HD, is it worth it for gaming?

I've been looking at TVs recently, because the current one I have everything hooked up to is outdated, and has a pretty bad picture.

I was wondering if it's worth getting HD for a TV that is for gaming only, (maybe movies but doubtful), or if I should save my money.

(Although, once you get to about 30/32" widescreen, there aren't many non HDs)

It depends. If you're one of those people stuck in the past, HD doesn't provide much (if any) an upgrade.

If you own any next-gen system, or even an Xbox, you will notice a difference. Not so much on the Xbox or Wii, but the 360 and PS3 look absolutely gorgous on a HD display.

I'm planning on finally dropping the money on a cheap CRT HD display later this year. Nothing too big (probably only 30" or so, since the room it'll be in is kind of small) but I just need something decent to hold me over until SED finally comes out.

if you're using a mid-highend PC an xbox 360 or a PS3, there is a definite increase in visual quality.

Originally Posted by Captain Cornflake

I'm planning on finally dropping the money on a cheap CRT HD display later this year. Nothing too big (probably only 30" or so, since the room it'll be in is kind of small) but I just need something decent to hold me over until SED finally comes out.

SED is pretty much SOL because of the screwing up of its backers. LCD prices are dropping and will continue dropping very fast, and with LED backlighting coming up, LCD picture quality will be able to rise above the competition with contrast ratios above plasmas, motion blurring eliminated, a finally a color gamut way outside of NTSC standards. (Traditional LCDs are only capable of displaying 72% of the NTSC color spectrum. This year, the companies' big thing, as LED is just hitting the high end market this year, is Cold-Fluorescent Bulbs for backlighting, which do a very respectable ~92% NTSC. (Read: Good enough that it wouldn't be worth it putting off buying a TV waiting for LED unless you're serious about getting a high end TV.))

Next year, you should be able to get a great 26" LCD for $500. (You can get a nice one for around $700 now, down from $1000 that prices were at last year.) Basically, if you want to go LCD, the rule is the longer you wait, the more you'll save and the better the PQ you'll get.

And to answer your question: Yes, for gaming, HDTV is definitely worth it if you own an HD console. For the Wii, it will help a little bit, but it won't wow you like HD will. It'll really just add a little more crispness, color, and smoother motion.

Mr. Wonderful, only TN panels(the cheapest ones) are incapable of displaying full color, SIPS and MVA/PVA can display full color.

Only thing that kills LCDs to me would be the low refresh rate.

Originally Posted by nighthawkx

Mr. Wonderful, only TN panels(the cheapest ones) are incapable of displaying full color, SIPS and MVA/PVA can display full color.

Only thing that kills LCDs to me would be the low refresh rate.

No, most have trouble getting to that standard due to lack of contrast and the backlighting. I've scoured TV specs for two and a half years now, and have seen it listed in the specs on many occasions. I can't find a specific spec sheet for you at the moment, but hover over video and click CCFL here to get the idea.

More Information.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) screens filter the light emitted by a backlight. The gamut of an LCD screen is therefore limited to the emitted spectrum of the backlight. Typical LCD screens use fluorescent bulbs for backlights. LCD Screens with certain LED backlights yield a more comprehensive gamut than CRTs.

Television uses a CRT display (usually), but does not take full advantage of its color display properties, due to the limitations of broadcasting. HDTV is far better, but still somewhat less than, for example, computer displays using the same display technology.

You're probably thinking along the idea of computer colors. As you said, all but the very cheap LCDs can do 8-bit per channel color (24-bit). But...

It is not uncommon for displays with CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps) based lighting to range from 40% to 76% of the NTSC color gamut, whereas displays utilizing white LED backlights may extend past 100% of the NTSC color gamut - a difference quite perceivable by the human eye.

The number of bits (6 or 8) is often emphasized, but with LCD displays, the transmittance of a pixel is typically not linear with the applied voltage[1], and even if it were, the sRGB standard for computer monitors requires a specific nonlinear dependence of the amount of emitted light as a function of the RGB value. From the curve in Ref. [1] it can be derived that especially for accurate display of low (dark) RGB values even an 8-bit D-A converter is not sufficient to display 8 bits per color channel with sufficient resolution without dithering.

Sometimes the TV can accept the colors, but when it comes to the actual colors on screen, things like the backlighting can get in the way.


And I agree about the LCD refresh rates. Though I don't notice the flicker that I do when a CRT monitor is set to 60hz, it still is terribly low. For TV and console gaming it can be acceptable, but for other uses, it can really get in the way.

consoles are designed such that users cannot rapidly rotate or otherwise move.

in PC games, movement is much more rapid due to the use of mice. It's jsut the nature of the situation. Console games are made to "hide" poor frame rates... PC games are basically just slapped together with the assumption that within 5 years hardware will run the software flawlessly with little regard towards the present.

Gaming? maby you should get a (PC)monitor with component inputs

I saw a review on these benQ displays a while ago
THis or this

Originally Posted by WaHa

Gaming? maby you should get a (PC)monitor with component inputs

I saw a review on these benQ displays a while ago
THis or this

With 16ms respond time? Ouch. I don't think so.
You'd be way better off picking up a nice HD TV set with hopefully DVI/VGA, component and HDMI inputs. Perfect for gaming and watching TV...What TVs are made for. And most of those have 8ms or less, which is exactly what you need for gaming.

Taledin, if I were you... I'd do what Mr. Wonderful suggested.

For Christmas, I got a nice little 19inch, LCD display with all the inputs, including AVG but I don't think it's HD, but the clarity of it is brillant. Even on my PS2 and Cube, the games look better and above all else, sharper.

Is it still hard to view LCD displays from angles? That would be a big deciding factor for me.

The old LCD's do have the problem of poor picture quality from the sides. The new ones have solved that issue.

Originally Posted by oizys

Is it still hard to view LCD displays from angles? That would be a big deciding factor for me.

Almost all TVs now claim a 170 degree or more viewing angle. Of course there are some exceptions, but mostly, the problem is non-existent. Checking each model out on a individual basis or reading reviews would be the safest thing, if seeing the TV from that last 20 degrees is a big deal for you.

Sweet. Naw, it would just piss me off seeing as 2 out of three chairs are at an angle to my living room.

Dude do not, I repeat do not get an HDTV until 1440p comes out. Yes it's true! I'm not making it up. Here's the link:Here

I'm not sure if anyone alredy knows about this, but I'm hyped. And I already supposedly know someone who has a 1440p capable HDTV.

Get ready for the 1440p PS3/Xbox 360 update! Hopefully 1440p content games will follow in this year, man I'm so hyped!

56k warning XD!

http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/...=128281,00.jpg

Vs.

http://joel.boonstras.com/images/new...ent_system.jpg



I believe HD gaming is really worth it on the 360, which is all I've seen. Everything is so crisp and clean, it's perfect

Sounds like HD could be well worth it, now I just have to find one that's $600 or less.

(I'm 15, so I can only work over the summer, and my hours are gonna be limited. So as best as I can see, I'm only gonna be able to get to about $650 give or take)

Originally Posted by Zeldafan1

Get ready for the 1440p PS3/Xbox 360 update! Hopefully 1440p content games will follow in this year, man I'm so hyped!

I think we are hitting a hardware limit's at 1080 for ps3 and 72