HDTV versus Standard TV?

[Ace Gunman]

Well, I believe I talked my mom into buying me an LCD plat-panel HDTV for all my gaming and PC needs, which as you know, is awesome. But I have a question for anyone in the know... is a low-grade HDTV better than even the best of normal TVs? I'm wondering because I'll probably be purchasing a lower quality high definition TV, and to the best of my knowledge any HDTV is better than no HDTV. Am I right in this assumption?

 

[legendofphil]

A lower "spec" HDTV will have some flaws such as poor filtering at non-standard res, response times, ghosting and lag.
These can be ok for watching HDTV but SD will look worse than on an SDTV.
But for gaming these can ruin the experience and in some cases make it impossible.
They are better at their native res but it can still be a bit hit and miss.
There are always examples against this with some lower priced sets being really good and some more expensive sets being quite bad.
Check the internet to see what people say on a specific model before you buy or see if you can return it if it doesn't meet your requirements.

 

[Bitbyte]

Yeah, what Phil said. It's better to get a good HDTV if you are getting one, instead of just the best you can afford, just save up then.

 

[Ace Gunman]

So what you saying is, it is possible for an HDTV to be inferior to a standard definition TV? That boggles the mind. By definition (no pun intended)... HDTV is supposed to be superior. I can't even begin to comprehend how playing a game on a crappy HDTV could look worse than playing on a great standard TV.

And actually, I'm looking at this model right here. It's a brand I've never heard of, but it has the feature I most want (the ability to connect to a PC through a VGA input), a good price, and an acceptable size (considering it will be replacing my current moderately sized LCD monitor). As an actual TV though, I have to suspect the worse. Sure it looks nice, and has some nice features and a good price... but the price could be a dead give-away that it's crap.

Tsk, it's so hard finding Canadian sites with well-priced plat-panel LCD HDTVs.

 

[Bitbyte]

Check this for further references:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=585939

Looks like it's the brand of bestbuy themselves heh.

 

[Ace Gunman]

Check this for further references:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=585939

Looks like it's the brand of bestbuy themselves heh.

From a brief reading of that forum it seems like a solid product. The red push is nothing new to me, as our current TV is a particular Sony brand which is infameous for having a very rich almost orangey red (with settings adjustment I fixed it for the most-part, but it was still tricky to get just the right settings figured out). But ultimately, I'm just not sure. I need someone with a real eye for HDTVs to tell me if it's a good buy or not, I think.

EDIT: The bottom line is that my mom would never spend over $1000 (Canadian) on a TV. So I have to stick with lower budget models, and anything I buy absolutely has to have a VGA input for my PC.

 

[Bitbyte]

Yeah, I think you'll do fine with the screen, it's not like it's a cheapo model

. From what I've read on that forum, looks promising indeed

 

[Ace Gunman]

Well, so far this is in the running. Although in actuality I don't have any other options. If any HDTV buffs could suggest alternatives (just so I can check out my options), I'd be grateful. Keeping in mind I'm on a small budget, and in Canada so a US site wouldn't give an accurate price.

 

[Ace Gunman]

Erm, sorry for the double post, but after closer inspection I now think the product discussed on that forum, and the one I planned on purchasing... are not one in the same. And after some searching I came up with no alternative "reviews" for the product. Quite frankly I'm lost in a sea of of HDTVs. I have no idea what to really look for in an HDTV (besides the basics), not to mention one that will fit my rather tight budget. It also seems the more sites I hit, the more mislead I am by the prices and features. "Oh look this model is $399 at newegg! Wait... how much is that in Canadian?". Pricing on american sites just can't be trusted, due to how each american retailer prices things differently for Canadians (very few of them follow the actual value of the Canadian dollar, and instead charge about double the cost of the product in USD).

On a purchase of this level, and via the interweb, I have to make sure I buy the right product the first time. Otherwise I could end up with needless shipping and return costs, and dealing with moody customer support people... and yeah, unpleasantness.

 

[adgloride]

I got a Samsung 26" LCDs HDTV which I'm very pleased with. It looks bigger than my old 28" widescreen tv. Just glad I never got 32" it would be way too big. The screens on the LCDs are all screen and not casing like the old style TVs. Sony are meant to use samsung screens on their HDTVs and charge more for the name. Not many HDTV channels in the UK unless you pay more money to sky for them. It does make a difference on the xbox 360 and on the movie clips/videos I've seen on the xbox 360. The image is a lot sharper and clearer.

 

[Dragonlord]

CRTs still own any HDTV monitor out there if it gets down to gaming. Even the good ones. Lack of proper support of anything else than the native resolution, bad response time ( compared to CRT ) and often falsified colors ( if you do also image processing ). Flatpanel is ok for office work where space and look-n-feel is important but that's it. But if you insist then go for the best you can get.

