Anyone using an HD CRT television for the 360? (1 Viewer)

[Curt Luther]

We are now thinking about getting a HD CRT TV instead of a LCD because you get alot bigger screen for the money. Will that still give a great picture quality or should we just stick with a LCD but smaller screen?

Thank you

 

[Dean Cooper]

Actually, the CRT set will give you a better picture over all if it is a HD ready set. They are a bit more work to maintain but well worth it.

Advantages for a CRT set
-Tubes will last a hell of a lot longer than LCD panel lights.
-MUCH better contrast
-Don't have to worry about dead pixels

Disadvantages for a CRT set
-you have to worry about burn in (if you treat and setup your TV properly this is a non issue)
-Its MUCH bigger
-upkeep is more demanding

Go for the bigger, better CRT screen if you have the room for it.

 

[Curt Luther]

Thank you Dean for the info. Could you tell me a little more about the upkeep that you say there is? I am not familar with the CRT HD sets enough to know. Are they more apt to get burn in than a standard CRT? I hope I used the term CRT right. I am talking about a "tube" type tv like a 26" wide screen set.

Thank you

 

[Scott_lb]

Hi Curt - yes, you are using the term "tube" and CRT correctly. CRT stands for "cathode ray tube" so you can really describe them with either term. Regarding your question about HD CRT vs. Standard Def CRT burn in, they are the same. The long and the short of it is this - whenever you have a set that is capable of burning in, you want to make sure that you don't have any sort of static image on the screen for too long. Think of it this way: A live NFL football game displays the score on one part of the screen. Normally, this would cause the set to burn in. However, your image is interspersed with replays, commercials, interviews, etc. which break up the image of the score every so often. Thus, the score does not burn into your display. However, when playing the Xbox 360, you have the control over how you intersperse images onto your screen. So, you need to be mindful of not having any static images on your screen for too long.

Have fun with your new set. I'm looking forward to getting my own (and first) HD set in a few months!

 

[Dean Cooper]

Ok with a single tube CRT display there is very little you need to do to keep it in top shape. Most if not all TVs come from the factory in full torch mode (contrast and brightness maxed to the nuts). If you leave them both pinned you are going to have a problem with burn in. It is best to use a calibration DVD or even the THX utility that is on a THX movie like Toy Story to properly set the contrast and brightness. A properly calibrated TV will be able to display your games with very little need to worry about burn in.

Now, if you decide to go for a huge CRT rear projection TV there is a lot more to keeping them in top working shape. Mainly convergence settings to make sure the three tubes are lined up correctly.

Enjoy that new TV!

Dean

 

[Curt Luther]

Thanks for the information. One other question is if the TV is 480p and 1080i...how well will the Xbox look seeing that it is 720 natively? I am looking at the Phillips 30" widescreen and can get it for $389 refurbished direct from Phillips.

Thank you

 

[todbnla]

YES, hd widescreen phillips (!) 30" set @ 1080i = great picture, the only reason I would want an lcd or plas would be the footprint it would save. Real estate is tight these days...

 

[Paul Simmons]

Curt, I was in the EXACT same position you are in. I was originally going to pick up a 50" Hitachi LCD TV but I really started to think about what I'd use it mostly for (regular cable TV, video games) so I ending up going with a 65" Toshiba CRT rear projection TV and I couldn't be happier. It was a MUCH larger screen for the same money.

I don't have an Xbox 360 but I tried playing some PS2 games in 480p and let me tell you, WOW some of those games are MUCH clearer (Megaman X8 anyone?)

And what Dean said is very true. The contrast and brightness was cranked right to 100% so lower those settings. I put them both to 50%.

 

[DaveD']

Hi Curt, I have my xbox 360 running on a Sanyo 30" widescreen HD CRT tv. I was very surprised at how nice it looks @1080i(and the difference when switched down to 480p). It's not as crisp as the 26" lcd they had the 360 running on at Best Buy, but it looks great for a lowend HD CRT.

 

[Gary Seven]

I'm running a 360 on a calibrated Sony XBR800 36 inch. The picture is better than I've seen in any store. THe HD is incredibly sharp and clear. Colors... vibrant.

 

[Adam_R]

I use a Sony 57" CRT RP HDTV for my 360 and it looks fantastic, except for the fact that I am having issues with the TV now. (unrelated to the 360)

I, however, would NOT be buying another CRT based RP HDTV again. I would look at the newer DLP and LCD ones. They have gotten very affordable.



Really?

I did not think that was the case.