All things HDTV

[Wiitendo]

And I should definitely get the official Nintendo ones right? Or are there better quality ones made by some 2nd or 3rd Party company?

Yes, nintendo would know how to use their own system now would't they? don't take chances with 3 party if possiable ALWAYS stick with first party, even if it costs a bit more. (more money for nintendo yay!)

 

[Jorge]

Just to start out please forgive me for this long post. I have no knowledge about HDTV and I've been researching online on Google, etc but I'm still a bit confused about it. The Nintendo Wii can do 480p at max and thats fine and all but I don't have a tv that is capable of that. I'm pretty sure I have CRT which is Cathode Ray Television correct? Now I'm planning on buy a new TV with some saved up money. So I have a few questions to ask and I"ll just list them out.

1) LCD v Plasma: Which is better for Videogames and general TV viewing?

2) If a TV says it can do 1080i or 1080p does that ALSO mean it can do 480p and 720p as well? OR do I have to find a TV capable of producing all those resolutions

3) What is the usual screen size for a television used for games? Especially Multiplayer.

4) After I buy the TV and setup the cable, etc. I'll need to buy some type of new cable to connect the Wii to the TV right? My question is which is better? Component or S-Video and what is the difference?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.

All of these have been answered, but I will toss in my .02. I work HT at Best Buy (not saying I am right and you are wrong, just stating how I got my knowledge)

1. Plasma is not good for video games. LCD isn't the best either. For video games a projection TV will be the best. Projos have the highest refresh rate (cuts down on pixelation during movement), LCD's range from 4-8ms just depending on the TV, and all of the plasmas I have seen have a 4ms rate. For everyday viewing there is no answer honestly. It is all personal preference. Plasma's are brighter, but sometimes too bright and can cause the picture to look fake. If you want to go with a 1080p television you will need to go with an LCD. For a plasma 1080p you will pay $7000 if you find a good deal. A 1080p LCD will range around $1500 and up.

2. A TV is capable of all resolutions up to it's own. 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, 1080i, 1080p. The premier HD broadcasts are in 720p. Nothing is broadcast in 1080p. The only thing available in 1080p is a Blu-ray movie. I am not positive if PS3 games are 1080p.

3. I use a 27" CRT. It's fine for multiplayer. Though it does get a little rough with any kind of split screen.

4. Component is going to be the best cable for the Wii. I would go ahead and go with an HDTV, get HD cable, and pick up an HDMI cable.

 

[MasterJedi2U]

Thanks for responding Jorge. I understand what you're saying about LCD vs Plasma but I'm not sure if I would like a Projection TV. How exactly does that work. Is there even a TV involved in the normal sense? I mean its just a projector and a screen you hang in the room? Because I'm not sure I'd like that. As for the TV itself I've found some really good deals on several websites and my price range is going to be around $600-700.

I hate Playstation so I don't have to worry about that. I'm only getting 1080 b/c maybe in the future Nintendo might use graphics that require that type of resolution and TV shows might also be at that level.

I've decided to get a 27' or 32' TV so I agree with you on that note.

Thanks for that. The HDMI cable is for connection with a DVD player correct? Basically I'm getting the HDTV as opposed to EDTV because its prob whats going to be used in the future as CRT is phased out. And even if that turns out not to be the case I'll still have a nice TV that works great with games.

 

[Jorge]

Thanks for responding Jorge. I understand what you're saying about LCD vs Plasma but I'm not sure if I would like a Projection TV. How exactly does that work. Is there even a TV involved in the normal sense? I mean its just a projector and a screen you hang in the room? Because I'm not sure I'd like that. As for the TV itself I've found some really good deals on several websites and my price range is going to be around $600-700.

I hate Playstation so I don't have to worry about that. I'm only getting 1080 b/c maybe in the future Nintendo might use graphics that require that type of resolution and TV shows might also be at that level.

I've decided to get a 27' or 32' TV so I agree with you on that note.

Thanks for that. The HDMI cable is for connection with a DVD player correct? Basically I'm getting the HDTV as opposed to EDTV because its prob whats going to be used in the future as CRT is phased out. And even if that turns out not to be the case I'll still have a nice TV that works great with games.

A rear projection TV, not a front projector. You know the big screen older televisions? That is a rear projection TV. Now they have projection LCD, DLP, HD-ILA, and a few others. If you don't want a projection then don't worry about the differences. Projection TV's aren't going to give you as bright of a picture, but you will be able to get a larger screen for less money. The smallest we have at work is 46" for $1300. So I am going to guess that projection is out of the picture for you.

HDMI (High Definition Media Interface) is used for any type of high-def source. Cable, satellite, Upconvert DVD players (regular DVD at near high-definition), HDDVD, Blu-ray, HD Tivo, PS3, and I could name other sources all night long.

You are correct in that HDTV will be used in the future. I strongly urge you not to buy an EDTV, and I would recommend a 32" television.

 

[MasterJedi2U]

IC...yeah Rear Projection might be out of my range right now but its good to know it exists out there and if I find a decent price I might get one. One final question regarding Aspect Ratio. Now it seems like a lot of them are in widescreen 16:9 but I was wondering can you change it so that it displays in the other size format? Are there some HDTV's that run in 4:3 or whatever the alternative size is? And what is the difference if any? I'd rather my TV screen be full of images rather than be half black just to get a less than significant clearer image.

 

[Master Foot]

Do retailers even sell EDTVs? If I'm looking to get a HDTV, but I would rather buy one that supports all resolutions than just a 720p or 1080i. An EDTV CRT sounds like a good choice for now, so can anyone recommend one?