 

[kristianity77]

i have a 36 inch HDTV CRT TV (Toshiba) and in my opinion, not matter what Spec LCD/Plasma you have, you just dont get the same qaulity images that you get with CRT

 

[Ace Gunman]

While that's true in most cases, this HDTV will act as both a monitor for my PC and a TV (mostly for gaming purposes, but other usual TV stuff as well). And the fact is, CRT just isn't meant to support PC-based visuals. Proof of that is the lack of VGA support in most models, even the HD ones.

EDIT: Quick question, as I'm not familiar with gaming in relation to HD... what would be a good response time for an LCD HDTV so not to effect the games negatively? I'm assuming 8ms is perfectly fine, and will negate any imaging issues?

 

[Strokemouth]

While that's true in most cases, this HDTV will act as both a monitor for my PC and a TV (mostly for gaming purposes, but other usual TV stuff as well). And the fact is, CRT just isn't meant to support PC-based visuals. Proof of that is the lack of VGA support in most models, even the HD ones.


Someone should tell that to those millions of CRT PC monitors.

EDIT: Quick question, as I'm not familiar with gaming in relation to HD... what would be a good response time for an LCD HDTV so not to effect the games negatively? I'm assuming 8ms is perfectly fine, and will negate any imaging issues?

Yes, 8ms will be fine.

I've owned three HDTV's: a 32" Samsung CRT, a 42" Philips plasma, and a 55" Sony SXRD. My favorite has been the plasma. The picture quality is on par with the Sony and it's about 20% of the bulk and 2/3 the price. The Sony is in our living room, the Philips is wall mounted in our bedroom. I'll probably get another LCoS for my next TV, but it won't be a Sony.

My point is that if there is one thing you don't want to skimp on, it's your TV. Much like a computer or a car, a TV is an investment when it's your main TV. Especially if you will be also using it as a PC monitor, it is extra important to pick the model that suits all of your needs.

Oh, and take a look at the newer Samsung LCD's. A lot of them have contrast ratios equal to plasmas!

 

[gbtemp111]

The samsung rated contrast ratios on their lcds are meaningless as far as I know. Their sets still have the color quality flaws that plague all LCD sets, namely the weak black levels. Watch a movie like Batman Begins on an LCD, and you'll see the lack of shadow detail that everyone talks about.
Still, LCDs have come up in image quality a lot over the years, and improvements are always under way(new generation with led backlighting, design tweaks, etc).

If I had loads of money I'd buy a *good* quality plasma, but for now all I can afford is either low end LCDs or a decent CRT. I'm going with the CRT despite the lack of easy PC hookup(although that is something I really want).
Maybe when I get out of college and get a real job I'll pick up a solid tv, and it's too bad there isn't more variety and quality in the cheaper sets.

edit:
ace, that LCD you're planning to get is probably suitable for whatever gaming you're planning to do, especially if good pc support is one of your concerns.
A CRT hdtv can be hooked up to a pc, but not as easily(will need driver tweaks, etc). Still, a CRT color accuracy can't be beat by LCDs yet.
I will most likely get one of those samsung slim fit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...KX0DER&v=glance
despite their flaws(decrease image resolution in sides, and some geometry issues. Still produces a good picture).

 

[Dirtie]

Samsung = decently priced, good quality.

 

[apofaz]

low-price hd-tvs have the wrong resolution: they have 13??x768 which is not the correct hd-resolution (1280x720). they scale hd-content up to this resolution and so the picture quality won't be very good 'cause you don't have pixel-on-pixel. it's like with a notebook-screen: work in the native resolution or the picturequality is shitty.

 

[wohoo]

why not get a normal wide-screen 32"+ flat picture with 100Hz that rocks! i've only seen TWO "HD-TV's" with quality that matches even a STANDARD TV!!! and that one was like 42" $5000 two or three weeks ago

 

[dice]

Personally if I was you I would go to a shop and view the TV in work. I've seen quite a few with blockly picturing.

 

[Vater Unser]

why not get a normal wide-screen 32"+ flat picture with 100Hz that rocks! i've only seen TWO "HD-TV's" with quality that matches even a STANDARD TV!!! and that one was like 42" $5000 two or three weeks ago

that might be because many shops display HDTVs with a normal analog TV video source, so it's like analog TV scaled up to the resolution of the HDTV, which of course, looks worse than an actual analog TV

although I'm not going to buy a HDTV anytime soon, it's NOT wise to buy a standard TV anymore