Types of TV to get for gaming

[littlewhite]

Hi AZ members. We are looking at a HDTV sz around hi 40s and low 50s for some gaming whenever we hv time and hv people over + of course watching TV. Which type would you guys recommend? I know plasma has better pix and quality in large size for gaming vs LCD. How about those LED TVs? Are they decent for gaming or they pretty bad like big LCD TVs for gaming. Thx in advance!

[Alkivar]

if you go LCD for gaming you want high refresh rate... at least 120hz... preferably 600hz.

LED tv's are only LED backlit in the size you are talking... OLED tv's are still in the sub 20" size.

as for Plasma being better than LCD... it depends on model and brand... there are some LCDs that look better than some Plasma, and vice versa.

[littlewhite]

ic. Noticed many Plasma hv like 600hz refresh rate vs like 120 for LCD. So higher hz will be ok" for gaming on LCDs? I remember seeing some game on like 52" LCDs it look quite bad with fade coloring and poor quality

thx for the input though

[Groove1797]

1. the comparison of 120hz (refrest rate) and 600hz (sub field drive) is not a correct comparison since thy are measuring different things.
2. My samsung Led-Lcd (7000 series) is 120hz and it sometimes exhibits jumping with very fast motions.
3. Make sure to get a backlit, not edgelit if you go the LED route.

[hoppy6698]

Also, look at where you intend to put the TV - is it well lit or darker? Plasma's were designed to be optimal in darker rooms. If it gets a lot of sun, LCD is the winner.

Like most said here - go for refresh rate. But anything 120hz+ will do as long as you optimize the connections (use HDMI, not component cables, etc).

[washyourrhands]

i have a vizio and i love it

[littlewhite]

Thx for all the info guys! Greatly appreciated!

It will be in the living room. Not too bright but seriously wont use it anyway until after work/evenings.

So LCD even if is big like 50" still ok for gaming with decent pix quality if refresh rate is higher?

[JustMtnB44]

Usually Plasma TV's are not recommended for gaming due to the possibility of burn-in of static images on the screen. I understand this is less of or a non-issue with most modern Plasmas, but still worth consideration IMO. The new LED backlit LCD's are supposed to be very close to plasma level picture quality while being much more energy efficient. I have heard that plasma TV's will be phased out eventually, most due to energy consumption.

I don't know why you think regular LCD TV's are bad for gaming? I have a regular Sharp Aquos LCD TV and it works great for gaming on the rare event that I use it for that. The newer LED backlit LCD's are even better.

Also, having a LCD TV with 120hz or 240hz refresh rate is of no real benefit to gaming. Normal LCD TV's are 60hz. While it is possible for a computer game to output more than 60 frames per second, a 120/240 hz TV cannot accept more than a 60 hz input signal anyway. I believe PS3/Xbox both output 60 hz. The 120/240hz feature is internal processing that the TV does by interpolating extra frames between the input frames. The main advantage of 120hz was to eliminate the judder effect created by 3:2 pulldown while watching 24 hz movies on a 60hz TV. While it may makes games look smoother, just like it can do to TV and movies, this feature is not at all similar to say a CRT monitor which actually could display 120 hz signals. That said, I would still buy a 120hz TV just because it is more versatile. IMO 240hz is just a marketing gimmick, no one will notice a difference between 120 and 240 hz, and lots of people don't even like the 120hz interpolation effect. I haven't spent enough time watching either to really decide if I like it or not yet.

Edit: I don't think you can really go wrong with any current model, brand name LCD TV. Just do some research and read reviews on whatever TV you are looking at before buying. A lot of picture quality issues are related to screen settings and ambient light, which may be why the TV's you have seen before looked bad to you.

[littlewhite]

Usually Plasma TV's are not recommended for gaming due to the possibility of burn-in of static images on the screen. I understand this is less of or a non-issue with most modern Plasmas, but still worth consideration IMO. The new LED backlit LCD's are supposed to be very close to plasma level picture quality while being much more energy efficient. I have heard that plasma TV's will be phased out eventually, most due to energy consumption.

I don't know why you think regular LCD TV's are bad for gaming? I have a regular Sharp Aquos LCD TV and it works great for gaming on the rare event that I use it for that. The newer LED backlit LCD's are even better.

Also, having a LCD TV with 120hz or 240hz refresh rate is of no real benefit to gaming. Normal LCD TV's are 60hz. While it is possible for a computer game to output more than 60 frames per second, a 120/240 hz TV cannot accept more than a 60 hz input signal anyway. I believe PS3/Xbox both output 60 hz. The 120/240hz feature is internal processing that the TV does by interpolating extra frames between the input frames. The main advantage of 120hz was to eliminate the judder effect created by 3:2 pulldown while watching 24 hz movies on a 60hz TV. While it may makes games look smoother, just like it can do to TV and movies, this feature is not at all similar to say a CRT monitor which actually could display 120 hz signals. That said, I would still buy a 120hz TV just because it is more versatile. IMO 240hz is just a marketing gimmick, no one will notice a difference between 120 and 240 hz, and lots of people don't even like the 120hz interpolation effect. I haven't spent enough time watching either to really decide if I like it or not yet.

Edit: I don't think you can really go wrong with any current model, brand name LCD TV. Just do some research and read reviews on whatever TV you are looking at before buying. A lot of picture quality issues are related to screen settings and ambient light, which may be why the TV's you have seen before looked bad to you.

I see. Well the reason is i saw it hooked up on a 52" LCD Sony with PS3 and Wii and the pix quality was not too good. The Sony was 1090p HDTV too and i read and was told Plasma the pix quality was better for gaming vs LCD. LCD is great up to like 36" from what i heard and was told. So i just want to get more opinion. LED TV is quite e- efficient and environmental friendly. Slim and compact too!

THx 4 your thoughtful input!