 

[Jorge]

Yes retailers sell EDTV's. IMO they look no better than SDTV.

There is no TV that supports only one resolution, well besides standard-definition CRT televisions. If a TV supports a higher resolution then it will also support ANY resolution below it.

For a CRT I would suggest Samsung or Sharp. They are a good quality television without paying the price of a Sony.

 

[Brawny]

IC...yeah Rear Projection might be out of my range right now but its good to know it exists out there and if I find a decent price I might get one. One final question regarding Aspect Ratio. Now it seems like a lot of them are in widescreen 16:9 but I was wondering can you change it so that it displays in the other size format? Are there some HDTV's that run in 4:3 or whatever the alternative size is? And what is the difference if any? I'd rather my TV screen be full of images rather than be half black just to get a less than significant clearer image.

Rear projection pwns anyway, if you can handle the size on floor.

Get a widescreen (or even better, 4:3 letterbox). going to the opposite aspect will put black bars on either the top and bottom or the sides. Letterbox will skew both to fit in the whole screen but you don't notice it as bad. I hate boxes. they also wears the screen bad. There are 4:3 hd's but not many

don't buy sony whatever you do ha ha, don't give them money. I like magnavox, really cheap

 

[Jorge]

Westinghouse is also a very good TV for the price.

 

[Jorge]

How much better do the component cables look compared to the composite? I was considering buying a set to keep hooked up to my parents TV since mine doesn't have component input. Though I do plan on buying a new TV as soon as I can. I'm trying to save up for a 52" Sharp Aquos LCD to upgrade from my 27" Magnavox CRT.

 

[MaxCapacitor]

How much better do the component cables look compared to the composite?

There have been dozens of threads on this forum about that, but I'll repost the 'meat and potatoes' of those threads. Btw, Pictures > Text:

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6162297/p-2.html

http://www.lawrenceingraham.com/?p=38

http://pix.blakespot.com/view/computers/screenshots/wii_composite_vs_component/

And I should definitely get the official Nintendo ones right? Or are there better quality ones made by some 2nd or 3rd Party company?

Here, watch this video and the professional broadcast engineer will explain the differences between retail component cables and give an in depth look at what's actually inside those wires:

http://revision3.com/systm/avcabling

 

[MasterJedi2U]

Okay wtf does "pwns" mean!? I mean people keep saying it and I have no clue what they're talking about. It is it akin to owns or dominates? I mean seriously this is kinda freaking me out.

And yeah I'm not giving Sony any of my money although I'll admit that some of their tvs are delicious eye candy. And I'm going to get a TV thats capable of both Aspect Ratios just in case I prefer 1 over the other. It'll be awhile before I start shopping for it but I wanted to do some preliminary research right now in prep for it. Thanks to everyone whos answered so far. I'm definitely printing the whole thread out so I can reference it later.

 

[caughron]

1) LCD v Plasma: Which is better for Videogames and general TV viewing?
LCD for gaming and Plasma for TV. Sure LCD's may have a slower response time than projection TVs (mentioned earlier by someone else), but coming from a guy who has both a LCD monitor and a LCD HDTV trust me, you will never experience ghosting problems; unless you buy a TV/monitor with a response time >8ms. Just make sure you get a TV with a higher contrast ratio (the ratio of the brightness and darkest color the TV is capable of producing - white/black), if you get one with a lower ratio sometimes blacks actually appear grayish and colors just aren't as defined.

2) If a TV says it can do 1080i or 1080p does that ALSO mean it can do 480p and 720p as well? OR do I have to find a TV capable of producing all those resolutions
Most of the time, yes. Although I would be sure to check before I threw down a couple hundred if not thousands of dollars first. Almost all TRUE HDTVs are capable of at least 480p/720p/1080i nowadays.

3) What is the usual screen size for a television used for games? Especially Multiplayer.
Like some people have said before a 32" seems like a good size. A friend of mine has a 27" samsung hdtv and my samsung hdtv is a 32".

4) After I buy the TV and setup the cable, etc. I'll need to buy some type of new cable to connect the Wii to the TV right? My question is which is better? Component or S-Video and what is the difference?
Component is the best (not just for the Wii, but for the 360 as well). S-Video is limited to 480i (standard definition) while the component cables for the Wii can do 480p and the component cables for the 360 can do up to 1080p/i. For the 360 just make sure you set your resolution to the native resolution of your television. For those of you wondering, VGA for 360 can only do up to 720p. So for the Wii go with component and if you/anyone else has a 360 you just have to decide between component or VGA. VGA is more sharp/crisp, but component has brighter/bolder colors.

 

[Jorge]

Okay wtf does "pwns" mean!? I mean people keep saying it and I have no clue what they're talking about. It is it akin to owns or dominates? I mean seriously this is kinda freaking me out.

And yeah I'm not giving Sony any of my money although I'll admit that some of their tvs are delicious eye candy. And I'm going to get a TV thats capable of both Aspect Ratios just in case I prefer 1 over the other. It'll be awhile before I start shopping for it but I wanted to do some preliminary research right now in prep for it. Thanks to everyone whos answered so far. I'm definitely printing the whole thread out so I can reference it later.

Back in the olden days there would be typos. Someone would go to type "own" and would type "pwn" hence the birth of pwn.

You may not want go give Sony your money...until you go look at their Bravia XBR series LCD flat panels. They are ungodly expensive, but amazingly splendiforously gorgeous.

 

[Brawny]

Ha ha, typing pwn has become second nature to me. I once put it in a school paper and spell check didn't find it. At least the teacher was tech-savvy and didn't mark it down