|   I'm so confused... | caedmon
Aug 1, 2002 4:35 PM | | Maybe someone can help me or point me to a site that can help. I'm thinking about getting a big tv (40+). ~$1500
I only watch TV about an hour/week tops, so I don't care about cable or any HDTV cable or whatever. I mainly use my TV for playing video games (Nintendo GameCube), and watching DVDs.
From the research I've done so far, I'm not sure there's any reason to look at a 16x9 TV. Apparently, the resolution of a 16x9 is way higher than a DVD can even output. Is this correct? 1080 vs. 380 or something. I don't mind the black bars I would have on DVDs on a 4x3 screen.
I understand the concept of progressive scan. My Toshiba DVD player can NOT output progressive, but my GameCube does. Can a 4x3 big screen have progressive scan, or only a 16x9?
I guess my main question is: Is there any reason for me to look at 16x9s, or should I get a cheaper, bigger 4x3? Thanks in advance to anyone that can help! |
| Do not buy an RPTV for gaming....... | troll_hunter
Aug 1, 2002 7:47 PM | | Video games are very hard on the tubes in an RPTV if you happen to leave it in pause. It can burn the tubes in the set so that you always see kind of a ghost image. It's called burn in. The games themselves are not a problem, but the habit of pausing them for extended periods is. A TV with a picture tube is great, or anything with an LCD system. Some of the new Rear Projection sets use LCD's instead of picture tubes. |
| Not quite correct... | Keith from Canada
Aug 2, 2002 5:12 AM | | Although the general theme of the post is correct (gaming is bad for RPTV's), one of the comments is not:
"The games themselves are not a problem, but the habit of pausing them for extended periods is"
Unfortunately, that's not quite accurate. The problem with gaming is the number of static images on the screen for extended periods of time. That little box that's in the corner that tells you how many lives you have left or number of bullet you have is what really damages the screen. Also, games like Quake, Doom, James Bond etc., where the player is always in the center of the screen will do some serious damage as well.
If you're going to use this thing for extended gaming, get yourself a tube set. If gaming is secondary to DVD watching, then you might be O.K. The secret is to make sure that you don't leave any static images on the screen for extended periods of time (this includes television watching where things like stock-tickers appear). Playing a game or two for an hour an evening and then switching on the TV is not going to damage anything. We're talking about running games for hours on end without ever changing the image on the set. |
| Do not buy an RPTV for gaming....... | caedmon
Aug 10, 2002 12:38 PM | | Thanks for the advice. So how does an LCD display compare to a rear projection? I see one at Best Buy that looks cool, but is over my budget. http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11100118&m=1&cat=24&scat=1470
Is there a special name for an LCD RPTV? How do I shop for them?
Why do big screens have speakers? I would think most people that buy them have decent sound systems and wouldn't even use the ones in the tv! They add to the cost and the size of the set! WHY?!? |
| re: I'm so confused... | wanderingbob
Aug 2, 2002 6:50 AM | | I'll try to answer your question as directly as possible. You can buy 4 X 3 TV's that are "HD compatible", which means they can display up to "1080i" resolution and have component inputs. To see the progressive output of your game cube (or any progressive scan DVD player you might purchase in the future) you will need an "HD compatible" TV. If you don't mind the letterboxing on DVD's, then an "HD compatible" 4 X 3 TV is a valid approach for you.
I also agree with troll_hunter...I would not buy a projection TV for extensive gaming use.
Bob Gardner
wanderingbob@yahoo.com |
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