

Get a TV with at least 3 HDMI ports.  I wish mine had four or more. 

[Jediboy]

^^^

agreed!    I had to suffer for a while when I had to play on my brother-in-laws 50" SDTV and it looked like sh....crap playing the 360 on it...  When I was so used to playing it on my big TV...  Everything was grainy and could hardly read the text and a good portion of the game was cut off...

[N3XTLVL]

well my best advise would be on craigslist , i love that page . i noticed you are located in Virginia i searched richmond and well this is what i found for hdtv's  .      http://richmond.craigslist.org/search/ele?query=hdtv&catAbbreviation=ele

most of the time its new or comes with a reciept thats under 3 months old , anyhow i hope this helps .

[vegaskiller73]

Does anyone know what a good HDTV is for an XBox360?

A big one and one you can afford. Not specifically in that order.

[Jediboy]

when I traveled back to Texas from Alaska a couple of years ago, I hooked up my 360 up to my 22" widescreen monitor...  I played Tiger 09 on it for most of the trip...  I can honestly say it didn't look any better then what it did on my 61" HDTV...  It looked the same to me...  To each his own though...

[Paul Mckelvey]

yeah im using a VGA cable on a 19' widescreen. and I have a 42' lcd that is amazing and ill tell you i like the monitor better. things are clearer and more crisp than on any tv. plus with the vga you can adjust your res just like your comp